This is a type of rasam,we make when we get bored of sambar and kuzhmbu and or some times we feel to have rice for dinner,yet we need it to be light meal and also easy to make. Puli saaru helps in these situations,I make this and just make a simple poriyal or just fry vadavams as side. Some call this Vendhaya Vengaya Rasam too…  So here’s a comfort dish,yet a flavorful,spicy one.   I never make this if I don’t have shallots.

Ingredients:

To Temper:(Don’t miss Anything)

Method:

1. Extract tamarind juice and mix 2 –  2& 1/ 2 cups of water and keep aside.
2. Chop onions and cut tomatoes into cubes,slit the green chillies.
3. Heat a pan with oil and temper with the tempering items,given in the table in the same order.
4. Add onion and green chillies and fry till onions turn transparent.Add the tomatoes and fry for 2 mins in medium flame to make it soft.
5. Add the tamarind extract and salt,sugar and bring it to boil and let it boil for just 2 mins.
6. Transfer to the serving bowl and garnish with coriander leaves if desired.

Note:

This rasam is very easy to prepare and yet tastes and smells great!! We can take this with rice or can serve hot hot as a starter!!This will induce hunger as it has ginger and pepper in it!!

Ingredients

Tempering

Thoor dal and lime	Crushed ginger,pepper,curry,tomato and chilli

Method

• Heat a kadai with ghee and add the tempering items,one by one..Mustard,jeera,asafetida,curry and green chillies and half of the crushed ginger ...
• Add tomatoes and fry for a minute and add 2 cups water with salt,turmeric and bring to boil.
• Add the remaining crushed ginger,pepper and boil till tomatoes are soft.
• Add the cooked thoor dal and bring to boil.
• When it boils well,switch off the stove and add the lime juice and coriander leaves and cover immediately.
• This rasam should not be reheated or boild after lime juice have been added,as it may give a bitter taste.
• Serve hot as a starter or with rice and pappad!!

This is off to Sunita's Monthly blog event

                            This agathi leaves is very good for health and this saaru especially, will cure mouth and tongue ulcers and good for your stomach. Coconut milk and jeera adds more goodness! I dono exactly what's the English name,so if anybody knows,share it,you are most welcome!

Ingredients:

Method:

1. Separate the agathi leaves from the stem and wash and keep aside.
2. Slice onions into circles and crush jeera and keep aside.
3. Grind coconut with little warm water and extract the milk.Using warm water while grinding coconut ensures we get easily milk from the coconut.
4. Boil water with salt,add onions, jeera ,followed by the agathi leaves with a pinch of sugar.
5. Keep in low flame and boil uncovered till the leaves get cooked.
6. Put off the flame and add the coconut milk and mix well and transfer to the serving bowl.
7. You can have this as a soup or mix with rice and eat.The consistency should be very thin like a rasam.
8. You can adjust agathi leaves and water accordingly.

                           And now I want to thank people who shared awards with me . Its been long time they passed me these awards but I have been delaying

           My first ever award have been from Anudivya, she made my day bright by passing the good job award! Sripriya too passed me the same:) Thank you foodies! I will never forget this one coz,its my first award;D

Then  Raaji , Bhawna and Vijaya Passed me award for coolest looking blog they ever knew;D  Thank you So much:)

Last but not least Neema passed me the chocoholic award to me,that's so nice of you neema that you thought about me:)

I am passing  the  Chocoholic award to the blogger friends below:

Uma,Sripriya,Kitchen flavours, Cham,Kalai and Vij!!!!

Congrats to all!!!

UPDATE: Click here and  here  for more info about the leaves!(thanx Uma for the info!)

paruppu thogayal:

               This is how my mom and mom-in-law makes paruppu thogayal. Usually paruppu thogayal will be in the menu if they make vatral kuzhambu...which is the best combo.

               My mom-in-law makes another variety of paruppu thogayal,which uses moong dal and coconut...,which I will blog some other time.

              Till I got married my mom used to grind this in ammi kallu... which,tastes the best!But now a days,we use mixer for grinding.

Ingredients:

Method:

1. Fry dhal with red chillies,with little oil till golden brown.

2. Cool down and grind it to a coarse paste with added salt,peeled garlic(i used small variety,use only one if u use the big flakes) and required.

3.To eat with rice,mix this paste with rice and little sesame oil or you can have as an accompaniment for vatral kuzhambu rice or curd rice!.

You can add 2 tblsps of coconut while grinding,that will give you an enhanced taste!

TOMATO Rasam:

        I ate tomato rasam at Sangeeta's place first and liked very much,the tangy taste and flavor of tomato.Then I decided to try on my own as I usually make garlic rasam and paruppu rasam always!. Then I made some changes according to my convenience and taste and now a days I like this very much!

Ingredients:

To temper:

Method:

1. Soak tamarind in hot water and extract the juice and keep aside.
2. Chop the tomatoes and keep aside.
3. Heat kadai and temper with the tempering items,given in the "To Temper" table.
4. Add the chopped tomatoes to it,with salt and fry for 4-5 minutes in medium flame.
5. After it become mushy and the raw smell goes,add 3 cups water,curry leaves torn and the tamarind extract.
6. Boil for 4-5 minutes.
7. Lastly add the rasam powder,sugar and just boil for a minute or two.
8. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with rice or just enjoy as soup!!

                 An easy breezy recipe,can be made within 10 minutes,and a very flavourful one …especially when we have cold,pepper and garlic helps you to feel relieved,you can enjoy even having as a hot soup!  I always make this now and then. I learnt from my mom,enjoyed this rasam right from my childhood!!

Ingredients:

To temper:

Method:

1. Soak tamarind and extract the tamarind juice,keep aside.
2. Crush the pepper and red chilli(also can grind in mixer)coarsely.
3. Add the garlic(with skin) and crush them  roughly.
4. Heat a kadai and the items under the ‘To Temper’ table,followed by the quarter part of the crushed pepper and garlic and fry a little.
5. Add the tamarind extract and bring to boil,add the remaining crushed pepper and garlic and salt. mix well and switch off(don’t let boil for long time)
6. Transfer to the serving bowl and close immediately with a lid.
7. Serve hot with rice or enjoy as a soup.

               For me, rasam means, I cannot imagine without garlic and coriander leaves,at least one of the above should be there,otherwise I don’t like. This recipe for rasam  is quite unusual one,coz we use sambar powder for this rasam and not the rasam powder!!  My mom makes this once in two weeks at least.we use lots of Paruppu(toor dal/thuvaram paruppu) in this one.

              I made this today for my kiddo and for the first time he had this…

Ingredients:

To temper:

Method:

1. Pressure cook dal,mash it .Soak tamarind in hot water and extract tamarind juice.
2. Heat a heavy bottomed pan and temper with the tempering items given followed by tomatoes cut into big cubes.
3. Fry for a minute or two and add the tamarind juice,turmeric,sambar powder and salt.
4. Peel the garlic flakes(we should use more garlic,if you use the small variety,increase the number than mentioned) and crush them slightly. Add these into the rasam ,followed by the cooked mashed dal. mix well
5. when it just starts to boiling and becomes frothy,transfer to the serving bowl and close immediately.
6. stir before serving , so that the dal mixes well. This rasam is meant not to be clear .so mix well before you serve each time!