"Strarfruit~Masoor Dal Rasam" ... KhatHa MeetHa TeekHa Rasam to sip on before the winter chill completely vanishes ... Prepared this with Starfruit / Karmbala / Carambola and Masoor dal (Red Lentils) with store bought Rasam Powder ... Slurpilicious ...
** I have posted plenty of Rasams post before each in different combos here and trust me each one has turned out to be a delicious spicy drink that tastes awesome both when served as an appetizer or along with some rice. We south Indians love rasam/saar very much, specially when served with rice and in my home too it is the same. Though we are a bit partial to rasam with addition of tomatoes other variations are a welcome too, more so during winter and monsoon season. There is a different joy is enjoying sipping through it as an appetizer when it is cold or pouring outside. Winter is coming almost to an end and heat is slowly creeping in and before that try out this awesome rasam and enjoy it as an appetizer or with rice. Hubby had been frequently asking me as to how this winter I had not prepared some tempting new rasams as by now he is used to getting something new very often. I had still a few starfruits/karambala/carambola remaining with me in my fridge so decided to prepare rasam today using them. Though I usually use tuvar dal/tur dal in preparation of rasam, today I have used masoor dal / red lentil for a change. I did not add tomatoes but prepared the rasam adding on a small piece of tamarind and coriander while grinding the karmbala. Turned out to be very spicy-tangy with a sweetish taste and sip of the rasam was simply a heaven on earth for us. If you are a south Indian like me then you are sure to relish this one otherwise too if your family likes rasams or spicy appetizers try this one, I am sure they will love it.
** Her is my simple method of of preparing “Strarfruit~Masoor Dal Rasam” .... My Style ...
** Wash and cook half a cup of Masoor Dal / Red Lentils with addition of one cup of water in pressure cooker to 3 whistles or till it is cooked very soft and mushy. Remove and let cool, churn it to a even texture and keep it ready aside.
** Wash, wipe and chop 3 large sized Starfruits/Karmbala/Carambola and put it in a mixer grinder along with a small marble sized tamarind and half a cup of cleaned, washed and finely chopped fresh coriander leaves. Grind this to a fine paste, without adding in any water or a little bit if necessary.
** In a thick bottomed stainless steel vessel add in the churned masoor dal, the ground starfruit-coriander paste, about 50 gms / 3 tblsp of grated jaggery, salt to taste and 3-4 cups of water and mix well. Bring this to a full boil and then keep it to simmer while you prepare the seasoning.
** In a small pan add in 1 tblsp of ghee and 1 tblsp of coconut oil, when it is hot, lower the heat and add in 1 tblsp of slightly crushed jeera (you may crush the jeera very slightly with a heavy stone), then add in 1 tsp of mustard seeds, when it begins to splutter add in 1 tsp of hing powder and 8-10 curry leaves.
** Now add in 3 heaped tblsp of Rasam Powder and fry for a minute. You may sprinkle some water, if you find the powder is getting burnt. Now add in the simmering rasam and mix well. Add 4-5 cups of water and mix well. Check consistency and add in more water only if necessary, as rasam should always be slightly thinner in texture.
** Increase the heat to medium and bring to a boiling point, stirring often to avoid the dal getting stuck at the bottom. Once it comes to a good boil, lower the heat and simmer for at least 10 minutes. The trick to a good spicy delicious rasam is, it should always be simmered well once the rasam powder has been added on as it needs to be cooked in well.
** Garnish with a generous amount of finely chopped coriander leaves mix well, remove from fire and keep it covered aside for at least an hour. The flavors will all be seeped into the rasam and will turn out very aromatic. Bring to a good boil and it is ready to be served with rice or as an appetizer.
** “Strarfruit~Masoor Dal Rasam” is done and ready to be served. You can serve it as it with rice for lunch or as an appetizer during dinnertime. It is your individual choice as to how you want to relish this spicy hot rasam. I served it with rice along with some side dishes for lunch and relished it at night dunking some vadas and it tasted simply superb.
** Some people do not like it if there is seasoning/tempering or garnishing in rasam when served as appetizer in which case you can strain and then serve the rasam too, we do so for children who are at times reluctant to sip it on with them. Personally, I suggest you should take in the seasoning too as it is healthy to munch on a few fried curry leaves.
** Whatever be your choice, do try this out this Khatha MeetHa TeekHa Starfruit~Masoor Dal Rasam and enjoy with your family and friends. For those who love spicy soups, this one is a great choice to relish in place of it during winter or monsoon.
** Note : You may cut down on the quantity of the rasam powder as spice level is an individual choice. Also I have used store bought ready rasam powder here and it was not so spicy. You can use sambar powder too, if you do not have rasam powder as they are almost the same.
** Rasams should be very spicy bringing water from your eyes and nose, that is what my father used to say. It loosens all the congestion in the chest, so it is important to prepare it in the right spice level. This helps in loosening of cold and keeping you safe in winter and monsoon. However, if you have cough, I advice you against having it spicy as red chillies may lead to more throat irritation.
** I have used raw starfruit / karmbala / carambola here, you can use it if they are slightly ripened too in which case just cut down the jaggery or add it on only after checking up on the rasam. In many place raw ones are not available and they sell them only ripe, in Mumbai, we hardly get them and when we do it is usually in raw form.
** There are many more types of “Dals / Rasams / Saars” included in the Blog which can be relished both with rice or as appitizers, I have shared a common link to the same below, Please do check out on the same and try out different types of dishes / saars and enjoy with your family and friends and do remember to give me a feedback if possible …..
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