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 :)
Tomato Rasam with extracts
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.
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.
Green Chilli extract
Green Chilli extract is nothing but pure fieriness of green chillies in a bottle.
I have 2 small kids and hence my cooking leans more towards the less spicy category. My husband loves spicy food and had to compromise :). But now, with the Green Chilli extract he can make his portion of meal as spicy as he wants. He just adds 1 or 2 drops and he is happy.
The ingredients in Tabasco sauce are peppers, vinegar and salt. But Supreme Spice's Green Chilli extract has only ONE ingredient - Green chilli
