POONDU RASAM, how to make garlic rasam

 GARLIC....what health benefits and nutrition hidden inside those small pods!!!!

*Helps blood flow freely and thus lowers blood pressure!

*Reduces Cardiovascular disease  risks by lowering cholesterol!

*Keeps the blood vessels relaxed!

*Boosts immunity and reduces the length of Cold and Flu symptoms!

*Reduces fatigue and helps us stay fit!

*Reduces the risk of Osteoporosis and Osteoarthritis!

And....such a healthy garlic, combined with various healthy ingredients contribute to this wonderful Rasam, which can be drunk as a soup too!

My other 15  Rasam Varieties

Ingredients

Garlic pods - 25 - 30

Water - 2-3 cups

Tamarind paste - 1 tsp

Hing powder - 1/4 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Ghee - 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste

To roast and powder

Curry leaves - 1/4 cup

Garlic - 6

Coriander seeds - 1 tsp

Pepper - 1 tbsp

Jeera - 1 tbsp

Red chillies - 2 - 3

To season

Ghee - 1 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - a few

Recipe cuisine: South Indian; Category: Lunch/soup

Prep time: 5 mts; Cooking time: 20 - 25 mts

Serves 3-4

First, in 1/2 tsp ghee, on slow fire, saute the garlic pods(reserving 6) till they become slightly brownish. Add a pinch of salt

Like this

There are 2 ways to get the garlic cooked . 1. In a vessel, take water, add turmeric and hing powders, and to this add the roasted garlic, and allow it to boil on slow flames, because, if we add tamarind paste in the beginning itself, garlic won't get cooked well 2. If you want the garlic pods to be really soft, then you can cook them for 1 - 2  whistles, then add to the vessel, and in this case, tamarind paste can be added too in the beginning itself.

In the meantime, in the same pan in which we roasted garlic, add all the roasting ingredients. No need to add extra ghee

Roast well like this

Load it to the blender jar, let it cool a bit

Check whether the garlic is cooked, add salt now, and let it boil

Roasted ingredients powdered

and water added to it

By now, garlic is cooked, raw smell of tamarind gone and water reduced to half, then add this powder-water, and let it become frothy. No need to boil

In 1 tsp ghee, season some curry leaves and mustard seeds and pour on the rasam

Serve this piping hot rasam with rice and a vegetable.

This post first appeared in www.malpatskitchen.com

MYSORE RASAM, how to prepare spicy rasam

Did not even realise, I hadn't posted this Rasam...
Only when my brother's wife told me, she doesn't have the authentic version of what my mom amd my sister used to make, it dawned on me....
She wanted to make this urgently...isn't it better, I share with all this lovely recipe??
Quickly I browsed the almost 48  year old note book, which has my hand written recipes of my mom and sister.....was lost in thoughts for awhile.........
In the words of Thomas Hood....
I remember, I remember
The house where I was born.....
The little window
Where the Sun came peeping at morn...
And now, I come back to my malpatskitchen.......

Please check my other Rasam Varieties

Ingredients

Tur dhal - 1/8 cup, pressure cooked with a pinch of turmeric powder and kept ready

Tamarind paste - 1 tsp

Sambar powder - 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste

Solid hing - 1

Curry leaves - a few

Tomato - 1, chopped

To roast in 1/2 tsp ghee and grind

Coriander seeds/dhania - 2 tsps

Channa dhal - 1 tsp

Pepper - 3/4 tsp

Jeera - 3/4 tsp

Red chillies - 2

Fresh grated coconut - 2 tsps

For seasoning

Ghee - 1 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

To garnish

Fresh chopped coriander leaves/cilantro

Recipe cuisine: South indian; Category: Lunch/soup/dinner

Prep time: 10 mts; Cooking time: 20 mts

Serves 3-4

All the ingredients for roasting

when they are half roasted, add coconut too and roast well, let it cool down

In the meantime, take in a vessel the following things: tamarind paste, chopped tomato, sambar powder, salt to taste and hing

Pour water to half the vessel, and let it boil on slow flames. If you aren't using tamarind paste, take a half a lemon size of tamarind and extract juice

Tur dhal cooked and ready

roasted ingredients ground

when the rasam level has reduced to half, add this ground mixture

let it boil for 2 minutes. on slow flames. that is enough

Then add the cooked dhal and required amount of water, till brim

Let it become frothy. No need to boil.

Mustard seeds in ghee, seasoned and added

Chopped coriander leaves garnished.

Serve this hot and spicy rasam with your favorite vegetable or appalam or vadam.

Notes

* I like rasam, not to be too thick. If you want more 'vandal'rasam, then increase the quantity of tur dhal

*We can just roast and powder the ingredients without adding coconut too.

*Adding coconut compels you to finish off the rasam within a day, because, during summer, it might go waste the next day.

KARPOORAVALLI RASAM, how to make rasam out of Ajwain leaves

Karpooravalli  is the best in treating cold and cough and this is the best home remedy.
It is a common practice to treat people suffering from cold, cough and fever with Karpooravalli rasam.
It also treats boils and wound when applied as a paste.
Extensively used in treating chest congestion.
Applying Karpooravalli juice on both the sides of the forehead while having a severe head ache is very effective.
Is also good for mouth ulcers, hiccups, asthma and indigestion.

Ingredients

Karpooravalli/ajwain leaves - 7-8

Tomato - 1, pureed

Tamarind paste - 1 tsp

Hing powder - 1/4 tsp

Salt to taste

To roast and grind 

Ghee - 1 tsp

Tur dhal - 1 tsp

Pepper - 1 tsp

Jeera - 1 tsp

Broken red chillies - 2-3

Curry leaves - 7-8

Karpooravalli leaves - 7-8

To season

Ghee - 1 tsp

Mustard seeds

 1 tsp

To garnish

Chopped coriander leaves

Recipe cuisine: South Indian; Category: Lunch/dinner/soup

Prep time: 10 mts; Cooking time: 15 mts

Serves 2-3

Tamarind paste taken in a vessel

Tomato pureed and added

Salt to taste added

Hing powder added

All the above mentioned ingredients, roasted in ghee. Karpooravalli leaves torn into small bits and added

Well roasted, and the aroma and flavor of the karpooravalli leaves will permeate all over your home and kindle your hunger!!!

Allow the roasted ingredients to cool for 2-3 minutes, then grind to a smooth paste

By now, rasam would have reduced to half in level. Pour the ground paste plus enough eate rto the brim of the vessel. Flames on the lowest, and switch off when it becomes frothy around corners. Need not come to a boil.

Mustard seeds seasoned in ghee

Cilantro/coriander garnished! Serve with hot rice, white or brown or you can serve as soup also.

This post first appeared in www.malpatskitchen.com

PORICHA RASAM, how to make Poricha Rasam

This rasam is mostly made for "Srardhams" at homes..because, normally we do not like to use sambar powder or rasam powder...prefer to make things fresh and use...and also, after a wedding or a heavy meal, when you want something to aid easy digestion, this rasam is very apt, just like Pepper rasam and Jeera rasam..of course, there are various rasams....Lemon rasam,,  Kandanthippili rasam
Tomato/soupy rasam, Lemon mysore rasam, Paruppu urundai rasam, Drumstick rasam,
Paruppu rasam, Goddu rasam, Pineapple rasam,  and Veppampoo rasam
For any unknown terms, Please check my Glossary

Ingredients

Tomatoes - 2, chopped

Green chillies - 2, slit

Hing/asafoetida powder - 1/4 tsp

Salt to taste

Roast in 1/2 tsp ghee and powder

Split moong dhal - 2 tsps

Pepper - 1 tsp

Jeera - 1 tsp

Red chillies - 2

Curry leaves - a few

Fresh grated coconut (to be added after switching off)

To Season

Ghee - 1 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

For garnishing

Coriander leaves / cilantro - a small heap, chopped

Recipe Cuisine: South Indian; Category: Lunch/Dinner

Prep time: 10 mts; Cooking time: 20 mts

Serves 2-3

Chopped tomatoes and slit green chillies put in a vessel

 Enough water added to bring it to half the level of the vessel, and  salt to taste added

Hing/asafoetida powder also added

Above mentioned ingredients roasted in some ghee

roasting done. switch off

Now, add curry leaves and grated coconut

Powdered

Add a cup of water to the powder and mix well

By now, the rasam has reduced well

   Add the water plus powder to the brim of the vessel. The vessel by itself, holds roughly 4-5 cups of rasam.

Mustard seeds allowed to splutter in ghee

Rasam has become frothy, take care not to let boil. Switch off now.

Add the seasonings

This post appeared first in www.malpatskitchen.com