PARUPPU URUNDAI RASAM (DHAL DUMPLINGS RASAM) - with Tur dhal or Moong dhal

Yet another  Tanjore Cuisine Speciality!!!! Only after my marriage, I tasted this first, and from then onwards, am a die hard fan of this rasam. Lot of small techniques are required to make this rasam, else, the balls will break. This  rasam is quite thick, little more watery than sambar, because some ground dhal is mixed into the rasam too.

Ingredients

For the rasam

Water - 2 cups

Tamarind paste - 1 1/4 tsps

Sambar powder - 1 1/2 tsps

Solid hing - 1 piece

Curry leaves 

Salt to taste

A tiny piece of jaggery

Coriander leaves for garnishing

For the balls (dumplings)

Tur dhal - 3/4 cup, soaked for 4-5 hours, drained well  

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Hing powder - 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste

Red chillies - 4

Gingely oil - 2 tsps

To season

Ghee - 2 tsps

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Recipe Cuisine: South Indian; Category: Lunch

Prep time: Soaking - 4-5 hours; other preps - 10 mts; Cooking time: 20 mts.

Serves - 3; Yields 10 balls/ dumplings

Soaked & drained dhal, along with other ingredients to grind

In a pan, add 2 tsps gingely oil, add the ground mixture and saute well till all the moisture goes.

                                             Add the chopped coriander leaves and mix well.

In a cooking pan, add roughly 2-2 1/2 cups water, tamarind paste, solid hing, salt to taste, jaggery and curry leaves and allow to boil.

In the meantime, make small balls out of the dhal mixture, which would have cooled down by now. Reserve 3 tsps of the ground mixture.   Keep the balls in a microwave steamer and cook for 3-4 minutes. This really helps to assimilate the balls and prevents from breakage.

There is another method too…you just drop the firm, small balls into the well boiling rasam…this method makes the urundais softer…

See how porous and soft they are!!!!

                                   Water added to the reserved ground mixture and kept ready.

The very slightly cooked balls resting

Gently drop the balls one by one, flames on low, taking care not to break them.

Let them boil nicely and when the balls are well cooked, they will start floating at the top.

At this time, add the ground dhal mixture with which water has been added, keeping the flame on low. Switch off when it becomes frothy. Season mustard seeds in ghee, add some more chopped coriander leaves.

Serve hot with steamed rice and any vegetable curry of your choice.

One ball split open...see how well cooked it is, at the same time, very soft and porous too.

Down below, you see the moong balls made (Ground just like above; only the dhal is different), then sauteed in little bit oil, coriander leaves added, microwaved for 30 seconds, dropped into the boiling rasam, and tadaa!!! a lighter version of this rasam is born!!!

This post first appeared in www.malpatskitchen.com

Notes

* Some people add a spoon of rice flour to the dhal dumplings, but according to me, the balls become very very hard.

* I tried dropping them into rasam, without giving them a quick steam in the microwave, but sometimes they break. This method proves to be perfect.

Categories: No Onion-no garlic, Rasams