Rasam how to recipe video
Podcast transcript and show notes
Rasam is a soup-like dish from South India. It is also known as Saru in Kannada, Charu in Telugu, and Saar in Marathi. The dish is most commonly found in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Maharashtra.
Rasam translates to essence, referring to the broth used in the dish.
It is usually a side dish with rice. Usually the eater will drink the remaining soup when the rice is finished. In my childhood, I remember many uncles slurping up the rasam from their plates before finishing their meals.
It is commonly made from tamarind stock but any tart base can be substituted. For instance, kokum – an Indian fruit, amchur – dried mango powder, tomato, or even buttermilk can be used in place of tamarind to prepare the stock.
Dal is optional. If dal is used, split mung or toor dal are the most common and they are used in small amounts. Much less dal will be used compared to the proportion of dal in other South Indian dishes such as sambar.
Common spices and ingredients include garlic, onion, shallot, lemon, coriander, cumin, black pepper, mustard seeds, chili powder, asafoetida, turmeric, and jaggery; although, different families will use different combinations of these ingredients.
Rasam is always served steaming hot and it is very refreshing because of the tart stock. In the west, we would say that it quenches thirst and hunger.
Rasam by region
Rasam is believed to have originated near Madurai in Tamil Nadu around the 16th century CE.
From there it spread west to modern day Kerala, and north to Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and other parts of the Indian subcontinent.
There are at least 200 varieties of rasam. Some of the most popular varieties are tomato rasam, lemon rasam, pepper rasam, garlic rasam, paruppu rasam which is made with toor dal, and jeera rasam which is spiced with cumin.
Rasam’s health benefits
Indian chef Cyrus Todiwala says that the ingredients of rasam are generally considered to be good for digestion. Cook Like An Aunty makes no specific claims to the health benefits of rasam, despite the common belief among aunties that rasam is beneficial for health. This belief among aunties makes sense given the number of healthy Ayurvedic ingredients in rasam.Turmeric, red chili powder, asafoetida, garlic, and onion have many health benefits in Ayurvedic medicine. A paper from the National Institutes of Health says these ingredients have anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antidiabetic, and cholesterol-lowering activities. As a result, many Indian researchers have studied the health benefits of rasam.
A study by UV Mani, et. al. claims that a daily diet including rasam may help control diabetes.
In the Chemistry of Spices, Chempakam Parthasarathy says that rasam is considered an effective home remedy for colds. This point is most familiar to American born desis. Whether true or not, rasam curing a cold is common folklore for South Indian aunties. My mother would always serve me rasam when I was sick as a kid. In the US, we often say that Chicken Soup helps alleviate colds. Rasam is a South Indian aunty’s chicken soup in this regard. As a result, many second generation South Indian-Americans consider rasam one of their comfort foods.
In addition, there have been studies about rasam’s benefits in many areas such as, treatment of anemia, increasing lactation for nursing mothers, and use as a laxative. These benefits are not as commonly accepted by aunties compared to the cold remedy beliefs.
Rasam in a thali
Getting back to the actual eating of rasam, it’s a usual dish in a traditional South Indian thali.
A thali is a type of Indian meal, common across all parts of India, where several dishes are served together in smaller portions. After one round of dishes are eaten, another round of different dishes may be served. To compare it to western cuisine, it is sort of like a multi-course tapas meal.
Thalis are usually fancier meals saved for ceremonies and special occasions; although, there are many restaurants that will serve thalis everyday.
In a traditional South Indian thali, rasam is a lighter addition to the meal..
It is preceded by a course of sambar and followed by a course of curd rice.
It is generally served in the middle or toward the end of the meal.
This placement makes sense given the popular belief in its health benefits. Rasam is used to aid digestion and cleanse the palette from the heavier dishes that preceded it such as vada, appalam, poriyal, and paruppu which is made from toor dal.
How to make rasam
No podcast about rasam would be complete without a general recipe.
Recipes are best taught through video or text so I have a full video recipe on my YouTube channel CookLikeAnAunty (see video above on this page) where you will learn how Indian aunties make rasam in the United States.
I also have digital and printable recipes available on my website cooklikeanaunty.com. Fill out the form below to get the recipe delivered to your email inbox.
But I will try my best to describe how rasam is made over audio. Consider this like an aunty explaining a recipe to you over the phone, how I had to learn when I started cooking. As my mom would say, “I will give you easy way.”
To make a general tomato rasam, start by blending 1 large tomato and 2 cloves of garlic with one and a quarter cups of water. You want it to reach a water-like consistency.
Then heat a saucepan over medium heat for the tharka which is an infusion of vegetable oil with the flavors of mustard seeds, asafoetida, and curry leaves.
Lower the heat followed by adding the tomato/garlic blend to the saucepan.
Spice the stock with turmeric, salt, ground cumin, and ground black pepper.
You’ll want to let it simmer for 10 minutes to cook out the raw tomato and garlic flavors.
Finally, you can add a few drops of lemon juice if you like a sour rasam.
Serve your rasam piping hot with a little bit of rice.
As said before, there are many varieties of rasam so you can add a bit of toor dal, tamarind, jaggery, coriander, or chili powder depending on what flavors you like.
If you want to see a more detailed recipe, checkout the recipe on the CookLikeAnAunty YouTube channel or from the cooklikeanaunty.com website.
Podcast credits
Background Music: Raghu Vamsa by Shobana Music
Title Music: Flow of The Ganges by Simon Folwar From #Uppbeat (free for Creators!) with License code M1ADLQ9V0KCQ3ECP
Podcast source material
Rasam – National Institute of Health