However, there are some rasam recipes made without adding any lentils. It is mainly eaten with rice or you can drink it separately as a spicy soup. Thali is a traditional meal that is served on festive occasions like marriages. Rasam is very much part of the course that includes sambhar rice and curd rice. Rasam has a distinct taste in comparison to the thick sambhar due to its own seasoning ingredients. It also is more fluid in its consistency. If someone in the family has a cold or is unwell, one glass of spicy and hot rasam works like a charm. BTW, the word rasam means juice. Since this traditional drink is a blend of amazing spices, which are high in flavors, it helps in better digestion. Rasam truly is one of the most delicious appetizer drinks, which is light on the stomach and high in taste. I think it’s more of a mental block for me. I just feel that I cannot make the perfect rasam the way my mom made it. Ever since I got married, it’s KR who has been making rasam at home. I just don’t have the confidence to make it. However, KR likes the rasam I make and he says that I am being too hard on myself. But something changed last week. My aunt was visiting us for the weekend and she insisted on cooking something for us while she was there. We both unanimously blurted out “Rasam” and she sweetly made it for us. I, of course, stood next to her and watched her prepare this tasty broth, with a hawk eye. She kept giving me tips and tricks as she went about making it. I noted them all down. The first step is to cook the lentils. This recipe calls for pink lentils also known as masoor dal. Pressure cook the lentils in turmeric + saltwater along with ghee. Once cooked, mash it using a whisk and keep it aside. If using fresh tamarind, then add it to a bowl of warm water and let it soak for 15 minutes. Then crush the soaked tamarind with your fingers to extract the juice. Filter this juice into another vessel and repeat the same with the remains, 2-3 more times by adding them to freshwater and squeezing out the juice. But if you are using tamarind paste, add it along with the spices in the next step. In a thick-bottomed pan, add all the spices like salt, turmeric powder, rasam powder, and asafoetida. Then add the tamarind juice, onions, and tomatoes. Cook this on simmer for 7-8 minutes.
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Tempering the rasam, in the end, is an important step and should not be skipped. Making rasam in ghee really brings out the flavors. One of the most important ingredients in this dish is rasam powder. There are many brands that sell this spice mix and they are easily available in Asian grocery stores, but homemade rasam powder is the best. I only use homemade rasam powder prepared by my SIL’s mom and I promise to share this recipe on the blog, soon. There are many variations to the recipe and you can choose to make any as per your need. It is an instant recipe and can be made within 10 minutes if you have all the ingredients ready. Drinking this thin lentil soup is good for the body when suffering from an illness like fever, cold, or stomach upset as it is very light and also gives a comforting feeling.
