Tomato Rasam with extracts

Tomato Rasam is one of my favorites.
Madhuram of Eggless Cooking gave me a very quick and wonderful recipe for tomato rasam. She suggested the use of tomato paste which I found to be very interesting. I have made this rasam many times and have tweaked it a bit. I find Madhuram's recipes creative but simple and yummy. Check out her blog for some really good recipes for eggless cakes, cookies, etc.

Ingredients:

1 can Tomato paste
1-2 drops of Green Chilli extract
1 drop of Asafoetida extract
1-2 drops of Turmeric extract
2 drops of Garlic extract
1 drop of Ginger extract
1 tsp Rasam powder
!/2 tsp cumin seeds
very little oil
Salt to taste
1 cup of water ( add more if you want a bit thinner rasam)
Cilantro for garnish

Heat the oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds and let it splutter. Add tomato paste, water and rasam powder. Stir. Bring it to a boil and then reduce heat. Add turmeric extract, garlic extract, green chilli extract, ginger extract, asafoetida extract. Add salt to taste Let simmer for a minute or two. Take it off the heat. Garnish with cilantro. Serve hot.

Note that I am not using any tamarind. The canned tomato paste is perfect for this easy, breezy rasam :)

Ayurveda and Spices

I have some very interesting books on Ayurveda and I like to browse through them when I have some time. Yesterday, I was reading about some Classical Ayurvedic formulas and found it interesting that a lot of them had one or more than one spice in its list of ingredients.
For example -

Hingashtak Churna - made of Asafoetida
Eladi Churna - Top 3 ingredients are Cardamom, cloves and Saffron
Lavangadi Churna - contains cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, ginger.
Lashunadi Bati - contains garlic, cumin, asafoetida
Trisugandhi Churna - Cinnamon, cardamom

And the list goes on .
This just shows how spices play a important role in Ayurvedic medicine.

Ayurvedic Cooking

Ayurvedic texts state that eating right food is the key to good health.

Ayurvedic cooking is an integral part of Ayurveda. The simple thinking behind Ayurvedic cooking is to eat food that is right for your constitution and has correct balance of nutrients.
Foods are divided into six different tastes - sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent, astringent. A balanced meal should include all six tastes. How does one make a balanced meal ?
Well, Indian cuisine has beautifully incorporated Ayurvedic principles in even its most simple recipes.

Let's take the example of Indian Dal (Marathi Aamti)
The tadka (seasonings) for this simple Aamti includes -

Mustard seeds - pungent
Asafoetida -pungent
Turmeric - astringent
Kokum - sour
Fenugreek seeds - bitter
Green chillies

Heat oil. Add the above ingredients. Once they pop, add cooked lentil (I used Moong Dal), add salt (salty) and little jaggery (sweet) . Garnish with cilantro.


There you have it. All six tastes in one bowl.

Asafoetida (Hing)

Did you know that one of the Homeopathic remedies for Irritable Bowel Syndrome is Asafoetida?
Asafoetida is a carminative and also is useful as an expectorant. It is sometimes used as a substitute for Garlic.


Asafoetida is also used to treat some forms of Osteoarthritis.

Extracts in my kitchen

Lot of people ask me whether I use extracts in my own kitchen. And my answer to them is "Everyday in every meal"
The extracts that I use very often are - Ginger, Tea Masala, Cardamom, Garlic, Green Chilli, Asafoetida, Turmeric. And, of course, Tulsi. I have hot Tulsi water at least 4-5 times a week.

Every afternoon I have either Masala chai, Cardamom chai or Ginger chai. Depends on my mood.
My husband loves the Green Chilli extract. This extract gives him full control over how hot and spicy his curry should be :)

Now that festival season is coming close, I will use my Kesar Milk and Saffron extracts more.

Why should you use Asafoetida ?

Ayurveda encourages us to include all six tastes in our meals. The six tastes are - salty, sweet, sour, bitter, astringent and pungent. Asafoetida is a pungent spice. Foods and spices that are pungent stimulate appetite and improve digestion. Adding asafoetida to our meals also reduces bloating and the feeling of heaviness after meals.

A pinch of asafoetida in buttermilk is a very good remedy for indigestion.

Asafoetida improves digestion and is an blood purifier.

Asafoetida (Hing, Asafetida)

Asafoetida block

Asafoetida is an integral part of Indian cooking and is a must for lentil dishes and curries with green leafy vegetables. The name asafoetida is derived from the Persian for resin “aza” and the Latin for stinking “fetida”.

Asafoetida is a resinous gum that is extracted from the root and stem of a giant perennial fennel that is at least 4 yrs old. The stem/root of the plant is slashed and kept in shade while the sap seeps out and hardens. This dried, grayish-white gum is then scraped off which turns reddish and finally reddish-brown as it ages. The asafoetida that we buy in stores has only about 30 -40% of pure asafoetida and the rest is edible starch (rice or wheat flour) to make the powder more manageable.

This spice is carminative and some researchers believe that asafoetida, like garlic oil, may help lower blood pressure. Asafoetida is a pungent spice and helps stimulate appetite and improve digestion. Asafoetida alleviates the sensation of heaviness after a heavy meal. In India, it’s a common practice to have buttermilk with asafoetida to treat indigestion.

Asafoetida is a great substitute for garlic. It has strong aroma that is toned down during cooking which results in a complementary flavor to the dish.