How To Make Poondu Rasam Recipe
An Introduction To Make Poondu Rasam Recipe :
Poondu rasam recipe is the pure essence of many spices put together and made into a kind of broth.
'Rasam' is a typical term from `Tamil Nadu` in India, and it is a trademark of the South. A typical South Indian meal is never complete without this flavourful Rasam. The Tamil word `rasam` means` the essence` and that is what the dish means.
Though it a special dish of South India, it is famous in some parts of North India too. For example, it is popular in Orissa and called as `chaaru pani`. It can be either made plain or with some cooked lentils. It is prepared with ground spices made of pepper, jeera, garlic, red chilli, curry leaves and tamarind water.
Varieties Of Rasam :
There are quite a lot of varieties of rasam and some of them are poondu rasam, milagu rasam, paruppu rasam, elumichai rasam, kollu rasam and Kandan thippili rasam. One of the major and popular varieties is this poondu rasam recipe and each one is special in its own way and differs from each other in taste and flavour.
Speciality Of Poondu Rasam Recipe :
It is included in the staple food of any South Indian household and indispensable in the everyday lunch menu. It is the treasured recipe for any 'bride-to-be' from her collection of `grandma’s recipes’. Its authenticity and traditional value is carried on through generations. No wonder it occupies an exclusive place in the South Indian cuisine.
Medicinal Properties Of Poondu Rasam :
Poondu Rasam recipe is always served after sambhar or kuzhambu in South Indian meal and nowadays it is served as starter drink in many top restaurants as it is a good appetizer. People in South India have a habit of drinking it in between meals and it is a popular digestive dish in the non vegetarian menu. As its consistency is similar to that of a soup people like to relish it hot during rainy days.
Poondu rasam recipe is both sour and spicy as well. The goodness of pepper and the sharpness of garlic combine together to give an enticing flavour and it is enhanced with the soothing smell of cumin seeds. And it just tastes out of the world, when it is tempered with aromatic curry leaves. It serves as a good relief for cough and cold and in India it is a common practice to give `garlic rasam` to people who suffer from sore throat and flu. And it is the first dish given to kids when they start eating rice. This poondu rasam recipe is taken regularly to lower cholesterol levels and when taken on a daily basis, helps to combat sickness.
Let us see the ingredients required to prepare this poondu rasam recipe.
Ingredients Required To Make Poondu Rasam Recipe
How To Make Poondu Rasam Recipe
To make poondu rasam recipe, Soak a teaspoon of new seedless tamarind in hot water and keep it aside for five to ten minutes approximately.
Then squeeze out the tamarind and strain it using a filter.
Squeeze out twice to get some more tamarind water from the pulp.
Collect it in a vessel and keep it.
Wash and clean the tomato, curry and coriander leaves and chop the leaves into fine pieces.
It is always advisable to chop the curry leaves as children (even adults) would pick and keep aside the curry leaves.
Mash the tomato with your hands to make it pulpy.
Take 10-12 garlic cloves and peel the skin off and drop them in a blender.
Add a few curry leaves along with 2 dried red chillies.
Now tip in a teaspoon of cumin seeds and a tea spoon of pepper to it.
Blend them into a coarse powder without adding water.
Place a 'cast iron kadai' ( Iron pan) in the stove and keep it in high flame.
Drizzle a tea spoon of ghee and when it melts stir in a teaspoon of sesame oil along with it.
Once it is heated, adjust the flame to medium mode and tip in a teaspoon of mustard seeds to it.
When it splutters, drop in a teaspoon of jeera seeds along with some curry leaves and two dried red chillies.
When they sizzle, add the ground spice powder which is partially wet (because of crushed garlic) to the kadai and stir in
Now lower the flame and let it get roasted for a minute or two until you get a nice flavour out of it.
Be mindful of the flame as this is the crucial step of this poondu rasam. When the tempering of this coarse spice powder is done perfectly then the Poondu rasam will turn out perfect.
Identify the `padham` (consistency) by its flavour and when you get the mixed aroma of garlic, pepper, curry leaves and jeera, add in the mashed tomato to it and let it soften.
Remember that till now you do not add any drop of water to it.
You keep stirring everything only with the ghee and oil.
When the tomato gets mushy, tip in a pinch of turmeric and asafoetida to it along with the required rock salt
At last, pour in the filtered tamarind water and now splash the required quantity of water to get the desired consistency for the Poondu rasam and now you alter the flame to medium mode.
Give it a boil.
After a minute or two you will see the bubbles coming out all over and when the first boil comes out, just turn off the flame.
Tantalize this tangy treat with some lush coriander leaves.
Serve it hot either as a soup or with steamed rice, kuzhambu, kootu and poriyal along with appalam on a rainy afternoon.
Some Tips To Make Poondu Rasam Recipe :
- Use fresh tamarind (pudhu puli) to make the poondu rasam recipe as it will give the appropriate colour and tanginess to the rasam.
- It is mandatory that the curry leaves and coriander leaves are absolutely fresh as they are the key ingredients of any rasam recipe.
- Just squeeze out the tomato pulp with your fingers and do not chop it at any cost in the making of poondu rasam recipe.
- If you want a native touch, prepare the poondu rasam recipe in earthern pot (mann satti) and I would vouch for its
Ingredients
Directions
To make poondu rasam recipe, Soak a teaspoon of new seedless tamarind in hot water and keep it aside for five to ten minutes approximately.
Then squeeze out the tamarind and strain it using a filter.
Squeeze out twice to get some more tamarind water from the pulp.
Collect it in a vessel and keep it.
Wash and clean the tomato, curry and coriander leaves and chop the leaves into fine pieces.
It is always advisable to chop the curry leaves as children (even adults) would pick and keep aside the curry leaves.
Mash the tomato with your hands to make it pulpy.
Take 10-12 garlic cloves and peel the skin off and drop them in a blender.
Add a few curry leaves along with 2 dried red chillies.
Now tip in a teaspoon of cumin seeds and a tea spoon of pepper to it.
Blend them into a coarse powder without adding water.
Place a 'cast iron kadai' ( Iron pan) in the stove and keep it in high flame.
Drizzle a tea spoon of ghee and when it melts stir in a teaspoon of sesame oil along with it.
Once it is heated, adjust the flame to medium mode and tip in a teaspoon of mustard seeds to it.
When it splutters, drop in a teaspoon of jeera seeds along with some curry leaves and two dried red chillies.
When they sizzle, add the ground spice powder which is partially wet (because of crushed garlic) to the kadai and stir in
Now lower the flame and let it get roasted for a minute or two until you get a nice flavour out of it.
Be mindful of the flame as this is the crucial step of this poondu rasam. When the tempering of this coarse spice powder is done perfectly then the Poondu rasam will turn out perfect.
Identify the `padham` (consistency) by its flavour and when you get the mixed aroma of garlic, pepper, curry leaves and jeera, add in the mashed tomato to it and let it soften.
Remember that till now you do not add any drop of water to it.
You keep stirring everything only with the ghee and oil.
When the tomato gets mushy, tip in a pinch of turmeric and asafoetida to it along with the required rock salt
At last, pour in the filtered tamarind water and now splash the required quantity of water to get the desired consistency for the Poondu rasam and now you alter the flame to medium mode.
Give it a boil.
After a minute or two you will see the bubbles coming out all over and when the first boil comes out, just turn off the flame.
Tantalize this tangy treat with some lush coriander leaves.
Serve it hot either as a soup or with steamed rice, kuzhambu, kootu and poriyal along with appalam on a rainy afternoon.
