Rasam powder / Rasappodi

Rasam Powder

Red Chillies (Guntur)                        : 250 gms
Dhaniya seeds                                  : 500 gms
Tur Dal                                              : 150 gms

Pepper                                              : 30 gms
Jeera                                                 : 50 gms
Turmeric                                            : 5 to 6 pieces ( or you can use 4 tbsp powder)

Dry in Hot Sun for a few hours and grind to a coarse powder.

Arusuvai Natarajan's recipe for rasam powder:

Dideer rasam

(you can make it in smaller quantity. Keep the proportion)

Tur dal – 500 g

pepper – 250 g

jeera – 200 g

hing 100 g

chillies – 300 g

Daniya – 750 g

Turmeric Powder – 50 g

Curry leaves – a fistful

Order of frying ( light fry)

Pepper

Tur dal

Red chillies – broken

Curry leaves.

Jeera

Prior to all this fry hing in oil and add while grinding. Grind to a coarse powder.

For 4 cups rasam:

Add 3 cups water to  a handful of boiled dal. 

Extract pulp of tamarind and add enough water to make it into one cup of liquid.

Add this to the dal.

add 2 ½ tsp rasam powder, enough salt.

Bring to boil.

Heat Ghee and add mustard seeds. Pour it over the rasam once the seeds splutter.

Garnish with Coriander leaves.

Do try. You will love it.

Another Method:
Shimoga Shantamma's recipe

Rasam Powder 

Ingredients:        

    Dried Chillies (byadege) broken into small bits – 3 pavs. This is a tricky measure to describe if you have never seen a pav in life . and the accuracy of measurement makes all the difference to taste. 
 Dhaniya seeds                                 1 ¼ to 1 ½ pav

Curry leaves                                     enough to fill both palms held together in a cup shape.In a little oil fry these together till all the ingredients are crisp. You should be able to break the curry leaves and the chillies. Keep aside.  
Take a piece of dried turmeric and fry it in a little oil. Keep aside. 

Jeera                                              1 tbs
Pepper                                           1 tbsp  
 Mustard                                         1 tbsp
Methi seeds                                    1 tbsp
Fry the above in very little oil.

  

 Channa dal                                    2 tbsp

 Urad dal                                         2 tbsp.

Fry the above in a little oil till golden brown. Powder , cool and store in an airtight container.

Rasam (without using Rasam Powder)

This is one of Arusuvai Natarajan's recipes:


Ingredients:
Tur dal                               : 1/4 cup pressure cooked and mashed
Tamarind                           : a large marble sized ball
Ripe tomatoes                    : 2
Dried chillies                      : 2
Green chillies                     : 2
Turmeric powder                : 1 tsp
Pepper powder                  : 1 tsp
Jeera powder                     : 1 tsp
Jaggery powder                 : 1 tsp
Salt                                    : to taste
Ghee                                  : 1/2 tsp
Mustard                             : 1 tsp
Whole pepper  crushed     : 1tsp
Jeera                                 : 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves
Coriander leaves

Method:

Soak tamarind in warm water and extract pulp adding 2 glasses of water.
Cut the tomatoes and add them to the tamarind water. Add salt, turmeric powder, slit green chillies and split red chillies and boil till the raw smell of tamarind evaporates.(about 5 minutes on slow flame)
Now add  the cooked dal, pepper powder, jeera powder and jaggery and 2 cups of water.
Bring it to a boil and switch off immediately. Do not boil for long.
Heat ghee, splutter mustard seeds, add coarsely ground pepper and jeera and pour over the rasam.
Add Coriander leaves and curry leaves.

Note: If you have a lot of paruppu  from left over rasam (Rasa vandal) you can use the same and follow this method to increase the quantity of rasam.There is no need for adding more paruppu.
Peel a few garlic pods, crush them along with a 2 inch piece of ginger. Add these also in step 2 and boil well. This gives a wondefully delicious Poondu rasam that is yummy to your palate and very kind to your digestive system.

MIlagu Kuzambu

Ingredients

Pepper                                   1 tblsp
channa dal                             1 tsp
Urad dal                                 1 tsp
dhaniya                                  1 tsp
Jeera                                      1 tsp
Red chillies                             2
Curry leaves                           1/4 cup
Tamarind                                size of a small lemon
asafoetida                               a pinch
Salt
Ghee                                      1 tblsp
Jaggery                                   a small piece
Rice flour                                1 tsp ( if needed)
Oil                                           1/2 tsp

Preparation Method:

In a little oil fry dhaniya, channa dal,urad dal, chillies, pepper and curry leaves one by one. Add jeera in the end. Cool and grind to a paste along with the tamarind pulp, jaggery and asafoetida.
Add salt and 3 cups water and boil till raw smell of tamarind evaporates.
By this time it should have reduced and thickened.
If not, dissolve 1 tsp rice flour in a little water and pour it in. Boil for two minutes and take off heat.
Adding a little ghee in the end will make it smell heavenly and also reduce the spiciness.


Here's a variation of Milagu Kuzambu given by a celebrated cook from Tamilnadu Arusuvai Natarajan:

Tamarind     : size of a Lemon

Pepper        : 50 g

Red chillies  : 5/6

Urad dal      : 50 g

Hing             : a small piece ( or half tsp)

Heat  gingely oil in a pan. Add hing, urad dal and pepper. 

When pepper splutters add tamarind and red chillies and fry.

Add curry leaves and remove from fire.`Add 2 cups water and grind in mixer.

Heat gingely oil and add mustard. Add the paste, salt, turmeric powder. 

Let it boil and thicken.