Vetalai rasam- Kerala style

After dreaming for years about having an edible garden, I'm finally close to achieving the objective. Though I don't have much in the form of  vegetable plants, I do have the scope to grow stuff.

But one thing I do have is a betel leaf plant, so I looked online to find something I could make with it. This rasam is really lovely- garlicky, with the flavour of betel.

2 medium-sized tender betel leaves

1/4 tsp of turmeric powder 

1/2 tsp of jeera powder 

6 pods of garlic

1 small onion

1 medium-sized tomato

1/4 tsp of black pepper powder 

A small lemon-ball-sized tamarind 

2 sprigs of curry leaves 

1 generous pinch of hing

1 tbsp of oil or ghee 

3 cups water

Salt to taste 

Method:

Soak the tamarind in the water for a few mins. Extract juice and discard the pulp. Keep aside. 

Roughly grind the garlic and onion in small mixer. Keep aside

Heat oil in a pan and add some mustard seeds. When they stop spluttering, add the crushed garlic-onion mixture along with the hing. Fry for about a minute. 

Add the pepper powder, turmeric powder, and jeera powder, and fry for 30 seconds. 

Add the tomatoes and fry until soft.

Add the tamarind water with some salt and the curry leaves and bring to boil. After about 5 mins of boiling, add the betel leaves, each torn into four. 

Serve hot with rice. 

Rasam vadai

I had the most amazing rasam vadai at a restaurant a few weeks back, and have been craving it since. Once I found a recipe for takali (tomato) rasam, I whipped up a batch of vadais, and have been in food heaven since!

Takali rasam- tomato rasam

I've been craving rasam vada for a couple of weeks, but have been putting off making it, because I thought you needed rasam powder to pull off a rasam. Then I stumbled upon this recipe that doesn't require rasam powder, and I whipped this up before I could change my mind. It tasted much better than it looked, actually.

6 tomatoes
1/2 cup coriander stems (with or without leaves)
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
8-10 peppercorns
1 tsp jeera

Salt to taste

For tempering
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
a pinch of hing
1/2 tsp urad dal
1 sprig curry leaves
2 red chillis
1 tbsp oil or ghee

Method:
Blanche the tomatoes by soaking in boiling water for about 15 minutes. Peel the skin, chop into quarters and puree in a grinder.
Grind the coriander, peppercorns and jeera to a coarse paste, either using the grinder or a mortar and pestle. Mix the ginger garlic paste and keep aside.
Heat the oil/ ghee, and add mustard seeds. Once they start spluttering, add the rest of the tempering ingredients and fry for about a minute.
Add the ground masala and saute for a minute, then add the tomato puree, salt and about 2 cups of water.
Bring to a boil, reduce the flame, and let it cook for 10 minutes.
Serve hot.

Lemon rasam

Though I have never had lemon rasam at home (at least, not that I remember), I have been wanting to make it for a fairly long time. When I asked my mother for the recipe, she gave me a very non-commital answer, so I took to google, and found this recipe that I used. Liked it sufficiently for me to put it on my 'tried and tested' list.

2 tbsp Moong Dal
1 Tomato
2 Green Chillies
1 inch piece ginger
1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
4 cups Water
1 large Lemon
Salt    To Taste

For Seasoning:
1 tsp Ghee
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 sprig Curry Leaves

Method:
Heat ghee in a pan and add slit green chillies and crushed ginger and saute it for 2 minutes. Then add chopped tomatoes and stir-fry for a minutes. Remove this from flame.
Take a vessel and add moong dal, sauted tomatoes, green chillies and ginger and add 2 cups of water and allow the moong dal to cook completely. After the tomatoes and dal are cooked completely add another 2 cups of water and bring it to boil. When the froth starts froming on top of the rasam remove from flame
Heat ghee in a pan and add mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds starts to sputter, add curry leaves and fry for 10 seconds. Add these seasoned ingredients to the rasam. Allow the rasam to cool off and then add the lemon juice extract. Adjust the lemon juice for your taste.
Serve with plain rice.

Milagu Jeera Rasam/ Pepper Rasam

When you have a cold, few things can beat the comfort of hot milagu rasam. Unfortunately, I had moved out of home before I really started appreciating a milagu rasam, well made. Which is why I got this recipe from my mother- the next time I fall sick, I will be able to nurse myself with a taste of home.

For first ground masala:3/4 tsp peppercorns
4 red chillis (I reduce to 2)
2 tsp dhania
1 tsp dhania
1 tsp oil

For second ground masala:3/4 tsp jeera
1 sprig curry leaves

1 lime sized ball of tamarind
Salt to taste

For tempering:
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 red chilli
1 tbsp ghee

Method:Fry the ingredients listed under 'first ground masala' in a little oil, and grind to paste.
Gring curry leaves and jeera with a little water.
Soak the tamarind in water, remove and discard the pulp, then dilute with water to get 1 glass of tamarind extract.
Boil tamarind extract with salt and first ground masala till the raw smell goes.
Add second ground masala and 2 glasses of water, bring to boiling point, but do not boil.
Season ghee with mustard and red chilli. After the mustard stops spluttering, pour over the rasam and close.
This is particularly good for treating colds.