APPLE RASAM

I had bookmarked this rasam recipe a longtime back from Viki's blog. This turned out great. This rasam was kind of soup and both sweet and sour taste. I tweaked Viki’s recipe a little bit and grated the apples and added it to the rasam. I also used very little tamarind since I had used a tart granny smith apple and this added enough sourness to the rasam. The tamarind can be entirely omitted too if needed. This is my version of Viki's apple rasam.

INGREDIENTS:

1. Green apple or any tart apples,1.
2. Tamarind, very little, a small gooseberry sized ball. (optional).
3. Rasam powder (homemade or store bought). 1 teaspoon.
4. Asafetida, 1 pinch.
5. Mustard seeds, ½ teaspoon.
6. Cumin seeds, ½ teaspoon.
7. Red chilies, 2, (optional).
8. Garlic, 3 cloves.
9. Thalipu vadagam, ½ teaspoon, (optional).
10. Salt as per taste.
11. Curry leaves and chopped cilantro for garnishing.

PREPARATION:

Soak the tamarind in warm water for 15 minutes and extract thick juice from it. Grate the apples, dice the tomatoes finely, and crush the garlic coarsely. Heat a pot with a teaspoon of oil. When the oil is hot enough, add the mustard seeds and let it splutter. Then add the cumin seeds, red chilies, and vadagam and fry for a few seconds. Now reduce the flame to low and add the diced tomatoes and crushed garlic and sauté for a few minutes until everything is well blended. Add the grated apples and let it cook for 5-10 minutes until the apples are cooked. Add 3 cups of water, salt, asafetida, and tamarind juice and let it come to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, add the rasam powder, curry leaves, and chopped cilantro. Mix everything just once and switch off the stove. Serve with rice and any spicy side dish.