South Indian Rasam Recipe/ Spicy Rasam Recipe

Hot and spicy Rasam with Rice is always a go to food when we are struck with a bad cold for most of the South Indians.  Whenever I try to prepare Rasam at home, it has never turned out all that great, because I am too stingy when it comes to the quantity of ingredients that goes into it.  More than being stingy, I tend to think too much as to  what if it becomes too spicy, or too sour or too salty etc.,  Rather I should say, I tend to become extra careful since I have a toddler to feed, and each member of the family has their own mind when it comes to food.  But on the other hand, if my mom cooks anything, only two things will be on her mind.  First one is, the food has to be HEALTHY and the other factor is, it has to be TASTY.  She doesn’t compromise on any of these things.  She made this Rasam on one of those days, when the weather was quite chill and we all needed something to warm up our bodies! We were left asking for more and completely satisfied after the meal and even my little one welcomed the change and enjoyed though it was spicy. J

There are many ways to prepare this comfort food, and what I am posting below is my Mom’s version.  The measurements given below is approximate as she follows only eye measurement J  so, the taste may vary according to the measurements you use.  Here goes my mom’s second recipe on this blog…….

Hot & Spicy Rasam

Preperation Time : 20 minutes

Serves : 4-5 people

Ingredients:

Black pepper 2 tsp.

Whole Jeera/Cumin seeds 1 ½   tbsp

Garlic 10 cloves

Tamarind – a size of a small lemon

Coriander few springs

For tempering:

Curry leaves 15-20

Mustard seeds 1 tsp.

Turmeric powder ½ tsp

Red chili powder ½ tsp

Oil or Ghee 1 tbsp.

Salt to taste

Method:

1.      Soak tamarind in hot water for 10 minutes or microwave it in ½ cup of water for 1 minute, once cool squeeze and make a paste.

2.      Grind Black pepper, Jeera, Garlic, and coriander into a course paste.  You can also add few curry leaves while grinding. It gives a nice flavour!

3.      Heat a deep pan/pot and add oil/ghee. Once it becomes hot, add mustard seeds and allow it to splutter. Then add curry leaves, turmeric powder. Add red chili powder only if you like it extra spicy. Stir quickly and add the ground spices and sauté for a minute.

4.      Now add tamarind paste, salt and water, bring it to a boil. You can keep it thick by adding only 2 cup of water. You can add about 3-4 cups water

5.      Serve hot with Rice and Papad.

Treat yourself with this comfort food when you are battling with that contagious cold! It will do some good to your body and soul!! The goodness of Cumin, Garlic and Black pepper are the right ingredients to keep the cold at bay!

Points to Ponder:

Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.      

                                                                                                                       Isaiah 55:2. (NIV Bible)

If you take this verse literally, it sure makes some sense. But, here, Isaiah speaks about reading the word of God, which provides nourishment to our souls just as bread nourishes our bodies, instead of wasting our money and labour on worldly things which does not satisfy us!