Rasam (dish)

For the 2015 film, see Rasam (film). For the 2014 television serial, see Rasam (serial).

Rasam, Chaaru

Alternative names	Saaru, Saathamudhu, Chaaru, chaatambde
Place of origin	India
Region or state	South India, tamilnadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka
Serving temperature	Hot or cold
Main ingredients	kokum, kadam, jaggery, tamarind, tomato, lentil
Media: Rasam, Chaaru

Rasam with various garnishes

Rasam (), charu pani(Odia), chaaru, saaru, Saathamudhu or kabir is a South Indian dish (eaten with other dishes or by itself), is a spicy-sweet-sour stock traditionally prepared using kokum, tamarind or dried green mango juice as a base along with jaggery, chili pepper, black pepper, cumin, tomato and other spices as seasonings. Steamed lentils can be added along with any preferred vegetables. Nowadays, all the seasonings required are combined and ground beforehand into rasam powder, which is available commercially. Chilled prepared versions are also marketed commercially.

It is eaten with rice or separately as a spicy soup. In a traditional meal, it can be part of a course that includes sambar rice and curd rice. Rasam has a distinct taste in comparison to the sambar due to its own seasoning ingredients and is usually fluid in consistency.

Origin

Rasam means "juice". It can refer to any juice, but in South Indian households rasam commonly refers to soup prepared with sweet-sour stock made from either kokum or tamarind, along with tomato and lentil, added spices and garnish.Rasam in Tamil Saaru in Kannada or chaaru in Telugu means "essence" and, by extension, "juice" or "soup".

Ingredients

Rasam is prepared mainly with kokum, kadampuli/kachampuli (malabar tamrind), tamarind, ambula/maa vithal/amchur (dried green mango) stock depending on the region, along with tomato stock, lentils are optional but are used in several rasams recipes. Jaggery, cumin, black pepper, turmeric, mustard seeds, lemon, chilli powder, curry leaves, coriander as flavoring ingredients and garnish. All of these ingredients from basic method of making rasam all over South India.

Types

Rasam

Different kinds of rasam ( Saaru) are listed below with its main ingredients.

• Koli rasam – chicken
• Kadalai rasam – black chickpeas
• Venkaaya rasam – onion
• Kattu saaru – Togari bele and Byadgi chillies
• Huruli Saaru - made from Horsegram (Kudu in Tulu)
• Tili saaru – sieving water from plain rice
• Thakkaali rasam – tomato puree
• Poondu rasam – garlic
• Inji rasam – ginger
• Panasa tona charu - Jackfruit (ripe) rasam
• Mudakathaan rasam – balloon vine
• Maangaa rasam – raw or semi-ripe mango
• Elumichai rasam – lemon juice
• Nellikkai rasam – Indian gooseberry
• Murungai poo rasam – drumstick flower
• Vepam poo rasam – neem flower
• Kandathippili rasam – greens
• Bassaaru/kattu saaru – boiled vegetables/greens/lentils
• Milagu rasam (mulligatawny) – black pepper
• Jeeraga rasam – cumin
• Beetroot rasam
• Black pepper Saaru- Black pepper (Karimenasu in Kannada)
• Puli rasam – kokum or tamarind extract
• Hesaru kaalu saaru – green gram
• Parupu rasam / pappu saaru – pulses and tomato stock
• Baellae saaru – pigeon pea lentil
• Kattina saaru – jaggery
• Mysore rasam – fried lentils

See also

• List of soups