Pepper_Jeera Rasam with Eggplant-Potato Curry

Today I have a very simple menu for lunch that is packed with full of flavor, taste and aroma that is really soothing and unforgettable to the senses. Rasam is a South Indian dish, very common in Tamil Nadu. The spices that are present in the rasam have a very beneficial effect on your health. Rasam means Chaaru in Telugu and Saaru in Kannada. It is nothing but a soup flavored with tamarind, lentils and spices. There are different kinds of rasam made from different things like tomatoes, lemons, pineapples and spices..Well the list goes on but what I have today is a jumbo combination of spices,tomatoes,garlic,herbs...and wooh!!Lovely isnt't?

For the curry part, I have an unresistable eggplant and potato combination that is very much tempting .Well I love this combination more than plain eggplant.If you are more interested in knowing more about the good things of eggplant you could read the post on my Fennel Roasted Eggplants. Well here goes the recipes for both pepper jeera rasam and eggplant-potato curry.

Pepper Jeera Rasam

Ingredients

Toor Dhal - 1/4 cup
Jeera - 1/2 tsp
Pepper - 1/2 tsp
rasam powder - 2 tsp
garlic - 5 to 6 cloves
tomato - 1 finely diced
cilantro/coriander - few sprigs
curry leaves - 2 sprigs
Asafoetida -1/4 tsp
tamarind - lemon sized(soaked in water for couple of min)
salt - to taste
jaggery/sugar- 1 tsp
turmeric pdr - a pinch

Method

1. Cook toor dhal and keep it aside.
2. Coarsely grind black pepper and jeera keep it aside.
3. Add 400 ml. of water to Toor dhal, churn fine and heat it in a vessel to boil. Add salt and a pinch of turmeric powder along with extracted juice from tamarind. Boil the above for six to seven minutes till raw smell of tamarind goes off.
4. Add garlic(crushed) at this stage. Add curry leaves and tomato. Boil the rasam on a medium flame for six to seven minutes.
5. The water quantity should have reduced considerably.
6. Add jaggery or sugar and enough salt to taste now.
7. Temper now with jeera and two broken chillies along with 1/4 tsp of asafoetida.
8. Add cilantro and close the vessel immediately until you have to serve so that the flavor is retained.

Eggplant-Potato Curry

Ingredients

eggplants-2
potato - 1 large
onion - 1 big
garlic - 3 cloves
tomato - 1 diced
garam masala powder - 1 tsp
red chilli powder - 1 tsp
salt - to taste
oil - 1 tblsp
Method

1. Saute chopped onion in oil until brown. Meanwhile puree peeled garlic cloves with a few grains of salt and enough fresh lime juice to form a paste. Add garlic and tomato to onions; stir to combine; Add red chilli powder (or flakes), garam masala and salt.
2. Add eggplant and potato cubes; stir to coat. Add 1/2 cup water; reduce heat. Let it cook, stirring occasionally, until done (about 20 minutes). Serve garnished with cilantro leaves.

TIP: The smaller the cubes, the faster they cook. Cut potatoes into 3/4-inch bites and eggplant into 1-inch bites so that they cook evenly.

I would love to contribute this dish to Anthony's Curry Mela.