Tomato Rasam with Drumsticks

Recipe Credits:

My mom-in-law 😊


Ingredients:

Tomatoes - 2

Garlic - 2 cloves

Small Onions - 4

Drumstick - 4 to 5 pieces (1.5 to 2 inch pieces)

Tamarind Extract - 1 tsp (optional)

Rock Salt - 1/2 tbsp or as needed

Asafoetida - 1 big pinch

Mustard Seeds - 1/4 tsp

Curry Leaves - 3 to 4

Cumin Seeds - Few

Oil/Ghee - 1 tsp (to temper)

Finely Chopped Coriander Leaves - 1 tsp

Rasam Powder - 1 tsp

Water - 1½ to 2 cups



Procedure:

Wash and cut tomatoes into two halves.  Peel skin of garlic cloves and small onions.

Cook cut tomatoes, garlic cloves, small onions, and drumstick pieces.  I normally place them in a separator and pressure cook along with rice.

Remove the skin of the cooked tomatoes.  Grind them along with cooked garlic cloves and small onions to a smooth paste.

In a cooking bowl or kadai, add the ground tomato paste, water, cooked drumstick pieces, salt, rasam powder, tamarind extract, and a pinch of sugar or jaggery if desired.  Bring to a boil.

In a tadka pan/ladle, heat oil or ghee and temper mustard seeds, asafoetida, curry leaves, and cumin seeds.  Add this to the hot rasam and let it sizzle.

Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.

Serve hot with cooked rice.

This rasam is very flavorful with the tanginess of tomatoes and the aroma and flavor of drumsticks.  Can you look at those drumstick pieces peeping out??

Bisibele Bhath

Adapted From

100 Rice Delights by Mallika Badhrinath

Ingredients:

Rice - 1 cup

Thuar Dhal - 1/2 cup

Tamarind - 1 big lime sized

Mixed Vegetables (chopped) - 1 cup

Green Peas - 1/4 cup

Small Onions - 1/2 cup (peeled)

Salt - 1 tbsp (or as per taste)

Ghee - 3 tbsp

Cashewnuts - 1 tbsp

For Masala Powder:

Red Chillies - 10

Coriander Seeds - 1 tsp

Fenugreek - 1/4 tsp

Urad Dhal - 1 tsp

Bengal Gram Dhal - 1 tsp

Cinnamon - 1 inch piece

Cloves - 2

Grated Coconut - 2 tbsp

Fry all the above ingredients in half a teaspoon of oil until light brown.  Powder them.

Method:

1.  Pressure cook peas and chopped vegetables in just enough water until 3/4th cooked.  I used brinjals, cabbage, drumstick, and carrots.  The original recipe calls for just potatoes instead.  Use vegetables of your choice.

2.   Wash and pressure cook dhal with rice in 6 cups of water for 10 minutes in medium flame until soft.

3.   Soak tamarind and extract thick juice from it.

4.  Heat oil in a kadai and fry the peeled onions for 2 to 3 minutes.  Add the tamarind extract and bring to boil.  Cook until the raw flavor goes from it.

5.  Add salt, asafoetida, cooked peas and vegetables, and the powdered spices.

6.  Pour this to the cooked rice mixture as soon as it is removed from the pressure cooker.  Mix well to incorporate them all together.

7.  Heat ghee, fry the cashewnuts and garnish.  Add curry leaves and chopped coriander leaves if desired.

8.  Serve hot with chips or pappad or fried vadams or onion raitha.

Notes:

I used a big onion sliced lengthwise and fried until golden and crisp in hot oil.  I used these fried onions to garnish the bisibele bhath.  They gave a real flavor to the dish.

If desired, add a teaspoon of idli chilli powder to increase the spiciness of the rice.  This is purely optional.

Paavakkai (Bitter gourd) Kuzhambu/Pulusu

Source:

Mrs. Shantha Krishnan


Ingredients:

Bitter Gourd (Pavakkai) - 1 (chopped)

Small Onions (Shallots) - 10 or 12 (peeled)

Sambhar Powder - 1-1/2 to 2 tsp

Grated Coconut - 1 tbsp

Tomato - 1 (chopped)

Thick Tamarind Extract - 1 tsp (or tamarind gooseberry sized)

Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp

Asafoetida/Perungayam/Hing - 1/4 tsp

Curry Leaves (Karuveppillai) - 1 sprig

Big Onion - 1 (chopped)

Rock Salt - 1 tsp (or as needed)

Oil - To fry

Jaggery - 2 tsp


Method:

1.  Heat 1 tsp of oil in a kadai and fry the small onions, chopped tomatoes, grated coconut, sambhar powder, and tamarind for 2 minutes.  Switch off the flame, allow to cool, and grind to a smooth paste adding no water or very little water.

2.  In a kadai, heat 5 to 6 tsp of oil and add mustard seeds, hing, and curry leaves.

3.  When the mustard seeds start to splutter, add the chopped big onion and chopped bitter gourd.  Fry well until half cooked.

4.  Now, add the ground paste and fry well for around 4 to 5 minutes until oil separates on the sides.

5.  Add salt and jaggery and mix well.  Allow to boil for a minute more.  Add water and cook to desired consistency.

6.  Serve hot with steamed rice.

My Notes:

1.  Sundaikkai can be used instead of pavakkai.

2.  After using the kuzhambu once, if anything is left over, boil the remaining until it thickens well (sunda vaikkavum) and use the next time you need or store in fridge until use.  It stays good for at least 1 week when stored in fridge.

3.  Adjust salt, sambhar powder, and jaggery according to your taste.

4.  I make this kuzhambu to a thick consistency.  Add water according to your needed consistency.  Do not dilute the kuzhambu too much.