LEMON RASAM

South India is famous for its rasam, equivalent to western countries soup. Each rasam has its own flavour and different preperation method. Here is the lemon rasam with distinct taste and flavour, experience the lemon falvour alone, in lemon rasam without including tomatoes and tamarind. Its so simple and fast doing rasam.

Ingredients:

1. Moong dhal (paasi paruppu) - 1 tbs
2. Lemon juice - juice from 1 whole lemon or as required
3. Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
4. Asfotedia powder - a pinch

To grind:

1. Green chillies - 1 or as required
2. Black pepper corns - 6-7 (less/ more as required)
3. Jeera - 1 tsp


Seasoning:

1. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
2. Jeera - 1 tsp
3. Curry leaves - 1 twig
4. Coriander leaves - a few for seasoning
5. Garlic - 1 cloves, crushes (optional)

Method:

1. Clean and wash moong dhal and cook with 1/2 cup of water in a pressure cooker.

2. Once the pressure is gone, transfer the cooked dhal and its water to a cooking vessel.

3. In the mean while, grind fresh green chillies, pepper corns and jeera to a fine paste with 1 tsp of water .

4. Add grinded paste, turmeric powder, salt, asfotedia powder to the dhal mixture and allow to cook for 4 - 5 minutes. Add coriander leaves and curry leaves on top of the rasam.

5. Switch off the stove and add the squeezed lemon juice to the hot rasam.  If you add lemon juice while cooking, it will give bitter taste.

6. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, jeera and garlic ( if you are using) for seasoning and pour the seasoning to the rasam.  You hot sizzling lemon rasam is ready to serve. Serve hot with white rice.

Note: Generally we use to add more garlic to the rasam for extra flavour, but while doing any special type of rasam, try to avoid more garlics as its flavour will dominate.