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Pavazhamalli or Parijaat flower Rasam

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Ingredients Method Video Notes

Ingredients
  

  • A lime-sized ball of tamarind, deseeded
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1 handful toor dal
  • 3-4 dry red chillies
  • 1 piece katti perungayam or whole dry hing/asafoetida
  • 1 and ½ teaspoons rasam podi
  • 1 tablespoon jaggery
  • 2 tablespoons ghee
  • 3-4 tablespoons dried pavazhamalli flowers

Method
 

To make the rasam:
  1. Set the tamarind, turmeric powder, and salt to boil in about ¾ to 1 liter water
  2. While that’s going, roast the dal, chillies, and hing in 1 tablespoon sesame oil until the dal turns fragrant and golden-brown
  3. Tip this into the simmering tamarind water
  4. Add the rasam powder and jaggery
  5. Simmer this mixture until the dals have cooked, the raw tamarind smell has dissipated, and the rasam is deepening in color.
  6. In 2 tablespoons ghee, fry the dried pavazhamalli or parijaat flowers gently until they are several shades darker—a minute or two will do. Take care not to let them burn.
  7. Pour this into the simmering rasam
  8. Serve hot with a nice soft table rice like thooyamalli or khichli samba

Notes

If you have extra dried flowers, save these and have them with plain hot rice and a little salt!
The rasavandi or heavier dal-chilli-flowers that settle at the bottom are great as accompaniments to curd-rice.