Rasam (dish)

Rasam (pronunciation ), or charu pani (in Odia), chaaru, saaru, saathamudhu, or kabir is a South Indian soup (eaten with other dishes or by itself).[1] It is a spicy-sweet-sour stock traditionally prepared using kokum, tamarind, or dried green mango juice as a base along with jaggery, garlic, black pepper, chili pepper, cumin, tomato, and other spices as seasonings. Steamed lentils can be added along with any preferred vegetables.[2] Nowadays, all the seasonings required are combined and ground beforehand into rasam powder, which is available commercially. Chilled prepared versions are also marketed commercially as well as rasam paste in bottles.[3]

Rasam, Chaaru
Alternative namesSaaru, Saathamudhu, Chaaru, chaatambde
Place of originIndia
Region or stateSouth India, Tamilnadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka
Serving temperatureHot or cold
Main ingredientskokum, kadam, jaggery, tamarind, tomato, lentil
Rasam with various garnishes

It is eaten with rice or consumed as a spicy soup. In a traditional South Indian meal, it can be part of a course that includes sambar rice and curd rice. Rasam has a distinct taste in comparison to the sambar due to its own seasoning ingredients and is fluid in consistency.

It is also called king soup in South African Indian cuisine.[4]

Origin

Rasam means "juice". It can refer to any juice, but in South Indian households rasam commonly refers to soup prepared with sweet-sour stock made from either kokum or tamarind, along with tomato and lentil, added spices and garnish. Rasam or chaaru in Tamil, saaru in Kannada, or chaaru in Telugu means "essence" and, by extension, "juice" or "soup".

Ingredients

Rasam is prepared mainly with kokum, Malabar tamarind (kudam puli), tamarind, ambula, or amchur (dried green mango) stock depending on the region. Along with tomato stock, dal or lentil (for rasam, the typical dal used is split yellow pigeon peas or Toor dal) are optional but are used in several rasam recipes. Jaggery, cumin, black pepper, turmeric, mustard seeds, lemon, chilli powder, curry leaves, and coriander may be used as flavoring ingredients and garnish in South India.

Types
Rasam

Different kinds of rasam are listed below with its main ingredients.

  • Koli rasam – chicken
  • Kadalai rasam – black chickpeas
  • Venkaaya rasam – onion
  • Kattu saaru – Togari bele and Byadgi chillies[5]
  • Huruli Saaru - made from Horsegram (Kudu in Tulu)[6]
  • Tili saaru – sieving water from plain rice
  • Thakkaali rasam – tomato puree
  • Poondu rasam – garlic
  • Inji rasam – ginger
  • Panasa tona charu - jackfruit (ripe)
  • Mudakathaan rasam – balloon vine
  • Maangaa rasam – raw or semi-ripe mango
  • Elumichai rasam – lemon juice
  • Nellikkai rasam – Indian gooseberry
  • Murungai poo rasam – drumstick flower
  • Vepam poo rasam – neem flower
  • Kandathippili rasam – greens
  • Bassaaru/kattu saaru – boiled vegetables/greens/lentils
  • Milagu rasam (mulligatawny) – black pepper
  • Jeeraga rasam – cumin
  • Beetroot rasam
  • Black pepper Saaru- Black pepper (Karimenasu in Kannada) [7]
  • Puli rasam – kokum or tamarind extract
  • Hesaru kaalu saaru – green gram
  • Parupu rasam / pappu saaru – pulses and tomato stock
  • Baellae saaru – pigeon pea lentil
  • Kattina saaru – jaggery
  • Mysore rasam – fried lentils[8]

See also

References
  1. "Rasam - Recipes, Food & Drink - The Independent". Archived from the original on 2 November 2009. Retrieved 4 April 2014.
  2. "Metro Plus Chennai / Food : Raise a toast to Rasam". Hindu.com. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
  3. "NRN-funded startup to retail rasam, sattu in packs". The Times Of India. Retrieved 25 December 2014.
  4. https://www.foodandthefabulous.com/food/my-mothers-rasam-south-indian-king-soup/
  5. "Tovve,Kattu Saaru,Dal recipe". Udupi-recipes. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  6. "Horsegram Rasam,Huruli Saaru,Kudu Saaru recipe". Udupi-recipes. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  7. "Nursing Mother Foods-black-pepper rasam recipe". Udupi-recipes. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  8. "Mysore Rasam Recipe, Mysore Soup, Mysore Charu, Yogari Bele Saaru, Mysore Sathamudhu, Mysore Dal Tamarind Curry, Mysore Saru, Mysore Chaaru, Mysore Lentil Soup". Rasam.co.in. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
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