Lime and Coconut Rasam

Rasam is a South Indian dish that is typically eaten with rice. Did you know there are 25 variations of rasam? A well-known rasam that is offered in most Indian restaurants is Mulligatawny soup (made with pepper). 

How many rasams can you name? Which ones have you tried? We like eating rasam because it is warm and soothing. It is not a seasonal dish and can be enjoyed throughout the year. 

Below is a recipe for Lime and Coconut Rasam. We hope you enjoy it. 

 

Ingredients

- 1 Plum tomato, diced into cubes

- 1 Tbsp Coconut Milk Powder (or 2 to 3 Tbsp of unsweetened coconut milk if coconut milk powder is not available)

- ½ Tbsp Madras Rasam Powder

- 1 lime, juiced

- ½ Tbsp Salt

- 400 ml Water

- Finely chopped Fresh Coriander for garnish

Ingredients for Seasoning (Taalimpu):

- 1 Tbsp Vegetable oil

- ½ tsp Mustard seeds
- ½ tsp Whole Cumin seeds
- A pinch of Hing (Asafoetida)

Instructions

1. Blend together tomato, coconut powder, rasam powder, and water to mix well. (Hint: mix the coconut powder with a little bit of water so when it is mixed into the tomato sauce, it doesn't clump). 
2. Transfer the mixture into a (2qt) medium saucepan and add salt. Bring the rasam mixture to a boil on medium heat (approx. 5 to 7 minutes). Continue to boil for another 2 minutes and remove from heat. 
3. Add the lime juice and mix well. 
4. In a smaller saucepan (tadka pan), heat oil on low-medium heat. When you feel the heat on your palm, add mustard and cumin seeds. When they splutter, add hing. After about 1-2 minutes, remove from heat, and add directly to the rasam. Add chopped coriander and serve hot with rice or as soup with croutons.

Quick Tips

• If using unsweetened coconut milk from a can, please make sure to mix the contents before use. 
• Instead of using a blender, cook the tomatoes with little water for 1 to 2 minutes in the microwave, and add it to the coconut powder paste. Mix the rasam powder, water, and salt and continue from step 2. 

Keep Calm and Eat Tomato & Coriander Soup

With this ever changing weather, it feels nice to relax and enjoy the day with a bowl of hot soup and a good book. Check out our spin on the traditional "rasam" dish, which we turned into a soup. Let us know what you think. 

Ingredients
- 4 plum tomatoes, chopped
- 1 cup fresh coriander, finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp coconut milk powder
- 2" fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
- 1 Tbsp corn starch
- 2 small green chilies, chopped
- 1 tsp salt (or as needed)
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/4 cup water

Procedure
Mix corn starch and water. Place all ingredients and starch mixture into a blender and run until it is a smooth uniform liquid. Transfer the liquid into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Switch off the stove and serve hot.


Quick Tips
- We used our Vitamix blender (Smoothies option) for blending all the ingredients.
- For more "rasam"/soup recipes, click here.

Simple Coconut and Tomato Rasam

I love rasam. The simplest meaning for rasam is juice. So mango rasam means mango juice. There's also a South Indian dish called rasam. It goes great with any type of rice or also can be eaten as soup. A well known rasam that is offered in most Indian restaurants in the US is Mulligatawny soup (made with pepper).  Did you know there are 25 variations of rasam? That's a lot of rasam. I've probably tasted only about 5 in my life, which means I've still got a lot of ground to cover. I love the one I'm going to tell you about today. It's a step up from the basic rasam recipe; the additional ingredient is coconut powder.

Ingredients:

- 3 Plum tomatoes, chopped into 1" pieces

- 2 tbsp Coconut Milk Powder (or 4 tbsp of unsweetened coconut milk if coconut milk powder is not available)

- ½ tbsp Madras Rasam Powder

- ½ tbsp Salt

- 400 ml Water

Finely chopped Fresh Coriander for garnish

Ingredients for Seasoning (Taalimpu):

- 1 tbsp Vegetable oil

- ½ tsp Mustard seeds
- ½ tsp Whole Cumin seeds
- A pinch of Hing (Asafoetida)

Procedure: 

Dice tomatoes into cubes and grind them in a blender until sauce consistency. Transfer the sauce into a (2qt) medium saucepan and add water, rasam powder, salt, and coconut powder. (Hint: mix the coconut powder with a little bit of water so when it is mixed into the tomato sauce, it doesn't clump).  Bring the rasam mixture to a boil on medium heat (approx. 7-10min). Check to see if all the coconut powder is mixed into the rasam, and no lumps are noticed. Continue to boil for another 2 minutes and remove from heat. 

In a smaller saucepan (tadka pan), heat oil on low-medium heat. When you feel the heat on your palm, add mustard and cumin seeds. When they splutter, add hing. After about 1-2 minutes, remove from heat, and add directly to the rasam. Add chopped coriander and serve hot with rice or as soup with croutons.

I enjoy eating rasam on cold nights; it warms me up instantly. What is your favorite kind of rasam? Please share with us. 

Stuffed Jalapeno Curry

This goes out to all the Heat Seekers!!

I think every family has a network of culinary experts. I know it's true in my own family. One of my aunts is an expert in making spicy curries. Her husband has a high tolerance for spicy dishes. I boast about his tolerance to all my friends. So for this year's Diwali celebration, my mom and I decided to add a spicy dish to the menu. And who better to consult, than my aunt. When I was inquiring about her dishes, she said, "Are you sure you want those recipes?" After some persuasion, she came around to it and sent us the recipe for Stuffed Jalapeno Curry. 

How to prepare the peppers for the stuffing (Gloves may be useful when handling the peppers): Wash and dry 7-8 peppers thoroughly. Slit each pepper with stalk end intact. Carefully pry it open and with the handle of the spoon, scrape out the seeds. This step depends on your spice tolerance. If you are a Hot Head, then leave some in there. However, let it be stated that, We Warned You. Then apply salt to the inner surface of each pepper. Once all of them have been prepped, please keep aside.

Stuffing Ingredients:

- 1 Medium Onion, chopped

- 2 tbsp of Coconut Milk Powder

- ½ bunch of Coriander (Cilantro), chopped

- ¾ tsp of cumin powder, roasted

- 3 to 4 tbsp of Vegetable Oil

- Salt, adjust as per taste

Procedure:

1) Heat one tablespoon of oil in a pan, add the chopped onion and stir fry for a few minutes. Then take it off heat and put aside for cooling.  

2) Blend the following ingredients together: dry coconut powder, stir fried onions, coriander/cilantro, and roasted cumin powder. Pulse the mixture for 3-4 minutes, but do not over grind. Adjust the salt as per your taste. Then stuff the peppers with the mixture and put aside for frying. 
3) Heat two tablespoons oil in the pan and gently place the stuffed peppers into the pan. Cook on low to medium flame. (Please Note: if necessary, add more oil for sauteing the peppers) 

4) Gently flip each pepper over to cook them evenly. When the peppers are more than half done, add the remaining stuffing. (The remaining stuffing amount depends on how much was stuffed into the peppers prior to this step. Don't worry if there isn't any left over)

5) Saute the peppers until they have a brownish tint and are cooked thoroughly.

***Quick Tip:

- This curry can be enjoyed on its own or with some hot rice (plain or brown) or quinoa.