If I move slowly in silence and breathe long and deep, I feel my heartbeat slow and my mind clear…
~ Crocosmia
~ The caress & colours of Spring
~ Two friends
notes
- Rasam keeps the digestive system in good condition. Apart from strengthening the body, it can be used as a drink to help with digestive disorders when omitting vegetables and diluting with water.
- People suffering from Vata disturbances should not consume it very often. It can also be prepared with split moong dal, which will cause fewer disturbances to the Vata constitution.
- It may be consumed at any meal-time throughout the day, in all seasons.
- Rasam powder and tamarind paste are available at your local Indian Store. If toor dal (yellow split lentils) is unavailable, replace it with split moong dal.
- Use heaped measurements except where otherwise stated.
toor dal rasam with carrot & sweet peas
preparation 40 minutes
serves 3 – 4
ingredients
½ cup toor dal or split moong dal
4 cups/1-litre water
1 medium carrot, chopped
⅓ cup fresh green peas
1 tsp rasam powder (mildly spiced)
1 tsp tamarind paste
2 heaped Tbsp jaggery
1 heaped tsp rock salt
¼ cup dried shredded unsweetened coconut
¼ cup coriander leaves, chopped
voggarane
2 tsp ghee
½ tsp black mustard seeds
⅛ tsp asafoetida powder (hingu)
⅛ tsp fenugreek powder (optional)
10 fresh curry leaves
⅛ tsp turmeric powder
preparation
- Wash the toor dal in a saucepan until the water runs off clear. Drain, pour in the water, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a rapid simmer. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes.
- Add the carrot and sweet peas and simmer until the dal has softened – 20 minutes.
- Add the rasam powder, tamarind, salt, jaggery, and coconut and stir to combine well. Simmer for 5 minutes.
prepare the voggarane
- Add ghee and mustard seeds in a small pan over medium heat. When the seeds start to splutter and pop, add asafoetida, fenugreek, curry leaves, and turmeric powder, swishing the pan around to allow the spices to fry evenly.
- Pour the voggarane into the dal and stir in the fresh coriander leaves.
Allow to sit for 10 minutes for the flavours to settle and dal to thicken slightly. Serve with rice and drizzle with ghee.
Goodness shared from Stacey