Market is flooded with oranges and the weather is so chilly. Perfect time to indulge in hot soups and rasam. Tried my hand at orange Rasam. Oh my gosh, it was divine. The hint of pepper and ginger takes it to next level. You can use either tamarind or lemon juice for the rasam. If using tamarind, taste your orange juice first. If it is sour reduce the quantity of tamarind. Soak marble sized ball of tamarind in hot water. Squeeze out the pulp and use it as required. In the end ,if it's not tangy enough,, you can add lemon juice. Zest both the oranges but use only half the zest in the rasam. Rest you can keep in the fridge to use later. Rasam is generally made with tur Dal but the day I decided to make rasam, I was making moong Dal, so I used the same . Trust me you can't make out the difference. So use either tur Dal or moong Dal. Mash it nicely and measure half cup.
Ingredients Dal 1/2 cup cooked Water 600 ml Oranges 2 Rasam powder 2 tsp Salt to taste Lemon juice 2 tsp or to taste Ginger paste 1 tsp Pepper pd 1/4 tsp Orange zest 1 tbsp Tempering Ghee 1 tbsp Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp Curry leaves 1 sprig Red while chili 2 Method
Zest the oranges.
Take 500 ml water in a deep sauce pan.
Add rasam powder, and ginger paste. If using tamarind , then add it now.
Let it boil till raw smell of tamarind and spices goes off.
Add mashed Dal.
Bring it to a boil.
Add orange zest, salt, pepper powder.
Let it simmer for a couple of minutes.
Keep it aside
Just before serving, bring the rasam to a boil.
Add orange juice.
Let it simmer for a couple of minutes.
If the rasam is thick add 100 ml or more boiling water to it.
We are not adding normal temperature water because we don't want to boil the rasam too much after orange juice has been added.
For tempering heat ghee in a pan.
Add mustard seeds, once they crackle add Curry leaves and whole red chili.
Pour this tempering over hot rasam.
Serve immediately.