- Submitted by Dahlia
(Saaru, Chaaru, Kabir)
What is Rasam?
Rasam is a south Indian staple that is made almost everyday in most homes. It is a thin soup made with lentils, tamarind, tomatoes and spiced up with pepper, cumin, garlic, turmeric etc. It is called saaru or chaaru in Telugu and Kannada. There are many elders who need to have some rasam to finish their meal with satisfaction. It is served in weddings and functions wherever traditional meal is served.
Rasam is also made when someone suffers from common cold or sore throat. It is an excellent home remedy. It is soothing to have a cup of hot rasam on rainy days or cold winter days. Rasam is also served with white rice after a heavy meal, especially non-vegetarian, inorder to aide digestion. I have seen rasam served as a soup in Indian restaurants especially in western countries.
Types of Rasam
There are many different types of rasam made by our ancestors based on the ingredients used. Here are some of them that you can try.
- Basic Rasam
- Neam Flower Rasam
- Paruppu Rasam/ Pappu Saaru - made with lentils,
- Chettinadu Kozhi (Chicken) Saaru/ Rasam- made with chicken broth/stock instead of water,
- Carrot Rasam - Boiled and crushed carrot is added to the rasam,
- Beetroot Rasam - Boiled and crushed beetroot is added to the rasam etc.
Serving Rasam
- Plain white rice with any kind of rasam and paapad is an excellent combination.
- Rasam varieties can also be served with some simple poriyal or vegetable fry or some non veg dry preparations and plain rice.
- You can also serve any rasam as a warm soup.
