Melagu Jeera Rasam/Melagutani Soup

Hope you must have heard or had Melagutani soup.Well it's one of the oldest south Indian recipe.
Its mostly had to cleanse the lungs. But, yes anytime you can have this rasam except when your stomach is suffering from heat.

Ingredients:
Melagu/Black pepper cons/Kali Mirch - 4-5
Jeera/ Jeeragam/Cumin seeds - 3tbs
Thoor dal/ Thuvaram paruppu - 2tbs
Curry leaves - 3arc
Tamarind/Puli/Imli - 50gms
Water - 4cups
Ghee/Clarified butter - 2tbs
Oil - 1tbs
Rasam powder - 1tbs
Asafatida - 1/2tbs
Turmeric powder - 1/2tbs
Green coriander leaves - chopped
Salt - 1 to 1 1/2tbs

Method/Vidhiee:
1. Soak the tamarind in 4 cups of water for 15mins.
2. After 15mins crush the tamarind using hand.
3. Squeeze them and strain tamarind water. keep aside.
4. In fry pan add oil and roast the dal. Once it starts turning light brown add the jeera, pepper cons.
5. Be careful as pepper splutter. Add asafatida 1/4tbs to it.
6. Cool them and grind them to a paste.
7. Add few tbs of water as required.
8. In a pan add the tamarind water.
10. Add turmeric powder and boil the tamarind water until the metal smell & taste fades away.
11. It takes approx ten mins to boil.
12. If you find the tamarind water getting thick or reduced you can add water about 1cup.
13. Rasam has to be watery hence, do not make it thick.
14. Now add salt to the tamarind water and the paste.
15. Mix well and add chopped green coriander leaves.
16. In a fry pan add ghee temper mustard seeds, dry red chillies, asafatida, curry leaves.
17. Add the tempering to the rasam.

Your hot hot melagu jeera rasam is ready to serve.
Its better to drink than to mix with boiled rice.Add more green coriander if you prefer.

Simple Besan Kadi

It's been many days that i wandered around recipes of Rajasthan and Gujarat.
One common of them is Besan ki Kadi. It's one of the basic kadi which i make at home.
Can be serve with boiled rice, Aallo choka, Aaloo tikki, Poori, even Sukha rotis.
Remember if you have sensitive stomach please avoid this recipe.
Or if you are allergic to gram flour avoid it.

Serves 4

Ingredients:
Besan/Gram Flour/Kadala Mav - 250 gms
Red chilly powder - 1tbs
Asafatida - 1/2tbs
Yogurt - 2 cups
Mustard seeds - 1tbs
Dry red chilly - 2
Curry leaves - 2 arc
Green coriander leaves - as per your taste
Green chilly slit - 1
Sugar - 1/2tbs
Salt to taste
Oil or ghee can be used - 1/2 tbs

Method/Vidhiee:
1. Sieve the besan to avoid lumps.
2. Heat pan and dry roast the besan so that the raw smell fades away.
3. Cool it.
4. Whip the curd with no place of lumps in it.
5. Add red chilly powder, salt, sugar, garam masala, green coriander a bit to the besan.
6. Mix well and add the curd and mix well.
7. Avoid lumps.
8. In a pan pour the liquid and boil it at medium flame.
9. Keep stirring occasionally as lumps may form.
10. Once the liquid starts to boil add a pinch of Asafatida powder to it.
11. In a small frying pan add oil. Once oil or ghee turns hot add mustard seeds, rest of Asafatida, green chilly slit in middle, curry leaves.
12. Temper them and add to the liquid.

Your tasty Kadi is ready to serve.

Pomo Carrot Raitha

Eventually one day i landed up having only pomegranates and carrots in my fridge with left over Vegetable Biriyani. Well making food has no boundaries and particular way. Its all about how you handle the ingredients and present a dish :) And thus happened this raitha. It might sound simple but, i don't think much of us might have thought about this combination.

Ingredients:
Pomegranate -1 big
Carrots -2 medium sized
Green chilly - 1
Green coriander - as per your requirement
Plain yogurt/Thair/Dahi - 500 gms
Salt to taste
Chat masala - 1/2tbs
Sugar - 1/4tbs

Method/Vidhiee:
1. Whip the yogurt to form smooth semi liquid without lumps.
2. Meanwhile, de-seed the pomos.
3. Grate the carrots and finely chop off the green chilly, coriander.
4. In the yogurt add sugar, salt, chat masala and mix well.
5. Now add the carrots mix well.
6. Rest them for 2mins and add green coriander, green chilly,pomo seeds.
Chill them and serve.
It can be taken as a evening snack though it doesn't come under the category of snacks.
Best colourful condiment with any rice variety.