Rasam
Encyclopedia
Rasam is a South Indian soup. Traditional preparation involves tamarind
juice as base in addition to tomato
, chili pepper
and other spices as seasonings. Steamed lentils are added by some along with any preferred vegetables. Nowadays all the seasonings required are combined and ground beforehand into a Rasam Powder which is then readily used. These powders or paste are also available commercially.
It is eaten with rice
or separately as soup. In a traditional meal, it is preceded by a sambar rice course and is followed by curd rice
. Rasam has a distinct taste in comparison to the sambar due to its own seasoning ingredients and is usually fluid in consistency.
language, 'Rasa' means Juice. It can refer to any juice but in Tamil
simply rasam commonly referred to the one prepared with Tamarind/Tomato juice with added spices. Saaru (ಸಾರು) in Kannada language or Chaaru (చారు), in Telugu language, means "essence," and, by extension, "juice" or "soup". Historically, it was prepared mainly with black pepper
and tamarind
, both ingredients native to and abundant in South India
in general. It is also referred to as SatruAmudhu by Iyengars.
Sourashtras
, an immigrant community living in Madurai
from the 16th century, still refer to it as Pulichaar (Puli or Pulipu means tart (tamarind). Rasam is the basis of the Anglo-Indian
Mulligatawny soup.This is only
corrupted version of a Tamil word 'Milagu-t-tannir' (மிளகுத் தண்ணீர்) meaning pepper water (In Tamil milagu means black pepper and tannir means water). It is said that Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose once commented that if he had command over the country, he would have declared Rasam
a national drink .
powder. The curry leaves are added towards the end. Optionally, chopped coriander
leaves and grated coconut are also added.
Kattu saaru, part of Udupi cuisine
, does not use saaru powder or tomato. Instead, thogari bele (lentil
), ginger, lime juice, hingu (asafoetida), curry leaves and coriander leaves are used. Kattu saaru is seasoned with mustard seeds and red chilli (Byadgi variety
). Teli saaru, also of Udupi cuisine, is made by sieving water from plain rice cooked in an open pot. This water, which has a thick consistency, is known as teli and is sautéed with mustard, salt, asfoetida and chilli preferably in ghee
(clarified butter). The Teli saaru is generally eaten with cooked plain or parboiled rice
.
Tamarind
Tamarind is a tree in the family Fabaceae. The genus Tamarindus is monotypic .-Origin:...
juice as base in addition to tomato
Tomato
The word "tomato" may refer to the plant or the edible, typically red, fruit which it bears. Originating in South America, the tomato was spread around the world following the Spanish colonization of the Americas, and its many varieties are now widely grown, often in greenhouses in cooler...
, chili pepper
Chili pepper
Chili pepper is the fruit of plants from the genus Capsicum, members of the nightshade family, Solanaceae. The term in British English and in Australia, New Zealand, India, Malaysia and other Asian countries is just chilli without pepper.Chili peppers originated in the Americas...
and other spices as seasonings. Steamed lentils are added by some along with any preferred vegetables. Nowadays all the seasonings required are combined and ground beforehand into a Rasam Powder which is then readily used. These powders or paste are also available commercially.
It is eaten with rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
or separately as soup. In a traditional meal, it is preceded by a sambar rice course and is followed by curd rice
Thayir sadam
Curd rice also called yogurt rice is a dish of India. The word "curd" as used in India usually refers to a liquidy, sour, unsweetened yoghurt. It is most popular in the Indian states of Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu...
. Rasam has a distinct taste in comparison to the sambar due to its own seasoning ingredients and is usually fluid in consistency.
History
In SanskritSanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
language, 'Rasa' means Juice. It can refer to any juice but in Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
simply rasam commonly referred to the one prepared with Tamarind/Tomato juice with added spices. Saaru (ಸಾರು) in Kannada language or Chaaru (చారు), in Telugu language, means "essence," and, by extension, "juice" or "soup". Historically, it was prepared mainly with black pepper
Black pepper
Black pepper is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit, known as a peppercorn when dried, is approximately in diameter, dark red when fully mature, and, like all drupes, contains a single seed...
and tamarind
Tamarind
Tamarind is a tree in the family Fabaceae. The genus Tamarindus is monotypic .-Origin:...
, both ingredients native to and abundant in South India
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
in general. It is also referred to as SatruAmudhu by Iyengars.
Sourashtras
Sourashtra language
Sourashtra or "Sourashtras" or ꢱꣃꢬꢵꢰ꣄ꢜ꣄ꢬꢵ refers to a community of people who had their original homes in Gujarat and presently settled almost in all major Towns of Tamil Nadu and are concentrated more in Madurai which is considered as their cultural Headquarters.They have also settled in...
, an immigrant community living in Madurai
Madurai
Madurai is the third largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It served as the capital city of the Pandyan Kingdom. It is the administrative headquarters of Madurai District and is famous for its temples built by Pandyan and...
from the 16th century, still refer to it as Pulichaar (Puli or Pulipu means tart (tamarind). Rasam is the basis of the Anglo-Indian
Anglo-Indian
Anglo-Indians are people who have mixed Indian and British ancestry, or people of British descent born or living in India, now mainly historical in the latter sense. British residents in India used the term "Eurasians" for people of mixed European and Indian descent...
Mulligatawny soup.This is only
corrupted version of a Tamil word 'Milagu-t-tannir' (மிளகுத் தண்ணீர்) meaning pepper water (In Tamil milagu means black pepper and tannir means water). It is said that Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose once commented that if he had command over the country, he would have declared Rasam
Rasam
Rasam is a South Indian soup. Traditional preparation involves tamarind juice as base in addition to tomato, chili pepper and other spices as seasonings. Steamed lentils are added by some along with any preferred vegetables. Nowadays all the seasonings required are combined and ground beforehand...
a national drink .
Types
There are different kinds of rasam, varying by ingredient:- Tomato rasam, Lemon Rasam, Meriyala/Milagu (Pepper) rasam, Neem flower rasam, Ginger rasam, Garlic Rasam, Pineapple Rasam, Parupu (Dal) rasam, Porichcha rasam (பொறிச்ச ரசம்)etc.,
Regional varieties
- Bassaaru - derives its name from "basida saaru" (Kannada), which is the act of draining water from boiled vegetables/greens/lentils.
- Milagu Saaru - known in the West the MulligatawnyMulligatawnyMulligatawny is a curry-flavoured soup of Anglo-Indian origin.Translated literally from Tamil, "Mulligatawny" or "Milagu Thanni" means "pepper water" . The dish the Anglo-Indians call "pepper water" is actually closer to Tamilian ரசம்-Rasam than "mulligatawny".There are many variations on the...
soup (milagu = pepper, tanneer = water). - Tomato Saaru - with tomato puree as main ingredient.
- Tamarind Saaru - with tamarind extract as main ingredient and without lentils.
- Hesaru Kaalu Saaru - Green gram soup.
- Pappu Saaru - common variant made with pulses and tomato stock.
- Baellae Saaru - most common variety with toor dal, coconut and tamarind juice.
- Majjiga Saaru - soup made with seasoned buttermilk.
- Ulava Saaru - Horse gramHorse gramHorse Gram is one of the lesser known beans. The whole seeds of horse gram are generally utilized as cattle feed. However, it is consumed as a whole seed, as sprouts, or as whole meal by a large population in rural areas of southern India. Medical uses of these legumes have been discussed...
soup. - Kattu saaru - kattu refers to the water drained from the cooked dal.
- Kandathippili rasam
- Kattina saaru - a semi-sweet rasam using jaggery.
- Jeerige saaru - made with jeera, cuminCuminCumin is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae, native from the east Mediterranean to India. Its seeds are used in the cuisines of many different cultures, in both whole and ground form.-Etymology:...
. - Lemon rasam - a sour soup made with lemon juice.
- HuraLi saaru - a healthy rasam made with horse-gram.
- Mysore Rasam - a fragrant soup made with fried grams/dals.
- Kundapura koli saaru - made with chicken.
- Kottambari jeerige Saaru - made with coriander and cumin seeds.
- Kadale Saaru - soaked black chickpeas, coconut and ginger.
- AlasundaeBlack-eyed peaThe black-eyed pea, also called black-eyed bean and chawalie or lobia in various languages in India and Pakistan, is a subspecies of the cowpea, grown around the world for its medium-sized, edible bean. The bean mutates easily, giving rise to a number of varieties. The common commercial one is...
Saaru - black eyed peas and potato, coconut and ginger. - Vankaaya Saaru - eggplant and tamarind juice.
Saaru in Karnataka
Saaru (ಸಾರು) in Karnataka is different from rasam in Tamil Nadu, and chaaru in Andhra Pradesh. It has more protein, a thicker consistency, and more varied ingredients. Typically, lentils are set to boil along with a teaspoon of oil. Lentils are cooked with a curry powder known in Karnataka as Saarina Pudi (saaru powder), along with salt, sugar, lemon juice, curry leaves, fried mustard seeds and a pinch of asafoetidaAsafoetida
Asafoetida , alternative spelling asafetida, is the dried latex exuded from the living underground rhizome or tap root of several species of Ferula, which is a perennial herb...
powder. The curry leaves are added towards the end. Optionally, chopped coriander
Coriander
Coriander is an annual herb in the family Apiaceae. Coriander is native to southern Europe and North Africa to southwestern Asia. It is a soft, hairless plant growing to tall. The leaves are variable in shape, broadly lobed at the base of the plant, and slender and feathery higher on the...
leaves and grated coconut are also added.
Kattu saaru, part of Udupi cuisine
Udupi cuisine
Udupi cuisine is a world-renowned cuisine of South India. It forms an important part of the Cuisine of Karnataka and takes its name from Udupi, a town on the southwest coast of India in the state of Karnataka. The Udupi cuisine has its origin in the Ashta mathas of Udupi founded by...
, does not use saaru powder or tomato. Instead, thogari bele (lentil
Lentil
The lentil is an edible pulse. It is a bushy annual plant of the legume family, grown for its lens-shaped seeds...
), ginger, lime juice, hingu (asafoetida), curry leaves and coriander leaves are used. Kattu saaru is seasoned with mustard seeds and red chilli (Byadgi variety
Byadgi chilli
Byadgi chilli is a famous variety of chilli mainly grown in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is named after the town of Byadgi which is located in the Haveri district of Karnataka. The business involving Byadgi chillis has the second largest turnover among all chilli varieties of India...
). Teli saaru, also of Udupi cuisine, is made by sieving water from plain rice cooked in an open pot. This water, which has a thick consistency, is known as teli and is sautéed with mustard, salt, asfoetida and chilli preferably in ghee
Ghee
Ghee is a class of clarified butter that originated in South Asia and is commonly used in South Asian cuisine....
(clarified butter). The Teli saaru is generally eaten with cooked plain or parboiled rice
Parboiled rice
Parboiled rice is rice that has been partially boiled in the husk. The three basic steps of parboiling are soaking, steaming and drying.. These steps also make rice easier to process by hand, boost its nutritional profile and change its texture. About 50% of the world’s paddy production is parboiled...
.