Rasam Powder - A South Indian Spice Blend

Rasam is one of the most versatile spice blends that I have in the kitchen. What ‘garam-masala’ is to the North of India, rasam powder is to the South. It has a long shelf life, you can keep it for six months without loosing any aroma or flavor, in-fact it gets better with age, but after a year it does lose some of its potency,  I like to make mine every six months, unlike other blends. I just made mine today yesterday,  can you smell the aroma ?

The spices that go into the rasam powder have a lot of medicinal properties, it is great for cold, cough, stomach alignments, also aids digestion. I have always been told by my mother, mother-in-law and grandma that this is not only a very delicious and versatile spice blend but healthy too.

It can be used for dry vegetable curry, sambhar, rasam, on roasted corn, on roasted nuts.  It is hard for me to recollect everything I use rasam powder for, but I will keep adding as and when I use it in my kitchen. I have eased it in pumpkin soup and it tastes divine (coming soon)

 What is Rasam ?

Rasam is a lentil curry that is served  with hot white rice and ghee. Not any lentil but pigeon pea split (Toor) lentil.  It is the ultimate comfort food of a South Indian household. It seems like an extremely simple recipe, but the balance of sweet, sour and spice has to be perfect, a little variance shows a big difference in taste. It took me a while to perfect ( still working on it) the taste.

Types of Rasam

Original plain rasam
Tomato rasam
Lemon rasam
Pepper n cumin rasam
Pineapple rasam

Today’s post is more about the spice blend which is the main ingredient in rasam. It gives the flavors and the amazing taste.

Rasam can be served as a clear soup too.

What is Sambhar ?

Is a thicker version of rasam ( if I may say so) a slightly different spice blend and it has vegetables in it. Again, it is had with rice and ghee or idlis and dosas.  Grind the rasam blend with some additional spices and coconut and you can have a sambhar paste.

There are many South Indian curries, but I don’t want to confuse you. These are the two main versions. Also every region in Southern India has their own version Of the rasam blend.  Some regions use garlic and temper  it with coconut oil, some ghee, some use tomato for sourness, some use tamarind or a mix of both.

I  get very excited when I am talking about spices and blends. I really hope I have done a decent job in explaining. This is the traditional recipe from my mother-in-law, that has been passed down generations.  I remember doing a post on rasam way back, when I started blogging. I don’t think I did justice to it at all. I had to re-do the post.

Indian Flat Bread - Kulcha

The smell of fresh flour roasting in ghee on a cast-iron hot griddle is a childhood memory. I remember my mother sitting by the tele, kneading the dough and dad asking her what was the sabji/curry to go with the bread. These memories stir a strange kind of emotion in me. A part of me thankful to be born in a household where fresh food was the norm. On the other side my heart becomes nostalgic from memories of my childhood. Those were some of the most beautiful days of my life, went by too quickly.  My mother always made fresh flat bread every day and it was quite the norm when we were growing up. It still is in many Indian homes , I am glad as there is nothing better than fresh kulcha, parathas, naans or rotis from the griddle. I wish I had a count of how many I have eaten in my life time: am sure then run into hundreds. In Indian culture we never count when we eat, and now that I think of it, we do not have obesity as a burning issue in India.  Counting calories and watching what you eat, does it really help or is it more about fresh, pure, seasonal and home made? Something to think about. Am no expert, but somewhere I do believe it is not the amount or the calories, cook with love, sit together with family and enjoy what you eat, it truly fills you up in every aspect. After all life is just once and if you live it well once is enough.

 Oh! how I digress, from memories to calories to enjoying food at the table…

 Sophia, Ilva and me got together and thought about doing a post on ‘breads’ , something close to our heart.  I am the last to post, thanks to time zone. Here is Sophia’s daily bread and Ilva’s childhood story about bread.  I just loved the stories these girls have narrated and loved the photography even more.


It might get confusing with all the talk about Indian flat bread, so here is a little description of each kind.

Roti : A flat bread made of wheat flour and no stuffing. It is the everyday Indian bread. It could be made in a tandoor ( clay oven) or the gas stove.

Pulka : A softer and thinner version of the roti, it is rolled much thinner and is almost always made on stove top. Indian everyday flat bread.

Paratha : It is a stuffed roti. Stuffed with potatoes, paneer, nuts, beets, greens, peas, a lot of varieties. It is roasted in ghee.

Naan : is made from refined wheat flour : all purpose and is originally made in the tandoor,  you can also make it on the gas stove.

Kulcha : Is a stuffed nan, again it is made in a tandoor but can be also made on the gas stove like above.

Rumali rotti : Is a huge extremely think roti and is v v v soft and folds like a handkerchief, rumal in hindi means a handkerchief.

Puri : is made from whole wheat flour and is smaller than roti and a good puri is always fluffy. Could be flavored or plain

Kachori : is a stuffed puri

Bhature: is made from all purpose flour and is deep fried, it is almost always served with choley.

Tofu in rich N’ creamy curry

With each year I see myself stretching to do things I never dreamt of, it’s a feeling of liberation.  I must have been such a boxed thinker. We are all born free, but somehow somewhere we all form opinions, biases and try and fit all our thinking into specific boxes. We judge a book by the cover, even before we  have read a few pages, we make rigid opinions and conclusions. We forget to be a child, curious and happy. By no means free thinking means lack of disciple, see even here am trying to define, trying hard to put it in a box. Old habits die hard, it’s hard to let go. Art is curative, whether it is cooking, baking, painting, writing or photography. It cures and makes us into better people, at least some of us.

I wonder if writers feel the same way, I happen to have a writer friend and she told me about her writing class. That’s really out of the box for me . I kept telling her in different words than this, “I cannot write” she told me something that will stay on my mind and is a valuable life lesson, “just write don’t judge ,  If you start judging when you write, the inner critic will win and you will not be able to progress. “ I call it  a life lesson, as we constantly judge our own selves and in the end we end up being something we are not. I am so glad I enrolled, it’s definitely going to open up some rusty windows in my brain and let in some fresh air and sunshine. I am curious to see, how my thinking will change and how this will effect the way I think and photograph. Super excited! Thanks Monica!.  She’s amazing, I just have to tell you her food essay is included in :  Best food writing 2014. Now you get the idea of who she is.  I really hope to stop thinking about the outcome and enjoy the process, give myself up to be molded and cured as life should. 

Simple All-purpose Spice Blend/Masala : Multi-Purpose Use

Blending spices is like blending colors in a painting. There are no rules but you need to be aware of the nature of each spice, the flavor, the aroma, the paring with the final dish. Too many spices and you have a muddy mix of confused flavors in your hands. 

Last week we had a few friends over and we started talking about spices, I have some fifteen spice blends. All home made, some of the recipes have been past down and some others are my own creation. This is one of the simplest blends I use,  it is extremely versatile and very aromatic. I developed this recipe a couple of years ago, evolved over time. I use is mostly for my curries and dry veggies that are coated with spices.  A friend of mine swears by it as a great marinade rub for chicken. I am a vegetarian so I just have to take her word for it. It is not too strong and can be used liberally, now by liberally I don’t mean 6 tbsp on a lb of veggies ;) My friends wanted this recipe, this one is for them.

Before I forget, when I posted the image of the spice on FB, I was asked by some of you, “how too do moody shots “  I will try and do a post on moody shots with my 365 days of photography post. Thanks!

If you do use this recipe  on your blog or in any other form, please make sure you link it back to my blog, I have developed this recipe and would definitely like the credit for it. 

365 Days of photography - August, 2014

Finally got to do the the 365 day post for the month of August. August was one busy month for me. I had a few photography assignments that were due plus we had a hectic social calendar, one thing or the other every weekend. Not that am complaining, I really enjoyed it, but am limited by time. One thing I cannot compromise on is my sleep, I need my seven hours, else am one grumpy soul. :)

I can’t believe that summer is officially over, at least in this part of the world. Am going to miss my summer routine so much, long walks, watering my garden, going out to coffee with friends, farmers markets, ohh the list is endless. This year we had an extremely short summer, before I blinked it’s gone. This post is really my tribute to summer. I have been planing forever to carry a camera to farmer’s market and every week I tell myself the next…..well the rate at which the temperatures are dropping I do not think there will be any next. I really hope to get a few shot at least, maybe next week. For now it’s mostly roses. I think am short by a few photographs this month, I promise to make it up in the next month. Thanks guys for all the support and appreciation for my work, that really keeps me going. I have not been able to do photography tips, but I have and will try and respond to any queries, like I always do on FB or via email. Thanks again! 

January

February (1)

February (2)

March (1)

March (2) 

April 

May

June 

July

Summer coolers : Watermelon n’ wine sangria or Virgin watermelon ginger ale

As I rolled out of bed, I peeked outside though the windows, something I always do, even before I began to chase light as a photographer. I love this time of the day as the dawn is breaking and light brings to life everything around it. 

After my morning rituals, I sat down, I saw the watermelon by the kitchen door, screaming for my  attention, there was no way I could fit this huge thing into the refrigerator. It was way to early for my favorite watermelon sangria. I juiced half the melon  and made some watermelon ginger ale. Left the other half to make the sangria.  I finally sat down, looked outside to see the most glorious light, playing hide and seek between the clouds. I threw my flip-flops by the door and walked into the grass as it kissed my feet, the grass was still wet from the heavy dew or maybe it rained last night, whatever it was, it felt so good. I saw a few amber leaves on the grass, fall is right around the corner, I thought to myself. 

Fall is the most magical time of the year, the light has a golden hue, everything seems like it’s drenched in a light film of gleaming gold, almost surreal. As I turned around with my thoughts, I saw the most beautiful light falling through the tress, it was a bit cloudy so the light was perfectly diffused and it gleamed on the grass. The photographer in me was restless to capture. I laid down the scarf I was wearing, got some books I was skimming through the night before and styled my drink with some fresh mint from the garden. I saw through the viewfinder, the light embracing the drink…I press the shutter, took a deep breath, that moment felt more real than my existence. 

Of everything I cook and bake,  cocktails are my all time favorite,  not because of the intoxication factor ( I hardly drink). More so because I feel like an alchemist, something mystic about colored liquids in beautiful glistering glasses. The possibilities are endless.

Wild Black Rice n’ Pumpkin Masala

Browsing through the grain section of the grocery store, my eyes fell on long shiny black rice, that was labeled wild rice. I was drawn to it like an artist is drawn to paint. I felt it with my hands, it was slippery and shiny and had extremely long grains, for a minute it looked too perfect, as though it was pieces of ebony that were hand polished. It made it’s way home with me and it lay on the pantry shelf for weeks. I was beginning to get skeptical, even thou I cook brown rice but my true love is pure white basmati:long aromatic grains of rice. A girl who likes her rice pure white, has here in her hand deep black shiny rice. Being attracted to black shiny long grains is one thing, eating it is another.

I took the plunge and put out some water to boil. Waited for 20 minutes, it smelled nothing like white rice. Very, very strong nutty aroma, and when I say strong, I mean really very strong. Something, told me this was not for me, with lot of inner courage I tasted the almost raw rice that was boiling away on the gas stove, I loved the crunch. First there was a crunch then a bit soft…. The aroma of the rice boiling in the water, grew on me, but definitely not my favorite. The taste: I really liked. It sat on the gas stove for 40 minutes, and barely cooked. Out came the pressure cooker and in went the rice - 3 whistles later there was nutty, aroma-less black rice. It’s has a strong flavor, so for me it is definitely not the main ingredient in the dish.  It really pairs well with pumpkin and together they can make a great tasting side. One cups makes almost two and a half cups, so keep that in mind when you cook it. 

Bursting with flavor - homemade marinara sauce

I have always imagined life on a farm to be very romantic.  Fresh air, fresh food and large expanse of lush green. When I think of a farm I think of kids playing in open fields, clothes hanging on a clothes line…a farmer on his tractor and it’s always bright sunshine. I know my vision is more fiction than factual, life on a farm is not as easy as it looks, but this is my vision that I don’t want to spoil it. A simple life with none of the complexities that we urban dwellers face. 

My farm (read garden) is a super tiny space,  full of flowers but not much of veggies, some herbs. Even with the limited things I grow, I feel there is nothing that gives me more pleasure then a fresh tomato or a fresh leaf of basil from my yard. It’s just a feeling of fulfillment, hard to describe. Cooking with that, elevates it to a whole new level. Am a die hard romantic at heart and food for me is like romance, it is art. It’s not just a recipe. Food brings people together like nothing else does, it engages all your senses and it’s an experience. Even the most practical souls among us would have had cravings, it’s not just a requirement of  your taste buds it’s more. It’s memories, it’s a romantic connection. I am not great with words but I hope my images have captured what my words can’t describe. 

It will be hard for me to go back to the branded marinara sauce after I have made this from scratch. This was a small batch, I might make a large batch and bottle it. I know some of you asked me (on fb) about shelf life, when I posted the pic of the process yesterday. So if you want to can these and save them, here are the canning instructions . On its own, please refrigerate after 24 hrs of making it, should be good for 10-15 days. Its just four ingredients.