It is time to seek refuge in the kitchen and cook some ‘rasam’ for the soul! Rasam, as we call it, ‘the very essence’ as it translates, is as fundamental to our food as the very air we breathe, and yet it is the simplest form of a soup. It is a comfort food for us, and to all our South Indian neighbors. When we were a kid, it is the first solid food we ate and the go to food when we were sick. When the British came to India, it was the first Indian food that got anglicized. They called it mullaga (chile) water, which eventually evolved into Mulligatawny Soup. Apparently, they liked it so much so that today, in its varied incarnations, it is available the world over. Warning it is very spicy and tone it down if you like and you do need to have the Instant Pot.
Pour the contents (except the curry leaves) of the dry spices into the Instant Pot Inner Pot (put the spices in one small area of the pan).
Pour the vegetable oil over the spices (just enough to soak the spices plus a little more).
Plug in the Instant pot, press ‘sauté’ and ‘adjust’ to ensure the digital display is on ‘more’. This is the high setting for sauté.
When you first hear the sound of the mustard seed "popping", pour the diced green chilies, butter, and ginger into the pan. Add the curry leaves. Stir until the butter melts and chilies and garlic mixes well together.
Adjust the ‘sauté’ temperature down if needed. Sauté for another 1 min.
Add salt, pepper, rasam powder, turmeric powder and tomatoes. Add 2 cup of water to the pan. Mix them well and let them cook together. Adjust the sauté temperature as needed.
Ensure you stir periodically for uniform cooking and mixing of spices (just fold it over using a spatula). Stir just enough until all the spices are mixed with the tomatoes. Bring it to the first boil. Wait for a minute.
Turn off the Instant Pot
Add (1cup) Dhal to the Inner Pot, add (5 cups of) water,
On manual, under high pressure, with vent sealed, cook for 20 min. Let it cool down naturally.
On a bowl add tamarind, add a cup of water and microwave for 2 minutes. Once cool, make a puree and remove all pulps. Dilute the tamarind, if needed for the right consistency and keep 1.5 cup of tamarind juice aside.
Make sure there is no pressure in the cooker and the pin (pressure) is down. Open the Cooker lid, and be careful the dhal will be extremely hot.
Add the tamarind juice. Taste and add salt if necessary. Stir once, and close the lid. 'Slow cook' in high for 30 min.
Once done, squeeze ½ a lemon without seeds. Add in fresh cilantro for garnish.
This is one of my favorite ways to make Dhal. It is very simple to make in the IP and has served as a complete meal on way too many occasions. This dish also happens to be the very first one that I really mastered. It’s inspired by the ever so popular Andhra Tomato Pappu. Over the years, this has become my go-to comfort food, and I often crave for this Dhal on rice along with a few (or more) fresh potato chips. Sometimes life’s “most simple things can bring the most happiness.”
It is a pure vegetarian dish and almost a vegan one but for the butter in it. You can also make this dish gluten free, if you avoid the hing. Hing in its pure form is gluten free, but many vendors add wheat flour to reduce the intensity of its flavor.
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Andhra Tomato Pappu (Lentil Soup)
It is a pure vegetarian dish and almost a vegan one but for the butter in it. You can also make this dish gluten free, if you avoid the hing. Hing in its pure form is gluten free, but many vendors add wheat flour to reduce the intensity of its flavor.
Pour the contents (except the curry leaves) of the dry spices into the Instant Pot Inner Pot (put the spices in one small area of the pan).
Pour the vegetable oil over the spices (just enough to soak the spices plus a little more).
Plug in the Instant Pot, press ‘sauté’ and ‘adjust’ to ensure the digital display is on ‘more.’ This is the high setting for sauté.
When you first hear the sound of the mustard seed "popping," pour the diced green chilies, butter, and ginger/garlic paste into the pan. Add the curry leaves. Stir until the butter melts and chilies and garlic/ginger paste mixes well together.
Adjust the ‘sauté’ temperature down if needed. Sauté for another 1 min.
Add onions to pan. Stir occasionally until the onions are soft, just until they are translucent.
Add salt, sambar powder, turmeric powder, and tomatoes. Add 1 cup of water to the pan, mix them well and let them cook together. Ensure you stir periodically for uniform cooking and mixing of spices (just fold it over using a spatula). Bring it to a boil. Adjust the sauté temperature as needed.
Turn off the Instant Pot
Add (1 cup) Dhal to the Inner Pot, add (4.5 to 6 cups of) water. Adjust water based on the consistency you are looking for.
On manual, under high pressure, with vent sealed, cook for 20 min. Let it cool down naturally.
Once the IP has cooled down, make sure there is no pressure in the cooker and that the (pressure) pin is down. Open the Cooker lid -- be careful, as the dhal will be extremely hot.
Add in fresh cilantro for garnish. Serve hot over rice.
