Mangalore and Madras Rasam!

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My friend Saritha, had asked for the recipe for Rasam and I thought I will give the recipe for Mangalore rasam. Alongwith that another type of rasam, which I do at home, often which is very easy to make too!

Now, to the ingredients for Mangalore rasam powder first:

Pepper/Milagu/Kaali mirch

Curry leaves/Kariveppilai/Kadi paththa

Asofoetida/Perungaayam/Hing

Cumin Seeds/Jeeragam/Jeera

Fenugreek seeds/Vendayam/Methi

Coriander Seeds/Dhania

Bengaluru Byadige menasu/Sigappu milagaai/Laal mirch

Now, to the Check list of the ingredients for the Mangalore rasam powder:

1. 100g. Red chillies or 150 g. Byadige menasu (the second one is not hot but gives red colour for the rasam!)

2. 4 tsp. Jeera

3. 4 tsp. Methi

4. 2 cups or 100 g. Dhania

5. 1 tsp. of Pepper

6. 1/2 inch piece of Hing

7. 8-10 twigs of Curry leaves

8. 1 tsp. of Coconut oil

Method:

In a hot kadai, pour oil. Add hing first. After it gets roasted, add Chilli, Dhania and curry leaves. After everything becomes crisp, keep them in a plate. Then in the hot kadai (whatever oil is there, is enough), roast Methi first, add Jeera and pepper later. Nothing should get burnt. You can roast one by one too. Pepper should be removed from the stove as soon as you hear one pepper bursting. Otherwise, it becomes bitter.

Powder them after they cool down - warm enough to be crisp, the powder will be smooth. If the ingredients become too cold, the powder will not be smooth.

Now, the recipe for Mangalore rasam:

Ingredients:

Tamarind/Puli/Imli

Jaggery/Vellam/Gud

Checklist for ingredients:

1. One small lemon size Tamarind

2. 1 tsp. Jaggery

3. 1 Tomato (if you add more tomatoes, the tamarind should be less)

4. 1 tbs. of Salt or according to your taste

5. 2 tbs. of cooked toor daal, which is mashed nicely

6. 4 cups of water

7. Coriander leaves

For garnishing:

1. 1 tsp. coconut oil

2. 1/2 tsp. mustard

3. 1/2 tsp. Jeera

4. Curry leaves

Method:

1. Soak tamarind in warm water. I keep the tamarind in a small vessel and keep it on the cooker lid and it becomes soft to take the juice when the rice in the cooker is ready!

2. Now, take the juice out of it and pour in a medium sized vessel. The tamarind water can be about 2 cups.

3. You can grind and add or add cut pieces of tomatoes, salt, jaggery and boil for nearly 10 mts.

4. Then add the cooked toor daal and 2 tbs. of Mangalore rasam powder. Mix it well with a ladle.

5. Add more water and coriander leaves. You can add curry leaves now itself or add it while garnishing.

6. As soon as it foams on top, remove the rasam from the stove. It should not boil with bubbles, then the flavour goes.

7. Now, for garnishing...take an iron ladle (if you don't have one, take a small kadai!), add the oil, mustard seeds and cumin seeds. After the mustard bursts, add curry leaves. My maami, whose rasam is famous in our family, just adds one or two tsp. of coconut oil and removes from the stove. No garnishing!

Now, for the Madras rasam:

Let me write this rasam in a short-cut method!

1 to 3 steps should be followed as written in the Mangalore rasam recipe. Add 2 tsp. of the saambaar powder and 1/2 inch piece of hing or 1/2 tsp. of hing powder also in the 3rd step (hing is not included in my saambaar powder but it is, in the Mangalore rasam powder!). Boil for 10 to 15 mts. Add 2 tbs. of cooked toor daal. Mix well. Add another 2 more cups of water and coriander leaves. Boil it till it foams on top and remove from fire and garnish!

Altogether the rasam will be around 1 ltr. Taste it, if you think that it is strong, add some more water. It should be a bit strong for mixing with rice and eating. It should be mild, for just drinking!

If you use old, dark coloured tamarind take less amount for soaking. If the tamarind is new (light in colour), take more.

Only garnishing is different for this. I always keep some rasam garnishing powder, which is done like this:

1. 1/4 cup Jeera

2. 1/4 cup or less, pepper

3. Curry leaves

Dry roast all the 3 ingredients...first jeera, then pepper... roast, after a minute add curry leaves and roast a bit more until the leaves are crisp. Powder it when it cools and store in a bottle.

For garnishing rasam, take 1 tsp. of ghee, add 1/2 tsp. of mustard and 1/4 tsp. of jeera. When it flutters, add a tsp. of the above pepper powder, mix it with a tsp. in the ladle itself and garnish immediately!

Madras rasam is ready!

I always add jaggery for tamarind based recipe. It reduces the too tangy taste of tamarind. And for most of other recipes, I add half tsp. at least of sugar. It acts like ajino-moto...blending together all the tastes!

Hope this recipe is easy to follow. If you have any doubts, feel free to ask me. I will be glad to clear the doubt!