Lemon Ginger Rasam

Here I share the recipe of Lemon rasam, one of my favorites. The specialty of this rasam is that it does not require any rasam powder. Green chillies and ginger gives it the required flavor.

Preparation Time: 5 mins Cooking Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:
1. Toor dhal - 3 Tablespoon
2. Green chilies - 2
3. Ginger - 1/2 inch
4. Tomato - 2 
5. Lemon juice - 2 tablespoon
6. Salt - to taste
7. Oil - 1 tablespoon
8. Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
9. Curry leaves - 5 to 6
10. Coriander leaves
11. Red chilies - 2 
12.Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
13. Asafoetida - a pinch

Preparation:
1. Pressure cook toor dhal , smash nicely, add water and prepare 2 cups of dhal water
2. In a pan, add chopped tomatoes, slit green chilies, grated ginger, turmeric powder, salt, curry leaves and 5 to 7 strands of the coriander leaves (finely chopped)  and 1 cup of water and bring it to boil
3. Once the tomatoes cook  (takes approximately 4 to 5 minutes), add the dhal water and continue to boil for another 3 to 4 minutes
4. In another pan, heat oil and season with mustard seeds, red chilies, asafoetida and add it to the rasam pan
5. Add finely chopped coriander leaves (5 to 7 strands) to the rasam and remove it from the stove
6. Add lemon juice to the rasam and it is ready to be served


Tips:
1. You can use Ghee instead of oil for seasoning

Mint Rasam

Almost after 6 years of break , I decided to renew my cooking experiments and blogging again today :). Beginning my second phase with a simple recipe.

I like to try different types of Rasam. I happened to come across the mint rasam and gave it a variation in my style. 

Preparation Time: 5 minutes Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

1. Mint leaves - 1/2 cup

2. Tamarind - gooseberry size

3. Dry coconut - 2 tablespoon

4. Red chilly - 2

5. Whole pepper - 1 teaspoon

6. Cumin - 1 teaspoon

7. Turmeric powder - a pinch

8. Oil - 1 tablespoon

9. Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon

10. Curry leaves - 4 to 5

11. Jaggery - 1 teaspoon

12. Garlic - 3 to 4 pods

Preparation:

1. Soak tamarind in water and extract juice of about 3 cups. Chop garlic into fine pieces

2. Grind dry coconut with red chilies, pepper and cumin ( just for couple of seconds)

3. Wash mint leaves and add it to the mixer and make a coarse paste

4. Heat 1/2 tablespoon of oil in a pan and add the chopped garlic, ground paste and fry until raw smell goes

5. Add tamarind water, turmeric powder and salt and bring it to boil in low flame ( takes about 7 to 8 minutes)

6. Add jaggery at this stage and switch off

7. Now season mustard seeds, curry leaves and asafoetida in the remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil and add it to the rasam

Yummy mint rasam is ready to be served. This rasam will have a tangy sweet taste and goes well with any curry

Tips:

1. If you don't have dry coconut, dry roast grated coconut and use it. It gives the same flavor

2. Adjust the tamarind based on its sourness. I will recommend adding 1 cup of tamarind water first and check the taste and adjust afterwards

Dhal Rasam

This is another simplest variety of rasam(our version of soup with lentils) made just with dhal water. This preparation doesnt require boiling of the ingredients.

Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
Toor dhal water - 200 ml (made from 1/2 cup of toor dhal)
Tomato - 1 medium sized
Tamarind - Small gooseberry size
Rasam powder (equal amounts of pepper and cumin seeds ground to coarse powder)  - 1 tablespoon 
Salt - to taste
Curry leaves - 3 
Coriander leaves - 3 -4 strings finely chopped
Oil - 1 tablespoon
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Red chillies - 2 

Preparation:
1. In a bowl, smash the tomatoes and tamarind with your hands.
2. Add salt, rasam powder, curry leaves and coriander leaves and cover the bowl with a lid and keep aside.
3. Boil toor dhal in a pressure cooker with a pinch of turmeric powder.
4. When the pressure releases, drain the hot dhal water into the mixture prepared and close the lid.
5. Now heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a small pan and when hot, add mustard seeds. When it crackles, add red chillies and a pinch of asafoetida and transfer this to the rasam and stir it well.

Hot and simple rasam is ready to serve. You can drink this as a soup or have it with rice.

Tomato Rasam

There are different versions of tomato rasam - either with or without dhal. Recipe presented here uses toor dhal and gives the perfect taste. Tomato rasam with paruppu thogayal would be like Amirtham if I return back home after any trip.

Preparation Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

1. Toor dhal - 1/2 cup

2. Tomatoes - 3 medium sized

3. Red chilly powder - 3/4 Tablespoon

4. Pepper and Jeera powder - 1 tablespoon

5. Salt - to taste

6. Ghee - 2 Tablespoon

7. Mustard seeds - 2 Teaspoon

8. Red chillies - 3

9. Asafoetida - a pinch

10. Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon

11. Tamarind Juice - 50 ml

12. Coriander Leaves - for garnishing

Preparation:

1. Pressure cook toor dhal with required water and turmeric powder and smash it nicely.

2. Grind tomatoes to a coarse paste.

3. Mix the cooked dhal, tomato paste and the tamarind juice. Add salt,red chilly powder and pepper/jeera powder and bring it to boil in a pan.

4. When the mixture comes to boil, switch off the stove.

5. Heat 2 tablespoons of ghee and when hot season with mustard seeds, red chillies and asafoetida.

6. Add the seasoning to the mixture and garnish with coriander leaves.

Hot tomato rasam is ready to serve. You can serve it with rice or even drink it as a soup.

Garlic Rasam

This is a simple variety of rasam with garlic. Since we dont use cooked dhal in this preparation, this consumes lesser time to prepare.


Preparation Time: 20 minutes


Ingredients:
1. Tomato - 2 
2. Tamarind juice - 2 tablespoon
3. Oil - 2 tablespoon
4. Garlic - 6
5. Curry leaves & coriander leaves for garnishing
6. Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
7. Red chillies - 2


To make paste:
1. Garlic - 5 pods
2. Red chillies - 3
3. Coriander seeds - 1 tablespoon
4. Toor dhal - 1 tablespoon
5. Methi seeds - 1 teaspoon
6. Curry leaves - 4 to 5
7. Asafoetida - a pinch




Preparation:


1. Dry roast all ingredients given for paste, cool them and make a wet paste.
2. Chop the tomatoes to fine pieces and cook in 2 cups of water along with 6 pods of garlic.
3. When tomatoes are almost cooked, add tamarind juice, the ground paste and salt. Bring it to boil for 5 to 7 minutes and bring it off the stove.
4. Season the rasam with mustard seeds, red chillies and asafoetida in 2 tablespoon of oil.
5. Garnish with curry leaves and coriander leaves.


Serve it with hot white rice.

Simple Rasam

There are different varieties of rasam and most of them are prepared from dhal water. This version of rasam is prepared without dhal. Powder for this rasam can be prepared in large quantities and refrigerated and used as and when required.
Preparation Time : 15 minutes

Ingredients:
1. Tamarind extract - 2 cups
2. Tomato - 1 medium size
3. Coriander leaves - for garnishing
4. Salt - to taste
5. Oil - 2 tablespoons
6. Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
For Powder:
1. Toor dhal - 1 tablespoon
2. Channa dhal - 1/2 tablespoon
3. Pepper - 1 tablespoon
4. Cumin seeds - 1 tablespoon
5. Red chillies - 3
6. Coriander seeds - 2 tablespoon
7. Oil - 2 tablespoon

Preparation:
1. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil and fry all ingredients given for powder, cool and grind it to a fine powder
2. Finely chop tomatoes and add it to the tamarind extract and bring it to boil with required amount of salt for 5 minutes.
3. Add the ground powder and boil for another 5 to 7 minutes and switch off the stove.
4. For seasoning, add 2 tablespoons of oil and add mustard seeds. When it splutters, transfer it to the rasam and garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve it hot with rice.