dal rasam |Cooking With Amanda

by dassana

yet another rasam which is a favorite at home after tomato rasam is dal rasam.

this dal rasam was made by mom when all of us would have cold attacks in the winters or monsoons. it is a spicy one, though i usually make it less spicy. also this rasam warms the body and is excellent when has bouts of cold and chill.

as the name suggests, cooked arhar dal or pigeon pea lentils is simmered in a freshly roasted and ground spices with tamarind pulp. so the cooked dal gives some body and texture to this soup like drink and the spices lend their aroma, warmth and flavor along with the sourness from the tamarind.

the spices are roasted and then ground to a semi coarse or fine powder. later to be tempered with mustard, curry leaves and dry red chilies along with the freshly ground rasam powder. this tempered mixture is then added to the cooked dal and simmered with tamarind pulp and some water.

you don' t need to rasam powder to make this rasam. this dal rasam is best with some steamed rice. you can drink it plain like a soup also. at home i always serve rasam with rice.

dal rasam

Author: dassana

Serves: 3-4

½ or ⅔ cup tuvar-arhar dal/pigeon pea lentils
1 tsp black mustard seeds
½ tsp urad dal/spilt and skinned black gram (optional)
1 or 2 dry red chilies
a pinch of hing/asafoetida
¼ tsp turmeric powder
2 or 21/2 cups water
1 tbsp seedless tamarind soaked in ½ cup water
10-12 curry leaves
2 tbsp oil
salt as required

2-3 dry red chilies
8-10 methi seeds
½ tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp coriander seeds

first take all the whole spices meant to make the rasam powder.
dry roast in a medium hot frying pan till the spices are browned and become fragrant.
once they are cooled, in a dry grinder or coffee grinder, grind these spices to a semi coarse or fine powder. keep aside.
in a pressure cooker boil the arhar dal till they completely cooked and soft.
with a wooden spoon or wired whisk, mash the dal lightly.
in another pan, heat oil.
add the mustard seeds and urad dal.
fry till the mustard seeds start popping and the urad dal becomes golden.
lower the flame and add the curry leaves & dry red chilies and fry for some seconds.
now add the turmeric powder and asafoetida.
stir and add the roasted ground rasam powder.
stir quickly and add the above tempered mixture to the dal or add the dal to this mixture.
stir and add tamarind pulp, water along with salt.
bring to a boil first and then simmer for 8-9 minutes on a low or medium flame till all the flavors have blended well with each other. the raw aroma of the tamarind also has to go away.
garnish the dal rasam with coriander leaves and serve hot, plain or with some steamed rice.