Rasam

[e101g]

I have tried atleast 1000 versions of this south indian soup.

I do like the westernized 'Mullaghatawny Soup' as well.

The best cure for common cold. :) Atleast that's what the southies claim.

Here is how I make it.

If you have a different version, please post.

Boil a third of a cup of Thoor Dhall (yellow gram?) until smooth.

In a wok, add 2 tbs oil under medium heat.

Add 1/2 tsp mustard seeds wait till they all pop..

Add 1 tsp cumin seeds, 5 pods of crushed garlic, 3 dried red chillies

1/4 tsp crushed coriander seeds. Let it all roast for 30 seconds.

Add 3 large diced tomatoes and a pinch of asafoetida and pinch of turmeric.

Wait till the tomatoes are soft and well integrated with the rest of the spices (5 min).

Add 1 tsp tamarind paste or juice of one lime.

Add 2 cups of water. Increase the heat to high.

When it starts boiling, add the cooked dhall.

Add salt to taste. (1.5 tsp?)

Before it start boiling again, remove it from heat.

Add 1 tsp crushed black pepper.

Garnish with coriander and curry leaves.

Edited January 21, 2004 by e101g (log)

[Monica Bhide]

Thanks!

Here is an older thread on Rasam Rasam

I believe the Recipe Gullet also has a rasam recipe.

Have folks tried to make it -- how did it turn out for you. It is so perfect to prepare in this freezing cold weather that we are having

[uberleet]

I love rasam, but I can't eat it "fresh." The toor dal makes it sweet (too sweet for my taste), but letting the flavors blend overnight seems to mute the sweetness. However, e101g's recipe adds way more tamarind paste than I usually do - I think I add a teaspoon to hot water, and it doesn't fully dissolve, so I'm probably only putting in about 1/2 teaspoon.

Thanks for the recipe! I can't wait to try it.

[tryska]

my mom's version of rasam:

1 tbsp black peppercorns

1/2 tbsp crushed red pepper

1 tsp turmeric

1/2 tbsp fenugreek seed (methi)

1/2 tbsp cumin

about 6 cloves garlic

and a smidge of asofoetida

fresh cilantro (1/2 bunch)

crush with a mortar and pestle

saute in oil til spices are fragrant then pour in 2c water, a spoonful of tamarind concentrate, and a chopped tomato. add some more fresh cilantro. bring to a boil. turn off.

[Rushina]

This is not rasam but worht a try if you like rasam. It is great for when you have a stuffy nose or bad throat.

4 medium tomatoes

2 Green chillies (adjust as you will)

One head of Garlic peeled

1 inch piece ginger peeled

a few curry leaves

a pinch of hing

a tsp of ghee

1/2 tsp Sugar

salt to taste

1/2 a lemon

stick a knife in the tomato and hold over an open flame till skin scorches, blisters and tears. place in a bowl do the rest of the tomatoes and cover and put aside.

Using something heavy, flatten but do not pulverise garlic chillies and ginger. Peel the scorched skin of the tomatoes, crush with hands. combinethe tomatoes, garlic, chilies, ginger, sugar and salt in a suce pan and put it on the flame. Let the tomatoes soften stir and mash everything a bit more. add water (about four times the quantity of the tomato mush.) bring to a boil and simmer for 10 mins. heat the ghee, splutter the curry leaves and pour onto the boiling rasam. Adjust taste adding the lemon juice if the soup is not sour enough.

Advice make double the quantity because it is always drunk down to the last drop!

Rushina

[v. gautam]

This thread reminded me of a feature of Indian society that greatly intrigues me: little enclaves of transplanted ethnic groups survive for generations in their adopted homes, sometimes with much, sometimes little, penetration of the majority community’s flavors into their foodways.

One such community are [is?] the Saurashtra Brahmans settled in Madurai; today, a number also call the U.S. home. I hope some of them, or those more familiar with this community, will shed some more light on their particular redactions of Southern vegetarian specialties. Their rasam, kuzhambu and amti are different than their Tamil counterparts. The rasam pudi [powder] is coarsely pounded, redolent of black pepper, and used in a rasam heavy with garlic and green chilies, boiled with the toor dal supernatant and tamarind, but untempered with mustard or cumin seeds. Not all Brahman communities in Tamil Nadu [and elsewhere in India] seem to enjoy so untroubled a relationship with either garlic or onions! (The Poondu rasam that appears in Tamil Brahman cookery is fettered by umpteen caveats )

At any rate, the Saurashtra rasam is a very delicious variation on this staple, and one hopes that this post encourages someone familiar with this cuisine to share some insights with us.

[Vikram]

One of the best rasams I've had is rasam with crab served as a Chettiar speciality at Raintree in Madras. These were small crabs, really too fiddly to eat by themselves, but in the rasam they infused a wonderful taste to the liquid. Beyong that I'm not overfond of rasam which always seems to me like sambhar that hasn't quite made it. But I do like mulligatawny soup in all its virulent yellow, creamy and throat catchingly spiciness, as best served in those old clubs that haven't given up on the Raj dishes.

Vikram

[anil]

As others have mentioned, there are thousands of versions of Rasam - Growing up I could only say that there twere two things they had in common - Tangy and too much Mirchi.. Each famiy had a different variation - Some added drumsticks, some added kacha aam in season - The Kanadigga dfferent from the Andhraite different from Tamalian .. all very wonderful and spicy

Mullaghatawny Soup is not really Rasam: This classic gets served on international flights from time-to-time by ofCourse non-AI airlines

I wonder weather this soup had its popularity in the canntonements or in Mess Halls of Colonial India ?

Edited February 1, 2004 by anil (log)