Rasam (dish) facts for kids
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| Alternative names | Saaru, saathamudhu, chaaru, chaatambde |
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| Place of origin | India, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil nadu |
| Region or state | Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Telangana, Odisha |
| Serving temperature | Hot |
| Main ingredients | kokum, kadam, jaggery, tamarind, tomato, lentil |
Rasam is a spicy South Indian soup. While it is sometimes served on its own as a soup, it is usually served as a side for rice, puttu, idiyappam, or dosa. In a traditional South Indian meal, it is part of a course that includes sambar rice and curd rice. Rasam has a distinct taste in comparison to sambar due to its own seasoning ingredients and is fluid in consistency. Chilled prepared versions are marketed commercially as well as rasam paste in bottles.
A variety of rasam is the Tamil soup dish mulligatawny.
Contents
Origin
Rasam in Malayalam and Tamil, Tili sāru in Kannada (Kannada script: ತಿಳಿ ಸಾರು), or chāru in Telugu means "essence" and, by extension, "juice" or "soup". In South Indian households rasam commonly refers to a soup prepared with sweet-sour stock made from either kokum or tamarind, along with tomato and lentil, added spices and garnish.
The name rasam is derived from Sanskrit रस; transliterated: rása, meaning sap, juice, or essence. The Sanskrit word also yielded the English word rasa, in the aesthetic sense.
Ingredients
Rasam is prepared mainly with kokum, malabar tamarind (kudam puli), tamarind, ambula, or amchur (dried green mango) stock depending on the region. Along with tomato stock, dal or lentil (for rasam, the typical dal used is split yellow pigeon peas or Toor dal) are optional but are used in several rasam recipes. Jaggery, cumin, black pepper, turmeric, mustard seeds, lemon, chilli powder, curry leaves, garlic, shallots and coriander may be used as flavoring ingredients and garnish in South India.
Types
Different kinds of rasam are listed below with its main ingredients.
- Koẕi rasam – chicken
- Kaḍalai rasam – black chickpeas
- Venkāya rasam – Eggplant
- Kattu sāru – Togari bele and Byadgi chillies
- Huruli sāru - made from Horsegram (Kudu in Tulu)
- Tili sāru – sieving water from plain rice
- Thakkāḷi rasam – tomato puree
- Pūndu rasam – garlic
- Inji rasam – ginger
- Panasa tona charu - jackfruit (ripe)
- Mudakathān rasam – balloon vine
- Māngā rasam – raw or semi-ripe mango
- Elumichai rasam – lemon juice
- Nellikkāi rasam – Indian gooseberry
- Murungai pū rasam – drumstick flower
- Vēpam pū rasam – neem flower
- Kandathippili rasam – greens
- Bassāru/kattu sāru – boiled vegetables/greens/lentils
- Miḷagu rasam (mulligatawny) – black pepper
- Jīraga rasam – cumin
- Beetroot rasam
- Black pepper sāru – Black pepper (Karimenasu in Kannada)
- Puḷi rasam – kokum or tamarind extract
- Hesaru kālu sāru – green gram
- Paruppu rasam / pappu sāru – pulses and tomato stock
- Baellae sāru – pigeon pea lentil
- Kattina sāru – jaggery
- Mysore rasam – fried lentils
See also
In Spanish: Rasam para niños
