Rasam Powder

Rasam Powder (Rasa Podi)

Rasam means "elixer" and truly it is a great dish to have daily. However rasams in the south vary depending on the region and the tastes of the people. This is my favourite Jyoti mami's recipe and it has stood me in good stead over the years. The ingredients can either be sun dried or roasted on a low flame.  Families differ in their spice levels. So I suggest that depending on the palate of your family you can vary the chillies. Again Kashmiri or Bydagi chillies are moderate in their "karam" level, which is why I use them. 

Ingredients:

Ordinary red chillies

Bydagi red chillies

• 1 cup -dried red chillies ( Kashmiri or Bydagi)
• 1 cup -Coriander seeds (dhaniya)
• 1/2 cup - Tuvar dal 
• 2 tbsps. Channa dal 
• 2 1/2 tbsps. pepper
• 2 tbsps cumin seeds (jeera)
• 1 small bit of asafoetida (hing)
• 1 tsps turmeric
• Curry leaves - few bunches 

Rasam powder ingredients

Method of preparation

• Clean all the ingredients one by one.
• Wash the curry leaves and wipe dry. 

• Roast the tuvar dal and channa dal in a kadai till they turn golden brown.
• Transfer to a plate or paper to cool.

• Next roast the red chillies and dhaniya with the flame in low. When the chillies become crispy transfer the ingredients to a plate to cool.

• Roast the cumin seeds, pepper and hing and keep aside.
• Roast lightly the curry leaves and keep aside.

Roasted ingredients in mixie

• Once all the above roasted ingredients have cooled, grind them in a blender alongwith turmeric. The pwder should be a little rough as shown in figure.
• Store in an airtight jar and use as required.