August 15, 2006

BEETROOT RASAM (Bangalore Style)

I dedicate this recipe to my BFF, soul-sister,College mate and Law school buddy Ms.Bana (we both dropped out of Law for diff. reasons!) who lives in Bangalore.Many years ago when I was just married, went through 18 months of the WORST time of my life.This friend of mine stood by me like a rock,never judging or criticizing,kept my head above the water, helped me get through that period.I respect her strength and tenacity!

Life has been wonderful for me after that time so far, while she suffered the loss of several family members and ill-health herself.I am there for her,forever indebted and loyal.

This delicious Rasam powder was given to me by her mother who passed away recently. My very strict vegetarian grandparents never used Beets in their kitchen because of it's red color, which reminds them of blood, so they never try to buy or cook with Beets! ;D
However, my immediate family loves Beets, we love to make all the kinds of dishes with Beetroot. So here it is, my fave Rasam with Beets...

Beetroot Rasam:


YOU NEED:
1/4 Cup Tuar Dal
3 Beetroot with it's leaves, chopped
Tamarind Juice
Cilantro
Salt
Hing

RASAM POWDER:

TO ROAST AND POWDER:
4 tbsp Coriander Seeds
3-4 Dry Red Chillies
2 tbsp Dry Coconut
1 tbsp Cumin Seeds
1/2 tbsp Pepper Corns
1/2 tbsp Mustard Seeds
1/4 tbsp Fenugreek Seeds
Curry Leaves

SEASON WITH:
1 Tbsp Oil and Ghee
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
1 Onion
1 garlic
Curry Leaves
1 Dry Red Chilli

METHOD:

1. Cook dal and chopped beets.Add cilantro, tamarind juice,salt. Simmer for few minutes.
2. Add 2-3 tsp Rasam powder or as much as you need. Simmer again.
3. Season with the above ingredients, pour onto the rasam.
4. Serve with rice and side dishes.


Enjoy the delicious Beet Rasam!:)

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi, just stumbled across your blog, it is awesome, wonderful pictures. I am from Banashankari 2nd stage. Thanks for such authentic kannada brahmin recipes :)

Deepa

FH said...

You are welcome, Deepa!

We lived at Rajajinagar, where my friend Ms.Banashankari lives ,for a while and then moved to Jayanagar 9th Block before we left India.

Good to meet you!! Come back.

Unknown said...

Was just wanting to cooking different for my family and I came across your beet rasam. Sounds yummy, am going to give it a try tomorow, and thanks
Sujaya

FH said...

You are welcome Sujaya and thanks for leaving a comment. Beet rasam is my favorite although you can add any veggies to this, rasam pd is very tasty. Enjoy!:))

Unknown said...

Dear Asha,

Tried the beet rasam. It was awesome. My kids jsut went gaga over it. Thanks a lot. Looking forward to more interesting recipes. It tastes just divine.

Sujaya

FH said...

Thanks for the feedback Vijaya, I appreciate it. Glad kids liked it too, beets are healthy as well. You can use the same masala with any other veggies too. Enjoy. Hally holidays!:))

Shreya said...

Hi Asha, lovely post, especially that you learnt this from your friend's mother:-) Red colour is not vegetarian? hmm .. I am glad your immediate family likes beets! I really love this recipe, it is so much more traditional. The useof toor dal, dry coconut, tamarind juice, red chillies, and the preparation. I am sure this is much more tastier and healthier than my version. Thanks. Asha:-)

Anuradha said...

Hi Asha, I read your posts regularly and really enjoy them. The first time I had beetroot rasam was at one of the Jungle Lodges Resort in Coorg and I went totally gaga about it. I even got the recipe from them but never tried it out until last week. I had fresh beetroot at home and was bored of the regular ways of consuming it and I googled beetroot rasam. Of course I landed on your blog and the minute I read it, I started drooling. Made it immediately exactly the way you posted and boy did we love it. It was simply delicious and the taste and smell just lingered on. Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe and the many more I constantly read and enjoy.

FH said...

Hahaha!! Shreya, Red color reminds them of blood, so my grandparents don't like it.Yeah, they are very conservative. We love Beets in any shape or form though! :)

Anuradha, glad you liked it. I love the masala for Rasam here in this recipe, you could use the same for any veggie. Enjoy, thanks for the feedback!:)S

kitchen queen said...

wow the beetroot rasam is something new to me but it looks yummy and delicious.you can visit my blog view my recipes and give ur comments

FH said...

Thanks K, enjoy! :)