🔐 Lockdown Rasam 🥣 An Ital Recipe 👨‍🍳 Tasty Tuesday #128

justinparke (67)in GEMS • 4 years ago (edited)

Rasam is one of my family's favorite soups, and this recipe is the one we eat most often.

A little runnier than sambar, some rasam recipes contain no lentils at all, and will stretch a dollar much more than dal. I think this is great submission for Qurator's Tasty Tuesday competition. The link is below.

Qurator's Tasty Tuesday #128

Lockdown Rasam?

Feeling a bit stir-crazy from all the lockdown regulations imposed by Suriname, we decided to make a rasam from what we could find in the garden. We have been bored, so I got a little silly with this post to keep you entertained.

Never violently boil rasam, but do treat it with respect by always using a low simmer to avoid foam, a less delicious taste and burned lentils on the bottom of your pan.

A Lovely Lockdown Rasam Recipe

Ingredients

Rasam

⋆ toor dal - ½ cup
⋆ tamarind pulp - ping pong ball
⋆ tomatoes - 2 small
⋆ pumpkin flowers - 10 to 12
⋆ turmeric powder - ½ tsp
⋆ sambar powder - 1 tbsp
⋆ hing - ¼ tsp
⋆ fresh curry leaves - small sprig

Chaunk / Tempering

⋆ oil - 2 tsp
⋆ mustard seeds - 1 tsp
⋆ cumin seeds - 1 tsp
⋆ dried chilies - 2 whole
⋆ fresh curry leaves - small sprig

👨‍🍳 Cooking Method 🔪

Before You Feel Hungry

Rasam is not difficult to make, but often never gets created because you need to lay a foundation one meal before you are hungry.

With proper foresight though, rasam can be enjoyed by both the working-class and the Illuminati that rule the world.

STEP 1 Wash and sterilize your tiny orange lockdown friends until the water runs clear. Soak dal in 1½ cups water at least 6 hours while you hide from the freemasons.

Rasam Base

Just as the Illuminati that rule the world meet at their base in Bohemian Grove in California to remain powerful, a wicked powerful rasam needs a base in which to dominate your taste buds.

STEP 1 Soak the tamarind pulp in 2 cups water. Strain pulp and seeds.
STEP 2 Chop or dice the tomatoes while hiding from facial recognition cameras. Now put the tomatoes, turmeric powder, tamarind water, sambar powder, hing, curry leaves and salt in sufficiently sized pot.
STEP 3 With a medium-low flame, slowly bring your rasam base to a simmer, then lower the flame to simmer for 15-20 minutes. Grab a corona-free stranger to watch your rasam while you go out and support a local protest. Reserve your rasam base somewhere safe from the government's prying eyes.

The Protein

Rasam has far less protein that sambar and dal, and some rasams have contain no dal at all, but I prefer to use a bit of dal for protein so that the soup is more filling.

STEP 1 Hide the family and pressure cook the dal and 1½ cups soaking water for 2-3 whistles.
STEP 2 Let dal cool with the lid off until it reaches room temperature. Note: Leave the lid on the pressure cooker until all steam has escaped, especially if you are the proud owner of a face.
STEP 3 Mash the dal a bit with the back of a spoon, or grind it via machine. The finer you grind the dal, the thicker your rasam will be.
STEP 4 Transfer the lentil paste to your rasam base while avoiding shapeshifting lizard people.
STEP 5 Bring the rasam back to a low simmer while stirring often, then kill the flames and reserve your rasam for the tempering process. If you don't stir often your reward will be a burned and bitter lentil sponge on the bottom of your pot.

Control Your Temper

No matter how angry you get at the Illuminati, it's best to control your temper with a mix of spices, as it will make your rasam pop even more.

STEP 1 Heat the oil for tempering, then add the tempering spices. When the mustard seeds and curry leaves stop spluttering, turn off the heat.
STEP 2 Pour the tempering onto the rasam and enjoy with rice, idlis or dosa. Eat rasam with family at least 2 meters away from other rasam-eating families.