Vetrilai Rasam #2 | Betel Leaves Rasam Recipe with step by step pictures.
The blog has been silent for quite sometime now and I felt it can only be revived if I get back to the Blogging Marathon. Hopefully, I will be able to post atleast 3 recipes each week and keep up with the other works related to it.
For Week 1 I have chosen the theme – Cook with greens. And the first thing that came to my mind was to prepare something with the produce from our garden.
We have a betel leaf vine / vetrilai kodi that gives us so many leaves. Appa usually has a couple of these after a meal but otherwise we use it mostly during poojas/ fucntions or when someone visits us. Take a look at how huge the leaves are!
Betel leaves have a whole lot of health benefits and is also used as medicine in Ayurvedic Science.
If you have a lot of betel leaves left over from poojas / functions try out these simple recipes using betel leaves. This post also has the health benefits listed out. So be sure to check it out.
Anyway, I decided to use a couple of these home grown betel leaves to make rasam. I have a vetrilai rasam recipe on the blog and wanted to try another version. I looked around and found one on Chitra Food Book. I made a few changes to it and made another version of Vetrilai Rasam.
The rasam was definately flavorful and so soothing to the throat when we had it as a soup. You can also serve this as a side with piping hot steamed rice with a drizzle of ghee.
Lets see how to prepare Vetrilai Rasam #2 | Betel Leaves Rasam Recipe
In a mixie jar, take the betel leaves, ginger, garlic,coriander leaves,cumin and pepper corns. Grind to a smooth paste adding a little water.
Transfer it into a vessel and simmer. Add turmeric powder and salt to taste. Grind tomatoes and add to the mixture.
Let it continue to simmer. Add cooked toor dal and simmer to a boil. Once it comes to a roaring boil, add a bit of coriander leaves and remove from heat.
Serve hot as a soup or a part of the lunch menu.
Note:
- Do not add too many betel leaves. I used 2 large ones.Add betel leaves according to how spicy you want.Also some varieties are very spicy than the rest.So check and use.
- Adjust the quantity of peppercorns to suit your taste.
- It pulsed the tomato just a little so that there are some bits of tomato in the rasam. You can also make a fine puree.
- Add very little coriander leaves so that they do not mask the aroma of the betel leaves.
A hebal rasam made with betel leaves
- 2 no.s Betel Leaves
- 5 cloves Garlic
- 1" piece Ginger
- 1 tsp Coriander leaves
- 1 tsp Pepper corns
- 1 tsp Cumin seeds
- A small bit Tamarind [or 1 tsp tamatind pulp can be added with tomato puree]
- A Pinch Turmeric powder
- Salt to taste
- 2 no.s Tomato
- 1/4 cup Cooked toor dal mixed with 1/2 cup water
- Coriander leaves to garnish
-
In a mixie jar, take the betel leaves, ginger, garlic,coriander leaves,cumin,tamarind and pepper corns. Grind to a smooth paste adding a little water.
-
Transfer it into a vessel and simmer. Add turmeric powder and salt to taste.
-
Grind tomatoes and add to the mixture.
-
Let it continue to simmer. Add cooked toor dal and simmer to a boil.
-
Once it comes to a roaring boil, add a bit of coriander leaves and remove from heat.
-
Serve hot as a soup or a part of the lunch menu.
- Do not add too many betel leaves. I used 2 large ones.Add betel leaves according to how spicy you want.Also some varieties are very spicy than the rest.So check and use.
- Adjust the quantity of peppercorns to suit your taste.
- It pulsed the tomato just a little so that there are some bits of tomato in the rasam. You can also make a fine puree.
- Add very little coriander leaves so that they do not mask the aroma of the betel leaves.
This post is a part of the Blogging Marathon #126
All recipes @ Seduce Your Tastebuds has been tried and tested in our kitchen and they don’t go up on the blog unless it is voted by the family. Share this post with your friends / family.Follow our blog on Facebook,Instagram,Pinterest , Youtube channel for updates and new recipe posts. Please rate the recipe and if you have tried it out, use the hashtag #seduceyourtastebuds and post it with a pic on instagram
Delicious! Love rasam and I make it in a different way but would love to try this version though. Absolutely comforting rasam.
Betel leaf recipes intrigue me as I have never seen personally these leaves being used in cooking. Rasam is always a humble and comforting dish and this version sounds interesting.