I am stoked to share that today's blog post of Rasam Powder Recipe was requested by few readers of the blog. Last month, I had posted the recipe of Pineapple Rasam and thereafter I received few requests about sharing my home made rasam podi recipe.
Honestly, there is nothing more exciting for a blogger than receiving recipe requests from readers.
Though Rasam Powder is ground once in every 3 months at home, I have never documented the process. Last month, when I had to replenish the stock, I found the perfect reason to shoot and post the recipe on the blog.
Rasam Powder or Rasam Podi is a must have spice mix if you are fond of Rasam Rice at home. For the uninitiated, Rasam is a South Indian equivalent of Soup which are made with variety of vegetables, herbs, even fruits.
Rasam Powder Recipe is just in time as winters are officially here and so is the soup season. With a fresh home made batch of the spice mix, you can easily make Rasam at home anytime.
The process of making Rasam podi is quite simple, has most ingredients easily available in your kitchen pantry and all it takes is just 30 minutes from start to finish.
Ingredients for Rasam Powder or Rasam Podi
- Coriander Seeds or Dhania - Key ingredient that lends the flavour and depth to Rasam.
- Toor Dal or Arhar Dal (Split Pigeon Peas)
- Chana Dal - Many do not add this ingredient or reduce the quantity. I love Chana Dal flavour in most of my podi recipes.
- Whole Red Chillies - For regular readers of the blog, you would know that I adore chillies. I have gone ahead and used 3 types of them for this particular recipe. Kashmiri Red Chillies for the colour, Guntur and Pondi Chillies for the spice.
- Black Pepper and Cumin Seeds - The combination of these two ingredients is what makes Rasam a most sought after recipe. This combination is the perfect home remedy for common cold, congestion etc.
- Turmeric Powder - Turmeric powder, is what I add, personally to our home made rasam powder. It provides the depth in colour, is extremely good for health.
- Fenugreek Seeds or Methi Dana - In a small quantity, it balances the masala flavor and taste very well. Ensure you do not over / under roast it nor increase the quantity, which leads to bitter podi flavor.
- Hing or Asafoetida - Around 1/2 tsp is added for the proportions I have mentioned below. The Aroma of a good rasam largely depends on Asafoetida.
- You can, however, skip this ingredient if you are gluten sensitive.
Please note that we do not use any amount of oil to grind this podi. It is purely dry roasting of ingredients on a low flame which requires a bit of time and patience. The end result, however, is truly worth it.
If you feel that this recipe can only help you with making Rasam at home, then you are in for a sheer surprise. I will be sharing some of my ideas to use this powder at home in several recipes. Try it and you will be pleasantly surprised!
How can Rasam Podi be used for Other Recipes?
- Ditch that Garam Masala and use Rasam podi when you cook vegetables like Kovakkai (Tendli), Kathrikkai (Brinjal), Bhindi (Lady Finger or Okra), Vazhakkai (Raw Banana) and Cauliflower.
- Making Potato Roast for Sunday Lunch - Add a heaped tbsp or two of Rasam podi with boiled potatoes, coat them well with a spoon and stir fry / air fry or bake.
- Onion Uttapam - Sprinkle some Rasam podi on Onion Uttapam and see the difference in taste. Apply butter or ghee and the taste would be top notch.
- Add it to a simple dal khichdi and then temper or tadka with some ghee and cashews, curry leaves. Throw in some vegetables for complete nutrition.
Now that we have our ingredients in place along with a list of recipe ideas, let us begin the process of making the aromatic rasam podi.
How to Make Rasam Powder - Step by Step
Important Tips -
- When dry roasting, always use a wide pan so that the roasting is even and spices don't burn.
- Keep a bowl aside to collect all the roasted ingredients.
Heat a pan, add coriander seeds or sabut dhania. Roast it until you get a nutty aroma. Remove the roasted dhania onto a bowl for cooling.
In the same pan, add chana dal and roast it. Empty the contents in the bowl.
Repeat the process of roasting the toor dal.
Now add methi seeds, black pepper and cumin seeds together. Roast them quickly as cumin tends to brown fast.
Lastly, dry roast the red chillies for a few seconds.
Collect all the roasted ingredients in a bowl and allow it to cool completely.
Before grinding, add the turmeric powder and the asafoetida or hing.
Grind the spices in batches so that the grinder doesn't heat too much. It should be ground to a fine powder texture.
Allow it to cool completely before transferring to a clean and dry glass jar with lid.
How simple can making your own home made masala be? Not to forget, they do not have any preservatives, additives or thickeners unlike the store bought masala.
Rasam Powder Recipe / Rasam Podi
Equipment
- A Wide Pan for roasting ingredients
- Mixer Grinder
Ingredients
- 1 cup Coriander Seeds or Dhania 1 cup is 250 ml measurement
- 1/2 cup Chana Dal or Split Bengal Gram or Kadala Paruppu 1/2 cup is 125 ml measurement
- 1/3 cup Toor Dal, Arhar Dal or Split Pigeon Peas 1/3 cup is 80 ml measurement
- 2 1/2 tbsp Jeera or Cumin Seeds
- 1 1/2 tbsp Whole Pepper Corns, Kali Miri or Milagu
- 2 tsp Turmeric Powder or Hing
- 1/2 tsp Methi Dana or Fenugreek Seeds (Mendhiyam)
- 16 nos. Whole red Chillies See Notes below
- 1/2 tsp Hing or Asafoetida
Instructions
- Heat a pan, add coriander seeds or sabut dhania. Roast it until you get a nutty aroma. Remove the roasted dhania onto a bowl for cooling.
- In the same pan, add chana dal and roast it. Empty the contents in the bowl.
- Repeat the process of roasting the toor dal.
- Now add methi seeds, black pepper and cumin seeds together. Roast them quickly as cumin tends to brown fast.
- Lastly, dry roast the red chillies for a few seconds.
- Collect all the roasted ingredients in a bowl and allow it to cool completely.
- Before grinding, add the turmeric powder and the asafoetida or hing.
- Grind the spices in batches so that the grinder doesn't heat too much. It should be ground to a fine powder texture.
- Allow it to cool completely before transferring to a clean and dry glass jar with lid
Notes
- The quantity of red chillies used are - 4 nos. Kashmiri Whole Red Chillies for the colour, 6 nos Guntur Red Chillies and 6 nos. Pondi Chillies for the spice. You can use any variety of red chillies available in your pantry. Byadgi would be a good replacement for Kashmiri Red chillies, especially for colour.
- When Dry roasting the ingredients, always use a wide pan for even roasting and avoid burning of the spices.
- Keep a bowl aside to collect all the roasted ingredients.
- Always cool your spices before grinding and grind them in small batches, mix and store.
- This recipe yields around 250 gms of Podi which is good enough for a family of 2 for a month or so.
- The shelf life is around 3 months and more if you stock it in a refrigerator or freezer.
- Store your spice mixes in a clean dry glass jar with a tight lid. Always use a clean dry spoon and avoid contact with wet hands or spoons to retain long term freshness and shelf life.
If you are looking for more such Home Made Indian Masala Recipes, which can be easily made at home for everyday consumption, do check out these recipes on the blog -
- Maharashtrian Goda Masala - Flavours everything from sabzi, to dal, Usal, Misal and even Rice dishes like Masale Bhat.
- Chaat Masala Powder - A must to sprinkle on chaats, bhelpuri, pakoras, salads, sandwich etc, this versatilespice mix is a must have for any Indian Kitchen.
- Roasted Jeera Powder - It flavors the gravy dishes, chaats, sandwiches etc and can also be added to Buttermilk during summers.
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Vidya Narayan