Be my Guest Priya: South Indian Rasam

This month's guest on UIK Rasoi is my friend and a wonderful Blogger - Priya Ranjit who blogs @ Cook Like Priya. Most of the Indian bloggers and even non-bloggers who regularly check out ecipes over net must be familiar with this lovely girl with a radiant and addictive smile. I have always been a huge fan of her authentic and well presented recipes, but I got incredibly impressed when I met this Tamilian babe in our event Bloggers Buzz this Feb. Her collection of South Indian recipes is just amazing, and the simple style of narration makes it even interesting to read and understand. 

Born and brought up in Chennai and currently living in Bangalore, Priya holds a true definition of versatility. An HR by profession, she clearly knows how to win hearts by her lovely smile and delicious food of course. This very talented girl has other things on hand too, like painting, embroidery, crafting and singing... Woahhh !! Priya you truly are amazing, girl ! 

She started to blog on 25'th June 2012 and the soul purpose was to share recipes wit friends, family and to keep a record of her cooking adventures. Trying new recipes and exploring new cuisines has motivated her to blog often. Lucky she is, having a enthusiastic husband who keeps encouraging me to try new recipes which helping her to deliver new recipes on a weekly basis. Her love for Thai, Chinese, Spanish, Italian and nevertheless Indian cuisine is evidently marked through her collection of bakes and desserts

The post from her blog she loves is this Rose petal cake which was the first ever celebration cake that she did for her husband's birthday and next is the Rosette cake which she had done for their anniversary. Ohh !! How I wish I lived closer to your home Priya.. these cakes are tempting as hell...

Some of my fav recipes from her blog are : 

This vegan Fig Bread, wonderfully photographed and presented, its on top of my bookmarked list

Caramel bread pudding, coz .. of course its an amazing dessert and Priya's pics are making me hungry even after a 2 course Lunch 

This Savory Semolina Cake, due to its simplicity and nutrition factor which is strong enough to hold my greedy appetite :P

These Rose n Coconut Laddoos, because they are quick and amazing in taste.. I have tried them myself :)

This Vegetable Biryani, simply because of the Extra-Ordinary and super-inviting  

A very versatile cook and amazing photographer, loads and loads love n hugs to Priya ... Thank you for being my Guest this month :) 

Over to Priya now : 

Hi All, I am so happy to meet you all through Nupur's UK Rasoi, she is one lovely friend, passionate blogger and someone who is never without a smile. I also had a great opportunity to meet her in person. Its really a joy to cook for a friend, and I hope you all love the recipe I have shared here for Nupur.

Nupur thank you so much for giving me chance to cook for you and your lovely blog UK Rasoi. Nupur I have so many favourites from your kitchen and I also love your simple realistic clicks which really capture the food so well. I was all excited when you asked me to do a guest post for you. Since I hail from South I wanted to cook a pure South Indian recipe Rasam. There cannot be a Tamil home which does not make Rasam, its a staple curry along with Sambar. Infact the order to enjoy a Tamil meal is Sambar, Rasam and curd. There are tons of variations in making rasam like - Lemon Rasam, Paruppu Rasam (Dal), Tomato Rasam, Orange Rasam, Garlic Rasam and so on. Today I am sharing a very basic version of rasam.

Rasam otherwise called as Saaru is a Tamarind curry very light but full of fresh flavors. Usually served along with steamed white rice / as a soup. Adding more pepper cons / crushed pepper helps to sooth sore throat and running nose. Rasam differs so much in its taste compared to Sambar, its thin, with a mild tangy flavour, spicy and with a dose of coriander and curry leaves. Ideally rasam rice can be prepared as a single meal and served with mashed rice.

SOUTH INDIAN RASAM RECIPE

Serves - 3 generously

Recipe - Own

Cook & Prep time - 20 mins

Serving suggestion - white rice & appalam

Ingredients

Ripe Tomatoes - 2

Tamarind Pulp - 1 lime size ball diluted in 1 cup warm water

Corriander powder - 1 tsp

Chili powder - 1 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Coriander leaves chopped

To Temper

Ghee/ Oil - 3 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Peppercons - 1 tsp

Dry red chilli - 2

Curry Leaves - 1 spring with stem

To Pound

Jeera - 1 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Dry red chilli - 2

Garlic - 4 pearls

Curry leaves - few

Method

• Boil the tomatoes in 2 cups of water for about 5 to 8 minutes, the skin will split at this stage. Remove from stove and after it is cooled, remove the skin and mash to form a puree.
• To this add all the spice powders, pound masala, salt, curry leaves and coriander stems. Mix well, you can also add water if needed. Check for spice and salt. You can also add store bought rasam powder instead of the other spice powders.
• Now add the tamarind water discarding the pulps and bring to a single boil. As the rasam foams and comes up, remove from stove and sprinkle some water on the rasam.
• Do the tampering in the order given and pour it into the rasam. Mix well, garnish with coriander leaves and cover with lid.

Serve warm along with white rice/ as a soup

Cooks Wisdom

- Tampering with ghee gives a special flavour to the rasam. For vegan version skip using ghee.

- Adding the coriander stems & curry leaf stem enhances the flavour to the rasam.

- Tempering at the end brings out great flavour

- Never over boil the rasam after adding the tamarind water, this will give a bitter taste to the rasam

 To see more Guest Posts, visit here... and to be a Guest Blogger for my Blog, please email me at: - nupurs.kitchen@gmail.com