Saturday, July 21, 2007

lime rasam

Ingredients:
Ripe red tomatoes-4
Tuvardhal-4 Table spoons
Salt-2 Tea spoons
Turmeric Powder-1/2 Tea spoon
Jeera-1 Tea spoon
Oil/Ghee-1 Tea spoon
Mustard-1 Tea spoon
Green chillies-2/3
Ginger Paste-1 Tea spoon
Curry leaves-a few
Coriander leaves-a few
Lime-2


Serving;

serves four cups


Method:

Pressure cook tuvar dhal after adding turmeric powder ,jeera,and water to the same.

Boil tomatoes and strain the pulp in a vessel by using a metal strainer. Add turmeric powder and salt to the tomato extract and let it boil for about 3 or 4 minutes.

Add well-boiled tuvar dhal with the water to the tomato pulp.let this boil on a low flame until a froethy layer is formed.

In a small pan add oil or ghee and heat for 15 seconds.Add mustard and when the mustard starts spluttering, add finely chopped green chillies,ginger paste,jeera,and coriander leaves.Add this seasoning to the Rasam

Garnish the Rasam with finely cut coriander leaves.Add lemon juice to the hot Rasam .Take care not to boil the Rasam after adding lemon juice(as this may make the Rasam taste a little bitter).

Serve hot.

Tips about Lime Rasam:

This Rasam is exclusive in taste ,and tastes different from the other rasams since no tamarind is added. Also since green chillies are added during seasoning , this lime rasam has an unique taste.The jeera and ginger paste used ,enhance the digestive properties of this Rasam .Lemon juice added ,makes this Rasam taste heavenly.

Lime Rasam can be drank directly or mixed with rice and consumed.


Friday, July 13, 2007

LEAD VESSEL (Eeya Chombu) RASAM-A GREAT DIGESTIVE SOUTH INDIAN TRADITIONAL PREPARATION

LEAD VESSEL (Eeya Chombu) PARUPPU RASAM

INGREDIENTS:

TAMARIND PASTE-1 TEASPOON

RASAM POWDER-1 TEASPOON

SALT -2 TEASPOONS

ASAFOETIDA POWDER-1/4 TEASPOON

TOMATOES-(RIPE)-4

TUVARDHAL-2 TABLESPOONS

DHANIA POWDER-1 TEASPOON

PEPPER POWDER-1 TEASPOON

JEERA-1 TEASPOON

MUSTARD-1 TEASPOON

RED CHILLY-1

GHEE-2 TEASPOONS

CORIANDER LEAVES-A FEW

CURRY LEAVES-A FEW

TURMERIC POWDER-1 TEASPOON

EEYA SHOMBHU VESSEL

METHOD:

Boil Tuvar Dhal with water, Turemeric Powder, Jeera in a vessel for 5 minutes.

After boiling Pressure cook in a cooker for about 8 minutes. (you can do this in a separate container but with other items which you may pressure cook like rice or vegetables). After it is pressure cooked the Tuvar dhal can be easily mashed.

Mash it to a pulp

Take out the Eeya Chombu and pour the required amount of water. Add the Tamarind Paste and dissolve it.

Now keep the Chombu in small burner of the gas stove and heat it in medium flame. The Chombu metal has a very low melting point. It is therefore essential that you do not keep the vessel in high flame or leave it unattended even in slow or medium flame for a while. It is also necessary to ensure that the flame is uniform.

Add Rasam Powder, Salt to taste and bring it to boil in medium flame(3 Minutes)


At this stage add ASAFOETIDA (Peruganyam) powder and boil for 2 minutes. To get the authentic taste and aroma one needs to follow these steps very carefully and necessarily in that sequence.

Cut tomatoes and boil in water for 5 minutes separately in another vessel(If running short of time you can add the tomatoes to the eeya chobu itself and boil). After it is well cooked, mash it and strain the tomato pulp in a metal strainer. Take the extract without the skin and seeds. Add this to the boiling Rasam in Eeya chombu.

(I prefer it this way but some others for paucity of time add the tomatoes directly which is also ok)
Add Dhania Powder, Pepper Powder, Jeeragam and allow it to boil for 5 minutes.

Now add boiled Tuvar dhal with water. While you may prepare Rasam up to this stage in medium flame it is essential to maintain low flame from now onwards

IN 3 TO 5 MINUETS RASAM WILL FORM A FROTHY LAYER.

Put off gas.

In a small pan (or Eleppa Karandi) add Ghee(oil). Heat up the ghee for 30 seconds on low flame, add mustard, Red Chilly, Jeera and Asfodita. After mustard splutters add curry leaves and add this as the seasoonig. Add finely chopped coriander leaves to the Rasam.

HOT EEYA CHOMBU PARUPPU RASAM (DHAL RASAM) IS READY!


Benefits of Eeya Chombu Rasam:

Eeya Chombu Rasam is an excellent digestive drink. Every ingredient added to Rasam and prepared in Eeya Shombu enhances the digestive property of Rasam. The stage wise additions of the ingredients and preparing it in Eeya Shombu gives it an unique taste which so many south Indians are used to .

The aroma of Rasam bring its own motherly nostalgia. An experience which made me perfect this dish after melting more than one Eeya Shombu