Rasa podi to rasam - Sudha Balaji recipes

Rasa podi - traditional method of mine

Usually I prepare fresh rasam powder for festivals like Navratri , Varalakshmi Vratham 

Rasam powder can be prepared in many ways.  How I prepare following the traditional method of our family 

Dhania - 1 measure

Red chillies - 1 measure 

Pepper - 1/4 measure

Cumin seeds 1/8 measure

Gram dhal - 1 table spoon

Toor dhal - 1 table spoon

Asafoetida - one pinch

Curry leaves - few.

All the ingredients should be dry roasted separately .  Red chillies are roasted with little oil.  After dry roasting transfer them to a plate or vessel.  Allow the mixture to cool and then dry grind in a mixer. Rasa podi is ready.   Store in an air tight container.

Another simpler method of preparing rasam powder is shown below

Rasam powder or rasa podi

Rasam podi can be prepared in many methods .  I have shared the method I usually follow

The ingredients required are

Dhania - 8 tablespoons

Pepper - 2 table spoons

Cumin seeds - 1 table  spoon

Mustard - 1 teaspoon

Toor dhal- 1 tea spoon

Asafoetida - a pinch

20 to 25 red chillies according  to  our taste

Dry roast all the ingredients after adding a little oil in a pan.  Roast the chillies separately.  Allow them  cool in air

Dry grind in a mixer to get rasa podi and store it in an air  tight container 

    Rasa podi  method- simple  and easy.   

Easy rasam without rasa podi

Ingredients needed are 

Tomato - big 1 no

Toor dhal - 1 teaspoon

Tamarind -size of small lemon

red chillies - 4 or 5 

Curry leaves, 

chopped coriander leaves

asafodetida

How to prepare

Take 3 teaspoons ghee ( clarified butter ) in a vessel. 

 Saute with mustard seeds and cumin seeds

Then add red chillies, asafoetida, tamarind and curry leaves

Finally add toor dhal and fry till it becomes golden brown in colour

Add turmeric powder around half tea spoon

Finally and the chopped tomato and fry.  

Once the tomato has fried add water and add garlic ( optional). 

 Allow the rasam to boil after adding salt as required.  

This is a quick and easy rasam. 

 It has a fine flavour because we add ghee.

Add chopped coriander leaves and saute again with mustard , cumin seeds and asafoetida in ghee.

Lemon rasam wth tomato and ginger

   Cook chopped tomatoes in a vessel.  Add thoor dhall water and allow the combination to boil.  Now add green chilles, ginger pieces, salt, asafoetida.   When the rasam is about to boil, switch off the stove , remove from the stove and add lemon juice and stir well.  Saute with cumin seeds, mustrard and red chilles.   Tamarind is not used.  I have used one big tomato and one medium sized lemon.  This can vary depending upon the size and  flavour we need.

Arachuvitta poondu rasam

This is a some what different garlic rasam where instead of adding the garlic cloves to the rasam we grind them .

The procedure is as follows

Slice a big size tomato into small pieces.  Fine chop coriander leaves.

Take 6 or 7 garlic cloves and remove the outer skin.  

And wet grind in a mixer

Cook toor dhall in water separately.

Take a lemon size tamarind in a vessel , squeeze it to get the extract and boil it on a stove.

When it reaches boiling  point, add the ground mixture of garlic, coriander leaves and tomato 

and again let it boil.  When it nears the boiling  point add the three or four spoons of rasam powder and stir well so that it mixes well.

Now add toor dhall and water mixture and allow it boil. Add salt to taste.  

Toor dhall water mixture should not be dilute .

Saute with  mustard seeds and cumin seeds  Since I have added curry leaves in rasam powder I have not added with mustard seeds and cumin seeds.

When it comes to a boil, remove it immediately. This different poondu rasam is suitable for those who find it difficult to eat garlic cloves directly due to the pungent odour.