Buttermilk Neem Flower Rasam
Rasam is a thin, soup kind of dish, famous in South Indian cuisine and an integral part of many South Indian meals. It is either enjoyed like a soup/starter, or mixed with plain rice and had with a dry curry dish. Buttermilk Neem Flower Rasam is the simplest of all rasams, according to me. A simple, flavourful tempering is the only process involved in making this rasam, so a great choice for a quick dinner, or a busy work day morning. Neem flowers have a lot of medicinal and nutritional benefits, so if you have access to them, try and include them in your food at least once in a fortnight.
Neem flowers, despite their nutritional value, are also quite bitter. Bitterness is one of the six primary tastes but we often shy away from using it in our daily cooking. However, using bitterness in our cooking balances out other flavours and adds a layer of complexity to our dishes. In addition, bitter foods are great for regulating several hormonal and digestive processes in the body. So here’s a recipe to help you include more bitter foods in your diet and experiment with a flavour that we often neglect.
In those days, my grandmom used to make butter at home by churning milk cream that is skimmed off and collected from freshly made yoghurt/boiled milk. She used to add some buttermilk to store this milk cream for a few days. After making butter from this collected milk cream, the left over buttermilk will be used to make this buttermilk neem flower rasam, more kuzhambu (buttermilk, coconut based stew), and many other dishes. Here’s the recipe my grandmom gave me. You can make this rasam in just 20 mins!
Ingredients
Sour Buttermilk – 600 ml
Water – 300-400 ml
Salt – 1 1/4 tsp (or to taste)
Sugar/jaggery – 1 tsp (optional)
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
Asafoetida (hing) – 1/4 tsp
Dry red chillies (halved) – 3 (or to taste)
Green chilly (halved) – 3 (or to taste)
Curry leaves (hand torn) – few
Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
Flavour enhancer powder – 1/4 tsp (optional, see puliyodharai recipe for details)
Fresh/dry neem flowers – 3 to 4 tbsp
Ghee – 2 tbsp
Any cooking oil – 1 tbsp
Yield
~ 1 L (serves 4)
Prep time
10 mins
Cook time
10 mins
Method
1) Take the buttermilk in a pan, add salt, sugar/jaggery, turmeric powder and asafoetida. Mix thoroughly and set aside.
2) In a shallow pan/kadai take oil and heat until medium hot. Add the mustard seeds and let it splutter. Now add the red and green chillies and curry leaves. Fry for a minute on low heat.
3) Then add about 300 or 400 ml water (depending on how thick your buttermilk is) and increase the heat. Let it boil for 3 to 4 mins. After about 4 mins, switch off the heat. Add the flavour enhancer powder, mix and allow it to cool down a bit, until it becomes warm to touch. Now transfer this to the buttermilk mixture and mix well.
6) Fry the neem flowers in ghee on a low flame until it turns dark brown and becomes crisp. Take your time to do this to avoid charring. The picture should help you determine how long you should fry the neem flowers. Now add this to the buttermilk mixture and mix once. Close the pan and let all the ingredients soak for 15 mins atleast. (you can soak everything for even 1 hour before serving).
5) Serve Buttermilk Neem Flower Rasam warm or cold. Goes very well with hot, plain rice or just as a drink/cold soup.
Notes
- Sour buttermilk is better for this rasam and adds taste to this dish. If the buttermilk you are using is not sour, then leave it outside the refrigerator for 1 day at room temperature to make it slightly sour and then use it.
- The medicinal properties of Neem are widely known and it has been the subject of many research initiatives. Fresh flowers are carefully collected when the tree is in peak bloom, cleaned and air dried. This way it can be stored for the whole year and used. You can usually buy dry neem flowers at your local Indian store if you live outside India.
- The flavour enhancer powder is optional but I strongly recommend it. It will elevate your buttermilk neem flower rasam!
- You can substitute jaggery with the same amount of raw brown sugar.
