Husband's Tomato Rasam and My Carrot Pachadi

As has always been my policy in life...Ladies first! So I will talk about my Pachadi first although my beloved has the best place in my heart :) His rasam will be talked about later on...



I have finely diced a carrot, an onion, a green chilly and tossed them into a tbsp of coconut oil(preferable for the aroma) with spluttering mustard and fenugreek seeds. As they turn brown slightly, I throw in a broken, dry red chilly and a tsp of pounded mustard(I just pounded it in my small mortar and pestle), let all this cook in two tbsps of water, add in salt to taste and a tsp of spicy chilly powder(optional) Chefs do add in some coconut milk/coconut mix. I have totally avoided that.
(Coconut oil+grated coconut=mild heart attack in my eyes, just kidding)



So once that is cooked,add in fresh, thick curd, use a whisk while drizzling it into the carrot mix. Add a dash of hing/asfoetida.Once the curd becomes slightly warm, turn off the flame otherwise the whole dish will split and your efforts would be in vain. It should not boil. Garnish it with a few curry leaves, taste for all seasoning and decorate it with  carrot shavings made as a rose in the centre. Let it remain thick, don't try to dilute it with water.

You can make several pachadis in a similar manner-with cucumer,beetroot etc.



My beloved's rasam which is an all time favourite in our house and one dish where I have to hide my head in shame as my sons prefer his to mine. But do I care? No! as long as there is another dish on the table to fill everybody's tummies. It is almost like a soup.
So here goes...he takes his standard three,medium size tomatoes, pokes into each of them with a fork making several fork marks on each and then places it in a small bowl of water in the microwave on high for a minute or two. These pokes/incisions are made so that the tomatoes will not burst open in the microwave and also this helps to peel the tomato skin off if required(we do keep the skin on)

In a heavy bottom vessel, he adds in a tbsp of coconut oil, throws in a tsp of mustard seeds and lots of finely chopped garlic and a bit of shredded ginger along with some finely diced onions. As they turn slightly brown, he adds in a nice heapful any aromatic Rasam mix(easily availale in any Indian store) So do keep in mind that some mixes unlike the powders may have salt in them, so cut down on your salt while preparing the dish. He lets the Rasam Mix merge well with the onions and garlic etc till the raw smell of the Mix leaves the pan, then add in the microwaved tomatoes-skin et al and muddle it well with your palms or a potato masher and add in the required amount of water, let it cook for two to three minutes, then add in adequate tamarind pulp/concentrate/juice. Do keep tasting from this point onwards whether you have all the spice, the salt and that tangy feel owing to the tomatoes and tamarind juice. Do not dilute it too much. Once everything seems cooked and boiled, throw in a nice dash or two of asafoetida powder/hing. This adds more meaning,aroma and flavour in any rasam.Garnish with fresh curry leaves and a nice tbsp of finely chopped cilantro. That's it.

Eat your rasam like a soup with Papads/bread sticks or pour it over plain rice or just toss in a few Uzhunnu vadas as I have shown and enjoy them. This disappears in no time at home...thankfully none of us lick the vessel...but given a choice I think we are capable of doing that as well :)