Everyday rasam
This is the basic rasam and is made in our house almost every day. Paruppu means dal/lentil, and here it implies tur dal or pigeon peas. For Paruppu rasam/Dal rasam, normally we use the excess water(or stock) that we get when the lentils are cooked.
Thinly squeezed tamarind water forms the base of this rasam, to which all other ingredients are added. Crushed garlic is a must, so also tomato, curry leaves, and coriander leaves.
The flavoring is mainly from pepper, cumin, and asafoetida or hing. The aroma that wafts in the house when the rasam is being made will make you feel hungry.
Since I do not prefer rasam powder, I use a bit of sambar powder. Rasam powder is nothing but a mix of all the spices in Sambar powder in a lesser quantity with pepper, cumin, and asafoetida. So if you have sambar powder there is no need to buy rasam powder separately.
This is the basic everyday rasam that I make and is loved by both family and friends alike.
Give this a try, my way and I bet it will become part of your menu.
Over to the recipe…
Rasam
Ingredients
- 1 big marble-sized ball of tamarind
- 1 medium-sized tomato
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 cup tuar dal cooked water(paruppu thanni)
- 1½-2 cups water(or as needed)
Spices
- 1 tsp sambar powder
- 1 tsp pepper powder
- ½ tsp cumin powder
- ¼ tsp hing/asafoetida
- a pinch of turmeric powder
- a pinch of jaggery/sugar
- salt as needed
For tempering
- 1-2 tsp oil
- ⅛ tsp mustard seeds
- ¼ tsp cumin seeds
- few curry leaves
- whole red chilly(optional)
For garnishing
- 1 tsp ghee
- a handful of coriander leaves
Instructions
- Get the ingredients ready. Soak the tamarind in a cup of water for some time. Chop the tomatoes and coriander leaves. Peel the garlic and crush them coarsely in a mortar and pestle or a stone.
- Take the crushed garlic, the chopped tomato, and half the coriander leaves in the mud pot or any vessel of your choice.
- Add all the spices and the squeezed tamarind water. Now using your clean hand mash everything together.
- Add the dal water and another cup of tamarind water. Check for spices and adjust as per preference.
- Heat this mixture on the stove-top till you see bubbles appearing at the top. Remove from stove, once you see the rasam becoming frothy.
- Temper using the ingredients given under ' for tempering ' and pour it over the rasam. Garnish with coriander leaves and ghee. Serve with plain white rice or have it as soup.
Hema’s P.S
- If you do not have dal water you can mix up mashed tur dal or pigeon peas with a cup of water.
- The taste of the rasam should be a balanced mix of tanginess, spiciness, and salt. Adjust the tamarind water, pepper powder, salt, and dal water accordingly.
- Tamarind can be replaced with kudampuli or kokum too but the final color can be darker.
- I prefer to add a bit of jaggery to make the flavors more pronounced. You can skip it if you do not want it.
- Coriander leaves and curry leaves add to the flavor, so do not miss it.
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