Meatless Monday Tomato Saaru ( Tomato Soup)

Tomato saaru is ubiquitous in Southern India. Any meal is incomplete if there is no saaru or rasam. There are several methods to making this; with cooked dal(Pegion-peas lentil), with rasam powder( a spice mix with powdered lentil in it used for this soup). My favorite though is this simple humble saaru that my mother and my mother-in-law makes. There is no grinding involved, no cooked lentils to be added, no rasam powder added. can be made anytime, anywhere.For this particular recipe, I like the way my mother-in-law makes it. Tangy, flavorful saaru; comfort food for me. Every time she visits us, I specifically request her to make this for us. This is her recipe.

Servings: 4-6 ( 1 cup per person)

Ingredients:

Tomatoes: 2 red ripe tomatoes
Water: 1 liter
Green chillies: 3-4, slit ( adjust based on your spice level and that of the chillies being used)
Jagger or brown sugar: 1 tsp
Salt: as needed.
Tamarind: marble sized if using dried, 1/4 tsp if using pulp.


For tempering:
Coconut oil/ghee: 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
Jeera( cumin seeds): 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves: 1 sprig

For garnishing:( optional)

Cilantro: 1 tbsp , chopped.

Method:

Boil whole tomatoes in 1 liter water in a pot until the tomatoes are half-cooked.

Remove the tomatoes out, peel it. ( Be careful as it will be very hot! ) You could use a fork and knife to peel it or immerse in cold water to cook it down a little.Now using your hands or a potato masher, mash it in a bowl.

Add the mashed tomatoes back to the pot with slit green chillies, salt, tamarind and jaggery. Boil it until the water reduces to 3/4th the amount you started with.

Turn off the flame.

Tempering:

Heat oil/ ghee in a small pan. Add the cumin seeds and then the mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds splutter, turn off the flame and add the curry leaves.

Add this to the pot above.

Garnish with freshly chopped cilantro.

Serve it with hot steamed rice or just drink it in a cup!

Enjoy!

Cooking make easy:

If you don't have the time for the boiling, peeling and mashing of the tomatoes, you could skip this step entirely and just add chopped tomatoes to begin with. Add all the other ingredients with the tomatoes except those listed under tempering and garnishing. The rest of the process remains the same. I must caution you that this is precisely the difference between my mother's and my mother-in-law's method of making saaru and like I have stated earlier, I find my mother-in-laws saaru more tasty.

This could also be made using tomato pur�e or tomato paste. But nothing beats the flavor of fresh tomatoes!

Tip for healthy living:

Tomatoes are not only bursting with flavor, they are a great source of  Lycopene which is known to have immense antioxidant properties.They are supposed to be great anti-inflammatory agents.

Tomatoes belong to the night-shade family and therefore people with arthritis should avoid eating tomatoes as they are known to aggravate joint pain.

References:

http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/health-properties-tomatoes

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/273031.php

http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/fresh-ideas/healthy-dinners/5-hidden-health-benefits-of-tomatoes.htm

Food for thought:

Research is what I am doing when I don't know what I am doing. Wernher von Braun

Vern ( Sprouted Moong Bean Rasam/Saaru/ Soup)

Whenever I make muga ghashi at home, I somehow always end up making "vern"."Vern"( pronounced like fern with a "v"), is nothing but rasam/ saaru made by grinding cooked moong beans with coconut and chillies. For those who are unfamiliar with saaru, "saaru " is something liquidy like soup that is traditiobally served as an accompaniment to rice in Southern India. It is actually served over plain rice so that the rice does not have to be eaten dry. There are several varieties of saaru and this is just one of them. I am very fond of Vern and hence save some of the cooked moong beans and peel when I cook it for the muga ghashi and make this flavorful soup.

Servings: 6

Ingredients:

Cooked moong beans: 1/2 cup
Cooked moong bean peel: 1/2 cup
Grated fresh coconut: 1/2 cup
Red chilli: 2
Tamarind: marble sized if using dry, 1/2 tsp if using pulp.
Jeera( Cumin seeds): 1/4 tsp
Raw rice: 1 tbsp
Haldi( turmeric powder): 1/2 tsp
Green chillies: 2-3, slit lengthwise
Salt: 1 tsp
Water: 1/2 cup + 3 cups

For tempering:

Coconut oil: 1 tsp
Jeera ( Cumin seeds): 1/4 tsp
Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves: 1 sprig

Method:

Grind together freshly grated coconut, tamarind, red chilli,turmeric and 1/4 cup water to a fine paste. When almost done add the cumin seeds and raw rice and grind. When that is done, add in the moong beans , peel and 1/4 cup water and grind to a fine paste.

Pour this paste into a cooking pot. To this add slit green chillies and salt and bring it to a boil. When it comes to a boil, switch off the flame and prepare for tempering.

Tempering:

Heat 1 tsp coconut oil in a small saut� pan, add the jeera first and then the mustard seeds. When all the mustard seeds crackle, add the curry leaves and switch off the flame. Add this to the above pot.

Serve  hot with rice.

Enjoy!

Cooking made easy:

Always immediately clean the knife with soap and water after you chop onion/garlic or potatoes. Not doing so will blunt your knife edge faster.

Tip for healthy living:

Regularly massaging your scalp with warm oil can help prevent hair fall. In fact it is supposed to promote hair growth. Make sure you leave the oil in for at least 30 minutes before you wash your hair. Massaging the scalp improves the blood circulation to the scalp. It also supposedly helps relieve headaches.Applying oil to the hair helps condition them and prevents it from being dry which in turn may prevent split-ends.

Food for thought:

Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise.Seek what they sought. Matsuo Basho