EASY RASAM

This rasam can be made in no time and tastes really good. Try this out when you crave for a good rasam but have only five minutes to spare. It will also be of help for starters as its very simple to make and you cannot go wrong. This also comes in handy when you're unable to prepare fresh spice powders. In fact this recipe was born as a result of power cut. I usually grind whole black pepper, cumin, coriander and garlic (coarsely) every time I prepare rasam which gives it a nice aroma and taste. Since I don't use any ready made powders for rasam or sambhar I came up with this idea. Nevertheless this also tastes good.

 INGREDIENTS

Tomato (chopped) - 1 small size

Tamarind juice* - 1 cup

Coriander powder - 1 tsp

Black pepper powder - 1 tsp 

Cumin powder/Jeera powder - 1/2 tsp 

Sambhar powder - 1/2 tsp

Turmeric powder - a pinch

Salt

Coriander leaves for garnish

For tempering

Ghee - 1 tsp 

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Cumin seeds/ jeera - 1/4 tsp

Garlic pods - 4

Curry leaves - 5

Karuvadagam* - a tiny piece

METHOD

In a bowl or vessel, add the chopped tomatoes, tamarind juice and all the masala powders. Add about 11/2 cups of water or according to your taste and add the required amount of salt. Keep this aside. Heat a kadai and add ghee, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, garlic pods, curry leaves and the karuvadagam in the same order. Once the seeds crackle and the garlic turns light brown pour the tamarind juice mixture to this and let it boil. Switch off the heat after the first boil. Let it set and transfer it to a vessel. Garnish it with coriander leaves. Simple rasam is ready to serve hot.

STEP BY STEP PICTURE

Add all the masala powders to the chopped tomato and tamarind juice. Add required salt and water.

 Crackle mustard, cumin, garlic pods, curry leaves and karuvadagam in a tsp of ghee and pour the above mixture. Let it boil.

Transfer it to a vessel and garnish with coriander leaves. 

NOTE

*Tamarind juice to be made with a small ball of tamarind in hot water

*Karuvadagam is a combination of small onion, garlic, fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds, cumin seeds and  split black gram. Combined and sun dried for days in a particular way and stored. This is used for  tempering.

 Adding karuvadagam is optional.

TOMATO AND SPROUT SALAD

I was looking to make a salad and the only ingredient I had was tomato and luckily found some sprouted green gram too! So the chef in me said why not put them together with a dash of olive oil and a pinch of pepper and salt. Here's the recipe to my tomato and sprout salad with a twist ;)

INGREDIENTS

To make a small bowl of salad for one person

Tomato - 1 (cut into 1 inch pieces)
Sprouted green gram - a handful
Rusk - 2
Olive oil - 1 tbsp
Lemon juice - 2 drops
Salt and Pepper as per taste
Chopped coriander leaves for garnish if you prefer

METHOD

Add the chopped tomato pieces and sprouted green gram to a bowl. The twist in this salad recipe is adding sweet rusk. Yes, rusk!! Break the rusk into 2 inch pieces. I've used sweet rusk here but it can be tried with any kind of rusk. Flavoured rusk may change the taste of the salad so refrain from using that unless you like it. Add the rusk pieces to the tomatoes and sprouts along with a tbsp of olive oil. Give it a good mix. Add 2 drops of lemon juice and the required salt and pepper. I've used white pepper for this salad. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. The crunchiness of sprouted green gram and the sweetness of rusk mixed in the juice of tomato and olive oil makes it tasty. Try this simple and healthy salad and you're sure to love it.