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Aavaarampoo Rasam

A floral rasam made with the flowers of Cassia auriculata or Tanner's cassia.
Print Recipe
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 2 handfuls of toor or moong dal
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • A small lime sized ball of tamarind soaked and 1 cup of water extracted
  • 3 tablespoons fresh coconut
  • 2 green chillies (or to taste)
  • 1½ teaspoons rasam powder
  • A little jaggery
  • Salt
  • 2 big handfuls aavaaram flowers either fresh or dried
To Season:
  • 2 teaspoons ghee or sesame oil
  • ½ teaspoon Mustard seeds
  • ½ teaspoon jeera or cumin
  • Pinch of hing
  • A broken dry red chilli
  • Curry leaves

Method
 

  1. Set the dal to cook in about 3 cups of water, covered, for about 20 minutes.
  2. Add turmeric powder once it’s nearly done and cook until the dal is completely soft.
  3. Add the extracted tamarind water and leave this to continue simmering until the raw tamarind smell dissipates
  4. Grind the coconut and green chilli, adding a little water to make a paste. Thin this with more water until it’s a pouring consistency, and add this to the rasam.
  5. Follow with rasam powder, jaggery, and salt.
  6. Simmer until the rasam is frothy. Do not bring to a boil.
To season:
  1. Heat 1 teaspoon ghee until nearly smoking. Add the mustard seeds, jeera, hing, and dry red chilli.
  2. Follow with curry leaves once these splutter.
  3. Pour the seasoning onto the simmering rasam.
  4. Return the same seasoning pan to the flame, and add the remaining 1 teaspoon of ghee. Once it is hot, add in the aavaaram – put in both handfuls if you are using just dried flowers, just 1 handful if you are using fresh. Fry these gently for less than a minute. Don’t let them burn.
  5. Once the petals are browning just lightly, pour this onto the rasam. Mix well, and follow with the remaining handful of fresh flowers (if using). Switch off the flame.
  6. Serve hot with a nice soft white rice like jeeraga samba or parboiled iluppaipoo samba.