31 August 2013

Pineapple Tomato Rasam

pineapple_tomato_rasam_recipe


Rasam is a tangy soup that can make any Indian especially Southies palate go tangy to tango ! Well, it is a sweet , spicy , tangy , soupy and healthy in short .It’s an indispensable part of every South Indian meal especially lunch and dinner. That’s the “must have soup” for South Indians especially with rice.

Honey P (My hubby) is a biiiiiiig fan of Rasam. Being a Hyderabadi cum Keralite I am not at all surprised :).I love watching him gulping and relishing the Rasam  and I would say to myself ,look that’s how one should enjoy the food .It’s like indirectly saying I am grateful to have food on my table. Thank God and Thanks to my beautiful wife ;) Ahem ahem !! :P.

Myself , I love them especially when it is like the Anu Malik’s Song ,”Dekho baarish ho Rahi hai, it’s raining, it’s raining it’s raaaaaaining” . Yeah I enjoy them when it is raining cats & dogs and this spicy tangy soup just makes it more enticing. And also when I am down with cold, cough, fever, aaaaaachoooooo aaaachiiii then because the pepper, turmeric, ginger, garlics in Rasam has got the medicinal properties to soothe and heal . Otherwise I love having more like a soup than with rice. Reminds me how aromatic our house used to be back at home when amma used to make Rasam.hmmmm

Do you know Wikipedia says that one of our hero of the nation, the great freedom fighter,Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose once said that if he had command over India he would have declared Rasam as the National drink :). Interesting right !!:)

Anyways, there are in fact varieties of Rasam. I am gonna make Pineapple Tomato Rasam.


Here is how I make Pineapple Tomato Rasam :


Ingredients 

Pineapple shredded – ½ cup
Tomato chopped - ¼ cup
Tamarind -1 tablespoon
Cilantro leaves chopped – 2 teaspoon
Green Chili – 4 no.
Mustard seeds- ¼ teaspoon
Cumin – ¼ teaspoon
Asafoetida – a pinch
Pepper- ¼ teaspoon
Ginger-garlic- 1 teaspoon
Home made/Readymade Rasam powder – 1 -2 tablespoon
Oil – 1-2 tablespoon
Lemon juice – 1 teaspoon
Coconut shredded – ¼ teaspoon


Preparation


  1. Boil chopped tomato, shredded pineapple (or pureed / chopped into small cubes and should be fresh not canned), tamarind, cilantro leaves, green chili in a pan and later allow them to simmer for a while in low flame.
  2. In another pan, splutter some mustard seeds , cumin seeds, asafoetida, pepper and add ginger garlic to them.
  3. Once the raw smell of ginger garlic disappears, add the Rasam powder and sauté for a minute or two.
  4. Now strain the boiled tomato,pineapple,tamarind,cilantro,green chili as in step 1 (if you want a clear Rasam ) or use as it is and put it into the tempering pan above (Step 2-3)
  5. Allow them to boil together and simmer for a while so that every flavor blends in like 2 minutes.
  6. Now remove Pineapple tomato Rasam from the stove , add Lime juice and stir well.
  7. Garnish the Rasam with cilantro leaves and shredded coconut.
  8. Pineapple Tomato Rasam is ready . Serve it with rice or have it as a soup.
Note: If you want a light rasam add less Rasam powder .I like more.







Have a tangy day,