Orange Rasam

Have you ever experienced this? You find this interesting recipe in a cookbook.... and you are in a cooking mood. You open your pantry & fridge and you have whatever you need! You start cooking by adding your special touches... and it comes out as a master-piece. How exciting! I get so thrilled that I immediately share with my friends & family...

This is one of those recipes... Just for the sake of trying something new, I tried this from one of the magazines.. and it was a pleasant surprise! It came out awesome and we all just loved it... Many of my friends have tasted this and have appreciated the taste.. I felt that the sweet and tangy flavours of tamarind juice and orange juice is a distinctive combination... and brings a fresh flavor.

Ingredients

Tamarind Paste - 1 tsp

Tomato Puree - 1/2 cup
Cooked Paasi paruppu (split moong dal) - 2 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Garlic - 2 cloves (smashed)

Orange Juice - 1 cup (Any store bought juice should be just fine)

Corriander leaves - handful (chopped)

To Dry Roast:
Red Chilly - 1
Black Pepper corns - 1/2 tsp
Corriander Seeds - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

For Seasoning:

Mustard Seeds - 1tsp

Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp

Fenugreek Seeds - 1/2 tsp

Curry leaves - handful

Procedure:
1. In a kadai, dry roast red chilly, pepper corns, corriander seeds and cumin seeds and blend them to a powder.
2. Mash the cooked dal well .
3. In a large vessel, mix the tamarind paste, tomato puree , dal, turmeric & salt.
4. Add 3 cups of water and dilute it.
Tip: You can use plain water and water drained from the cooked dal in a fift-fifty ratio. Just add extra water while cooking the dal. This will enhance the flavor of the rasam.
5. Now heat 1 tsp oil in a kadai, season with mustard seeds, cumin seeds and fenugreek seeds.
6. Add the above liquid mixture and let it boil.
7. When it just starts boiling, add the powder and Orange juice... Let it boil for 2 mins..
8. Garnish with corriander leaves. Enjoy with Plain rice..