Rasam is a South Indian dish served commonly with white rice. The term “rasam” literally means soup or juice in Tamil, while in Sanskrit it means “the essential products of digestion”. An authentic rasam would have a sour base prepared using tamarind. I may include lentils and vegetables. Often wise home cooks use the excess water from cooked dal. Cooked dal is used for dal or sambar. Flavorful, nutritious The spices of rasam blend in smoothly to create a flavorsome and aromatic spicy soup. This light savory papaya rasam fits appropriately as a low carb meal with brown rice or quinoa.
Tomato rasam
Rasam is staple food in South India. It is watery and soup consistency, but eaten with rice. Rasam tastes sour, tangy and flavorful. It is made of tamarind juice base. It can be made of tamarind juice cooked in a variety of vegetables or plain cooked tamarind with tampering, adding cooked lentils and spices. You can make wide varieties of rasams by changing sour agent. Ranging from tamarind to tomato, raw mango. Rasam is called Chaaru in Telugu, Saaru in Karnataka. Many variations of Rasam is made in different regions.
Rasam is traditionally eaten with simply rice, or rice mixed with lentils and cooked rice, or as a gravy with dry fry dishes. Lately, its been consumed a soup as well. Made with all natural ingredients, including sour, tangy tampered in spices. Traditionally it is made from lentil stock (the water in which dal is been boiled in) and tamarind juice. The well-known Mulligatawny soup in the Western world is actually a rasam.
Sweet potato in curry leaf and raw mango gravy
A variety of vegetables cooked in tamarind gravy sauce is staple food in South India. It is known as pulusu. Usually accompanied by rice. Fish cooked in tamarind gravy is a feast for the family. It is made on special occasions. Try eating with black rice. Excellent way to add black-rice to your diet.
Though not as popular as brown rice or wild rice, black rice, known as forbidden rice, purple rice and black rice. It is called forbidden rice because only the emperor and members of the royal family were permitted to eat it. It is an ancient grain that has impressive health benefits than most other closely related rice varieties. In ancient China, black rice so superior and rare, it was reserved exclusively for the kings and royalty. Today this type of rice is picking up in popularity and popping up in more health food stores across the US, Australia, and Europe, as people discover the numerous health benefits that whole grain black rice has to offer.
Butternut squash sambar
Butternut squash is one of the most popular winter-squash vegetables. Squash combined with lentils makes it a nutrient rich dish packed with protein, fiber, vitamins etc. Sambar is south Indian lentil soup. Staple food that is usually eaten with rice, idly or vada. It can be consumed as soup as well. Being a winter-squash member, butternuts can be readily available in the USA markets from September until the middle of December. However, since many fruits arrive into USA from South American continent, they can be easily found all around the season.
Being a member of pumpkin family, butternut squash has a pleasant nutty flavor and mildly sweet taste. Fresh raw butternut cubes may add special tang to vegetable salads. It is found favorite in both savory as well as a sweet dishes. It can be used in variety of delicious recipes as baked, stuffed, or stew-fried; however, eaten best by steam cooking to get most nutrients.
In Mexico, butternut squash bisque (soup) with added fruits, herbs or seafood is a favorite appetizer. Roasted and tossed butternut squash seeds can be used as snacks.
