The name Pondicherry,immediately flashes Aurobindo Ashram and Auroville in my mind. I feel blessed to have visited the ashram twice and auroville once. The experience of visiting Mantri Mandir is still fresh in my mind, even as i write i can feel how spiritual it was when we entered the crystall ball meditation room. So much positive energy was radiating in that room, it just comes and hits you like a wave, when you come outside, you will automatically feel so relaxed and calm.
Manakulam Vinayagar temple is also very famous in Pondicherry. Mankulam (Manal + Kulam) Meaning the Vinayagar temple near the Pond. After visiting the temple, we usually spend some time in the beach nearby, clicking photos near the Mahatma Gandhi statue on the beach promenade!! Sadly all the photographs are @ my mom’s, so couldn’t upload any for this post. 🙁 umm life was wonderful when you don’t have responsibilities!!! Now after getting married, i don’t remember being to any place far with my kids in tow!!! Even if the hubby is ready to take me, i sometimes fear what if the kids come up with something new there, typical mother syndrome, i believe!!! But this time around, we have planned some places to visit during our vacation in India. Hopefully it all goes, as planned!! 😉
Coming to today’s recipe, i chose a simple and soothing rasam recipe from the The Pondicherry Kitchen. The name thengaipaal rasam was very tempting, coz we normally make rasam with dal/tamarind sometimes with fruits like plum and pineapple, but with milk, was interesting!! It was super delicious, both the kids loved the taste.
Ingredients
1 Cup Coconut Milk (i used store-bought)
A lemon-sized ball of tamarind
2 nos tomatoes
1/4 Cup toor dhal
1 heaped tsp rasam powder
2 cloves of garlic
fistful of fresh coriander leaves
Salt-to taste
Tempering
2 tsp oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
2 red chilies, broken into two
1/4 tsp hing
1/4 tsp crushed pepper
1/4 tsp turmeric
a sprig of curry leaf
Method
- Pressure cook toor dhal with 1 cup of water. Mash it well and add coconut milk to this
- Soak tamarind in 1/2 cup warm water and extract the juice, to this add crushed tomatoes. Add this to the coconut-milk & dal mixture. To this add crushed garlic and rasam powder. Stir well.
- Heat oil given under tempering in pan, splutter mustard seeds, crackle cumin, add broken red chilies, hing, turmeric and curry leaves.
- Next add the coconut-milk mixture. Reduce the flame to lowest possible. Do not allow this mixture to boil. Let this be on the heat, until it starts to froth well.
- In the mean time, take a serving bowl, add salt and fresh coriander leaves and keep ready. When the rasam comes to boiling stage, pour it into the bowl and cover with a lid and serve after 15 minutes. Serve hot as an accompaniment with rice.
Ah I love this rasam.. bookmarking it… I wanted to make thengai paal rasam for quite some time now…. your pics are so tempting…
You should plan a trip when i'll be there Priya, there are so many varieties of thengapaal rasam in Pondicherry,my mom this rasam without toor dal, such a comforting food na.
Definitely priya, we enjoyed it a lot!!! Is it so, do share your mom's version of this rasam pa!!!
deliciously done
Rasam with coconut milk is different. That bowl looks creamy and appetizing.
This is a really interesting rasam… yum…
That's surely very new for me..never made rasam with coconut milk….and yes talk about visiting places with kids in tow..I would feel we need rest after a vacation..
Dal looks creamy & delicious.
This is a delicious rasam which I learnt from mom and I think she learnt it in Pondicherry. Love it…
Wow! looks so good and inviting.
Coconut milk seems to synonymous with Pondi cuisine. Most of the recipes I came across had it. Coconut rasam looks rich and creamy. Yum
Such a comforting and flavorful rasam,my aunt makes this one very frequently..love it steamed rice..
like the use of coconut milk in this rasam – would be more filling than regular rasam more like a soup
that's a nice variation of rasam.. would love to try it sometime
Yum. My girls love rasam so lets see…will give you the feedback.