If you are down with severe cold, then this is what you need to be eating. It is so warm and comforting. It clears the throat and the sinus. Its really very refreshing. Horsegram also aids in weight loss. I have already shared the recipe for kollu pappu/horsegram lentil. You can know more about the amazing lentil there. This dish is a specialty of the kongunad region of Tamilnadu. I am from Coimbatore and I learnt this recipe from my aunt.
Usually we make the rasam with the cooked water (broth) that’s left over after cooking the lentil when we make kollu pappu/dal. If you want to make this rasam alone, Boil 1/4 cup of horsegram with 2 cups of water in a pressure cooker for 10 minutes. Drain the water and set aside.
Soak half a lime size tamarind in water for 15 minutes and make a puree out of it and set aside. Tamarind water gives the rasam that tang.
Heat sesame oil in a pan and add pepper, cumin and garlic and saute till it starts to pop.
Add in one medium chopped tomato. Add in the salt. Cook the tomatoes till they start to become semi dry. Add in 3-4 tablespoons of cooked horse gram and remove off heat. Don’t add more lentils or else the rasam might become very thick.
Let this mixture cool and then grind to a smooth paste. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, urad dal, fenugreek seeds and cumin. Let it pop. Add in the tamarind juice, the ground paste and the curry leaves. Let it simmer on low flame for 10 minutes.
Add in the kollu/horsegram leftover lentil water. Cook for a couple of minutes more. Add in a small piece of jaggery and coriander leaves. Remove off heat.
Serve hot with rice. If there is leftover rasam, strain it the next day in a mesh strainer and slightly heat it and serve as a nice warm broth. It tastes so yum the next day.
- water leftover from cooked horse gram
- 1/2 lime size tamarind, juiced
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 3-4 cloves garlic
- 1 medium tomato
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup cooked horsegram
- 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon urad dal
- 1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- 1 sprig curry leaf
- 1 teaspoon jaggery (optional)
- 1 tablespoon coriander leaves
- Boil 1/4 cup of horsegram with 2 cups of water in a pressure cooker for 10 minutes. Drain the water and set aside.
- Soak half a lime size tamarind in water for 15 minutes and make a puree out of it and set aside. Tamarind water gives the rasam that tang.
- Heat sesame oil in a pan and add pepper, cumin and garlic and saute till it starts to pop.
- Add in one medium chopped tomato. Add in the salt. Cook the tomatoes till they start to become semi dry. Add in 3-4 tablespoons of cooked horsegram and remove off heat.
- Let this mixture cool and then grind to a smooth paste. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, urad dal, fenugreek seeds and cumin. Let it pop. Add in the tamarind juice, the ground paste and the curry leaves. Let it simmer on low flame for 10 minutes.
- Add in the kollu/horsegram leftover lentil water. Cook for a couple of minutes more. Add in a small piece of jaggery and coriander leaves. Remove off heat.
- Serve hot with rice. If there is leftover rasam, strain it next day in a mesh strainer and slightly heat it and serve as a nice warm broth.