PINEAPLE RASAM.

Everybody goes through food blues, which means due to moods or helth reasons hey are off certain foods. To soothe the nerves and bring back the zing factor one needs  dish which can  pep one up in no time . Being on a holiday is no fun if one falls ill and food isa distant thought. I recollected  my hotel days and the food we served when some of our guests or celebrity guests fell sick. Most of them be it dilipvengsarkar or sunilgavaskar asked for soup but our man from Chennai liked the rasam. Be it molagurasam, mysorersaam or nellikai/ pineapple rasam. The history of rasam is as interesting as he rasam itself. Rasam, chaaru, saaru or kabir is a South Indiansoup,traditionally prepared using tamarind/lime. Gooseberry or tomato juice as a base, with the addition of tomato, chili pepper, pepper, cumin and other spices as seasonings. Steamed lentils can be added along with any preferred vegetables.^[2] Nowadays, all the seasonings required are base, combined and ground beforehand with certain spices and fruits if needed like pineapple, berries, or sweet lime.

It is eaten with rice or separately as a spicy soup.sambarcurd riceRasam has a distinct taste and is usually fluid in consist

In Tamil Rasammeans "taste" and "juice". It can refer to any juice, but rasam commonly refers to soup prepared with spices and garnish. Saaru in Kannada or chaaru in Telugu means "essence" and, by extension, "juice"

One of the two international soup namely, Mulligatwany Soup (Milagu: Pepper in Tamil, Thanni: water in Tamil is actually based out of Rasam. Mulligatwany soup is actually served with Rice as accompaniment following the Rasamtradi

Different kinds of rasam are made for different occasions.

• KoliSaaru - chicken
• KadalaiSaaru - black chickpeas
• VenkaayaSaaru - onion
• Kattusaaru - lentils and Byadgichillies
• Tilisaaru - sieving water from plain rice
• ThakkaaliRasam - tomato puree
• PoonduRasam - garlic
• InjiRasam - ginger
• MudakathaanRasam - balloon vine
• MaangaaRasam - Raw mango/ Semi ripe Mango Rasam
• ElumichaiRasam - lemon juice
• NellikkaiRasam - Indian gooseberry
• Murungai Poo Rasam - drumstick flower
• Vepam Poo Rasam - neem flower
• Kandathippilirasam - greens
• Bassaaru/Kattusaaru - boiled vegetables/greens/lentils
• MilaguRasam (Mulligatawny) - black pepper
• JeeragaRasam - cumin
• Pineapple Rasam/Beetroot Rasam - respective fruits/beet
• PuliRasam - tamarind extract
• HesaruKaaluSaaru - Green gram
• ParupuRasam / PappuSaaru - pulses and tomato stock
• BaellaeSaaru - pigeon pea
•  

the Indian cuisine is closely related to the Indian history, each historical region developing a unique set of dishes, using diverse ingredients. The rasamwas  discovered during the Pandiyan times according to some stories. When the ruling kings , son fell ill refusing to eat anything, a notice was sent out that a dish prepared which the prince would eat, would get a bag of gold coins. Narabardu was the a small time farmer and cook and he decided to try his luck with a dish he had invented., and had whenever he was feeling ill or down.He got hold of locally available materials or that which was available  like lime, curry leaves, gooseberries . pineapple which came all the was from the hills, black pepper, salt, turmeric and smashed it all together, adding water and boiling it.it turned out to be a delicious concoction and thus when the prince was served withis, he not only recovered but made it a state favourite. Thus Goosberry, Pineapple rasam found its way into the royal kitchens and becamea part of Indian history. Along it was served Sabudhana or sago kichidi which is highly popular as Prasad in shiridi.

Besides being closely related to history, Indian cuisine is also strongly influenced by the Indian religion, Indian culture and traditions and the Indian people themselves.

·         If you can appreciate the facts behind the history of Indian food, the setting in which this great country’s cuisine was formed, the influences it took and the diversity it created, then you will surely appreciate one of their sweet desserts or one of their spicy snacks and appetizers. No other country has a wider selection of exotic dishes and no other country can offer such a large variety of impulses for your taste buds.

hotel days and the food we served when wasPreparation Time : 10 mins

Cooking Time : 20 mins

Serves : 5 to 6

Ingredients:

Oil -1 tsp

Pineapples – 1 cup chopped finely

Tomatoes – 1 medium size chopped finely

Green Chilli – 1 slit

Sugar – 1 tblspn

Salt to taste

Turmeric Powder / ManjalPodi – 1 tsp

Rasam Powder – 2 tblspn or to taste

Toor Dal / TuvaramParuppu – 1/4 cup cooked and mashed

Coriander Leaves a hanful finely chopped

For Rasam Masala:

Peppercorns / Whole Pepper – 1 tsp

Cumin Seeds / Jeerakam – 1 tsp

Garlic – 3 fat cloves

For Grinding:

Tomatoes – 1 medium size chopped

Pineapples – 3/4 cup chopped

For Seasoning:

Oil – 1 tsp

Mustard Seeds / Kaduku – 1 tsp

Cumin Seeds / Jeerakam – 1 tsp

Asafoetida/ Hing / Kaya Podi – 1/4 tsp

Dry Red Chilli – 1

Curry leaves a sprig

Method:

Grind pepper, cumin and garlic to a coarse mix. Set aside. Grind pineapples and tomatoes to a smooth puree and set aside.

Heat 1 tsp oil in a kadai. Add in chopped pineapples, chillies and tomatoes and give a good saute. Add in crushed masala and mix well.

Add in salt, sugar, turmeric powder, rasam masala, ground pineapple mix and mix well. 

Pour in water and toor dal. Bring everything to a good boil.

Once it reached a boil, turn the heat off.

Make tempering by heating oil and crackling mustard, cumin, hing, dry red chilli and curry leaves. Pour this over the rasam and mix well.

Add in lots of chopped coriander leaves and mix well.

Serve with rice.

Share on Google Plus

About Pondicherry Arun

This is a short description in the author block about the author. You edit it by entering text in the "Biographical Info" field in the user admin panel.