Dill Rasam Recipe II

This soupy dill rasam is rich in flavors and very comforting! A piping bowl of this can be had as such or with cooked grains. This rasam has the touch of flavors of Karnataka Cuisine, inspired by the sobasige saaru. For vegan options, use coconut oil instead of ghee for tempering.

Rasam can be made in numerous ways. Every home has a different style of making and the rasam powder or the spice mix can vary in the proportion of ingredients used. Even with many variations, rasam is so wonderful that a steaming bowl of grains and rasam is the most comforting and satisfying one.  Always, adjust the tangyness, spice, and salt as per preference.

This rasam has a touch of flavor from Karnataka Cuisine. This rasam is similar to sobbasige saru. I have not cooked dal and dill leaves together like they traditionally do. I wanted to have the leaves also in the rasam. We love to add coconut in our rasam often for a flavor change and with poppy seeds gave an amazing creaminess. Very tasty! Again, I have not roasted cumin and pepper like in many recipes for sobasige saru. I always have this Pepper-Cumin Powder/ Milagu Jeeraga Podi, that I always use in everyday rasam to enhance the flavor. Mostly, I do not add onions to rasam though now and then add garlic. When I saw couple of recipes with onion in the ground mixture, wanted to try right away. We loved it and this rasam is often made in our home. I love to have savory oats for morning and different sambhar or rasam like this, is always great for that.

Also, I have added dill seeds in the coconut-spice-poppy seed mixture and that enhances the flavor of this rasam.  The tempering also has dill seeds instead of cumin in regular rasams, thereby adding to the flavor. Though I love cilantro, garnishing with tender dill leaves is how I love to serve this rasam.  More quantity of dill leaves can be used in the rasam according to preference.

This rasam is slightly different for the Dill Rasam I have shared earlier. The flavor profile is different in both these rasams and both are very delicious ones. The addition of coconut, dal water, poppy seeds, dill seeds, and onions make this rasam have a different flavor than the other simple and quick Dill Rasam. I can guarantee that both will become frequenters in your home too!

Dill can be used in many recipes than in rasam or palya. I love to use in flatbreads like this Akki Roti With Dill Leaves and Mochai. Dill is traditionally added to many Greek recipes, and this Beet Hummus, Sudanese Tamiya, Falafel, and Roasted Beet Falafel have the wonderful flavor from this amazing herb. This Hummus Kozhukattai has amazing aroma of this herb. A simple Dill Rice or this Spanakorizo are more comforting meal options with dill! Dill with cream cheese makes this amazing creamy dip that we love to have with bread, pita, or veggies! So many ways to enjoy this simple and amazing herb.

Rasam is a wonderful part of our cuisine and we love that so much. Rasams can be prepared in many ways and flavors and the recipes could vary from home to home. So, I am sharing some delicious rasam recipes that our family enjoyed over the years for the Blogging Marathon as a part of A-Z series of Rasam. Here is a quick link to the rasam recipes shared earlier.

A - Apple rasam

B - Basil and Balsamic Vinegar Rasam

C - Cauliflower Rasam

Ingredients

Serves 4 to 6 persons

Tamarind - 1 tbsp

Water - 4 cups

Tomatoes - 3/4 cup, chopped

Dill leaves - 1/3 cup, chopped

Salt - 1 tsp

Turmeric - 1/2 tsp

Toor dal - 2 tbsp

To Grind

Coconut - 1 tbsp

Poppy seeds - 1 tsp

Dill seeds - 1 tsp

Onion - 2 tbsp

Pepper Cumin Powder - 1 tsp

Rasam powder - 1.5 tsp

Tempering

Ghee - 1 tsp

Dried red chili - 1, torn

Mustard - 1/2 tsp

Dill seeds - 1/2 tsp

Curry leaf - 1 sprig

Asafetida - 1/8 tsp

Dill leaves - 1 tbsp, for garnish

Method

Soak the tamarind in half cup water. Extract using another cup of water and set aside.

Pressure cook two tablespoons of toor dal in half cup water. Mash and add another cup of water. Set aside for the dal to settle down. The clear liquid needs to be used.

Add the chopped tomatoes, dill leaves to a bowl, add the tamarind juice and simmer for 5-6 minutes, until the tomatoes are cooked and soft in texture.

In the meantime, grind the coconut, poppy seeds, onion, dill seeds, pepper-cumin powder, rasam powder with 2-3 tablespoons of water.

Add the ground mixture to the simmering tomatoes and dill followed by salt and turmeric. Add a cup of water. 

Mix and simmer for 2-3 minutes.

Add the clear water from the cooked-dal mixture. Mix the rasam and when it begins to boil, switch off the flame.

Heat ghee in a pan. Add the red chilies and mustard seeds. When it splutters add the chopped garlic, dill seeds and fry for 40-50 seconds. Add the curry leaves and asafetida. Fry for a few seconds.

Add the tempering to the rasam. Garnish with extra dill leaves.

Serve with rice, or like a soup too!