Garlic Rasam Recipe

This Andhra style rasam is like a big daddy of all rasams you have ever tasted – spicy to its core and loaded with flavors of garlic, tamarind and various other spices. As with all its siblings, garlic rasam is best enjoyed when served with a steamed rice, papad, poriyal and a delicious chutney. Try it during a winter and see how your body heats up from inside! This spicy South Indian fare is also known as Poondu Rasam in Tamilnadu.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Serves: 2 servings

Ingredients:

8-10 Garlic Cloves, crushed

1/2 tablespoon Tamarind

1-2 Dry Red Chillies (or to taste)

1/2 teaspoon Black Peppercorns

1 teaspoon Coriander Seeds

1/2 teaspoon Chana Dal

1/2 teaspoon Cumin Seeds

3-4 Curry Leaves

1 teaspoon + 1 teaspoon Oil

Salt to taste

For Tempering:

1/2 teaspoon Mustard Seeds

5-6 Curry Leaves

1 teaspoon Ghee

Directions:

1. Soak tamarind in 1-cup warm water for 5-10 minutes. Mash it with your hand and strain it through a sieve, collect the tamarind juice in small bowl and keep aside until called for use. Discard the remaining solids.
2. Heat 1-teaspoon oil in a small pan over low flame. Add dry red chilies, black peppercorns, coriander seeds and chana dal. Roast them until nice aroma starts to come, approx 2 minutes.
3. Allow it to cool to room temperature. Transfer to grinder jar, add cumin seeds, 3-4 curry leaves and 1-2 tablespoons water. Grind into medium coarse paste.
4. Heat remaining 1-teaspoon oil in the same pan over low flame for sauteing and saute crushed garlic cloves in it until golden brown. Transfer them to a plate.
5. Take tamarind juice (extracted in step-1) and 1½-cups water in another large pan, add salt to taste and bring it to boil over medium flame. When it starts to boil, reduce flame to low and cook for 7-8 minutes or until raw smell of tamarind goes away.
6. Add sautéed garlic cloves (prepared in step-4), ground paste (prepared in step-3) and 1-cup water; mix well, cook for 2-3 minutes and take it away from flame/cook-top.
7. Heat ghee in the small pan over low flame for tempering. Add mustard seeds and allow them to sizzle. Add 5-6 curry leaves and sauté for 10-15 seconds. Turn off flame and pour it over prepared rasam. Mix and transfer to serving bowl.
8. Hot and spicy garlic rasam is now ready to tantalize your taste buds.

Tips and Variations:

• Add 1-tomato (finely chopped) in step-3 along with other ingredients in grinding jar and reduce tamarind quantity to 1/4-tablespoon (in step-1) to make tomato-garlic rasam.
• Garnish it with finely chopped coriander leaves.
• Make sure that spices do not turn dark brown while roasting them in step-2.

Taste: Spicy

Serving Ideas:  Serve it hot with steamed rice and papad.