Mushroom Rasam

Being a South Indian, Tomato Rasam becomes part of our meals most of the time. Rather than preparing regular watery rasam, adding mushroom gives it a different flavor and kids love it (provided they like mushroom). If my kids don't find mushroom in Rasam, they don't consider it as Rasam at all :-).

Give it a try if your kids like mushroom....

Ingredients:   

• 7 medium sized tomatoes 
• 10-15 Button mushrooms
• 10 small Garlic cloves
• Curry leaves
• 2-3 dry chillies
• 1 tsp cumin seeds(jeera) 
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp urad daal
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp chilli powder(or as per your taste)
• 1 tsp dhaniya powder
• 2 tbsp oil
• Lemon sized tamarind

• Salt
• 3 tbsp Rasam powder
• 1 tsp Jaggery powder
• Coriander leaves
• Hing(Asafoetida)

Preparation:   

Wash the vegetables and leaves.

 

Shallow cut tomatoes on four sides and add them to boiling water.

In the meantime, cut mushroom, soak tamarind and crush garlic cloves.

Boil the tomatoes until the skin begins to peel. Let them cool down or put them in cold water. Peel the skin off with your hands, make tomato puree in a blender and keep it aside.

Heat oil in a container or deep pan. Add hing and then mustard, jeera and urad daal. Add curry leaves, crushed garlic and dry chillies. Fry them until garlic turns light brown. Add turmeric powder, chilli powder, salt, dhaniya powder, rasam powder and stir for few seconds. Add mushroom and stir for another one minute.

Add tomato puree, tamarind juice and more water if required. Add jaggery powder and let it come to boil. Make sure not to boil too much to preserve mushroom's crispness.

Garnish with Coriander leaves and serve it hot with rice. If you have bad cold, drink it as soup.

If this is kid's version of Rasam, then God's version of Rasam for festivals doesn't need garlic or mushroom. If you are boiling chana daal for preparing sweet dish like puran poli/obbattu, save the chana-boiled water and add it to rasam. This gives totally a different flavor......enjoy!!