Ingredients:

• Ingredients for rasam:
• Three extracts of Coconut Milk from 2 cups of freshly grated Coconut
• Freshly ground rasam powder
• 1/2 cup – tur dal (red gram dal)
• 1 pinch – Turmeric powder
• 1 small Lime sized ball – Tamarind
• 1.5 tsp – salt
• Curry leaves, a few
• 1 big – Tomato
• Coriander leaves, a few
• 1 tsp – Ghee
• 1/4 tsp – Mustard Seeds
• Ingredients for rasam powder:
• 1/4 tsp – cooking oil
• 2 tsp – Coriander seeds
• 2 tsp – Bengal Gram dal
• 6 – Red Chillies
• 1 tsp – pepper
• 1 tsp – Cumin seeds
• 1 pinch – Asafoetida

Method:

1. Method to extract coconut milk:
2. Grind 2 cups of freshly grated coconut into a smooth consistency, with as little water as possible.
3. Use a strainer and squeeze the mixture to extract the milk.
4. This is the first milk and thickest extract.
5. Add more water and grind the coconut again and extract milk the second time. Keep this more dilute second extract separately.
6. Follow the same process and extract milk the third time. This will be really diluted with hardly any coconut milk left. Keep it separate.
7. Method for rasam powder:
8. Dry roast, pepper and cumin seeds.
9. Roast the rest of the ingredients in a drop of oil.
10. Make a fine powder with all the roasted ingredients.
11. Method for rasam:
12. Soak tamarind in water and leave it aside.
13. Pressure cook tur dal with a pinch of turmeric powder and water.
14. Extract the juice of tamarind.
15. Add the most dilute or the third extract of coconut milk to the tamarind juice.
16. Add salt and the rasam powder and boil until the raw smell disappears.
17. Add cooked dal, curry leaves and the second extract of coconut milk and boil vigorously.
18. Add chopped tomatoes (optional).
19. Finally, add the thickest or the first extract of coconut milk and decrease heat.
20. Add finely chopped coriander leaves and wait till the rasam foams.
21. Switch off flame before it starts boiling.
22. Season with mustard seeds spluttered in a spoon of ghee.
23. Serve with hot rice.
24. Recipe courtesy: Chitra Amma’s Kitchen
25. http://chitra-ammas-kitchen.blogspot.in/