Rasams- the tongue ticklers !

Babycorn–Palak Soup - Chinese style !

This is a very light, but tasty, easy to make soup.

Buy fresh babycorn, cut into 1” pieces & slit into 2 vertically. Tear palak leaves, each into 3, 4 pieces.
Vegetable stock can be used, if available. Otherwise, use plain water.

Babycorn pieces - 1 cup

Palak pieces - 2 -3 cups

Vegetable stock or water - 2 cups

Soya sauce - tsp

Salt, pepper

Butter 2 tsp

Heat butter & first fry palak.

When it shrinks, add babycorn & fry for 2-3 mts.

Add 2 cups of water & boil for 10 mts on medium flame.

Add salt, pepper &soya sauce & simmer for 5 mts.

Serve hot.

If you like, add 4,5 choppd mushroom pieces owards the end.

 

Dear Saikripa,
If you add lime, it will be more like lime rasam. The delightful sweetness of orange will be missing !
Love,Chithra.

 

Ginger Rasam - on days when your taste buds need to be tickled !

Tomato - 1

Tamarind paste - 2 tsp

Salt

Jaggery - 2 tsp (optional)

Cooked tur dhal - 1 tbsp

To roast in ½ tsp ghee & grind:

Red chillies - 2

Pepper - ½ tsp

Tur dhal & Gram dhal - ½ tsp each

Jeera - ½ tsp

Hing - ¼ tsp

with

Chopped ginger - 1 tsp (use raw, do not fry)

To temper:

Ghee - ½ tsp

Mustard seeds - ½ tsp

Curry leaves - few

Freshly chopped ginger - 1 tsp

Chopped coriander leaves - to garnish

Boil 1 cup of water with tamarind paste, tomatoes, salt & ground paste.

After a few mts, add dhal water ( plain water is optional) to make up to the required quantity.

Add jaggery & remove when it starts foaming.

Temper & add chopped coriander leaves.

 

Potato Soup – specially for the “creamy potato” lovers

Medium size potatoes - 4 ( slice thin)

Onion – 1 ( slice thin)

Butter - 2 tsp

Water - 2 cups

Milk - 1 cup ( more or less)

Bayleaf - 1

Salt, pepper

Wash sliced potatoes, 3, 4 timesin water, changing water every time. This is to remove the starch as much as possible – this way, dieters can also have this soup. Drain well.

In a pessurepan, heat butter.

Add bay leaf & when it sizzles, add onion slices.

Saute till transparent.

Remove &reserve a few for topping.

Now add potato slices & fry for 2, 3 mts.

Add water & milk.

Cook for 3 whistles.

Cool, open & remove the bay leaf.

Blend the mixture.

Add more water or milk, to get the desired consistency.

Add salt & pepper.

Serve hot, garnished with the reserved onion rings.

 

Maraatti Rasam - know not the reason for the name !

Tamarind paste - 2 tsp

Tomatoes - 2, chopped

Salt, haldi

Fry in few drops of ghee & powder:

Dhaniya - 2 tsp

Pepper - ½ tsp

Red chillies - 3, 4

Methi - ¼ tsp

Hing - ½ tsp

Curry leaves - few

And finally as soon as you switch off the flame

Jeera - ½ tsp

To temper in ½ tsp ghee:

Mustard seeds - ½ tsp

To garnish - chopped coriander leaves.

Mix tamarind paste, salt, haldi with 1 cup of water.

When reduced in volume, add tomatoes, clear dhal water & powder.

When it froths, remove.

Temper as given & garnish.

 

Keeraithandu Soup - nourishing, leafy soup.

This has potatoes for bulk and has a high fibre content.
Select tender keeraithandu. Remove the outer fibre as much as possible.
Chop 2 tbsp of the soft thandu separately for garnishing. Chop the rest with the leaves as well.
I used the red variety.

Chopped keeraithandu - 2 ½ cups

Big potato - 1, chopped

Onion - 1, chopped

Butter - 2 tsp

Milk - 1 cup

Salt, pepper

Heat 1 tsp butter & sauté the chopped thandu, reserved for garnishing.

In a pressurepan, heat the remaining butter.

Saute the onions first & the potatoes next.

After 3-4 mts, add 2 cups of water & close the cooker.


Cook for 2 whistles & switch off.

Cool, open & add chopped keeraithandu.

Close & cook for one more whistle.

Cool, open & liquidize.

Strain, add salt, pepper & milk.

Garnish with sauted , chopped thandu & serve hot.

 

Green Chillies rasam - nothing, but flavour !

This is one of the simplest rasams, I learnt from my mother recently.

Cooked tur dhal - 2 tbsp

Green chillies - 3,4 slit into 2

Tomatoes - 2, cut into big cubes

Hing - ½ tsp

Salt

Lime juice - to taste

To temper:

Ghee - ½ tsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Jeera - ½ tsp

In a vessel, add tomatoes, hing, green chillies, mashed tur dhal, 2 cups of water & salt.

Keep this inside a pressure cooker & heat the stove.

Switch off when the first whistle comes.

Cool, open, add lime juice & temper.

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves & ginger juliennes.

This makes a nice drink on winter days.

 

Vegetable Soup - though not spectacular, good for everyday !

Potato - 1 medium, chopped

Turnip - 1 medium, chopped

Cabbage, chopped - 1 cup

Onion - 1 medium, chopped

Leek - 1 head

Bay leaf - 1

Cloves - 2

Milk - ½ cup

Grated cheese - 2 tbsp

Salt, pepper

Pressurise all vegetables & spices with 1 cup of water.

Remove spices & liquidize.

Boil with salt & pepper.

Add milk.

Serve hot, sprinkled with cheese.