Lime-Ginger Rasam
Right after the 3 day harvest festival of Pongal, I always crave some light foods, which will aid digestion. With the zesty flavour of lime and the slightly peppery, sweet taste of ginger, Lime-Ginger Rasam is the perfect fit for these kinds of lazy days.
Ginger helps reduce indigestion, stomach aches, nausea and increases the overall metabolism. Lime is rich in Vitamin C and antioxidants. Combining these two simple ingredients is a great health booster and also tastes phenomenal. On a cold winter night, curl up on your couch with some warm rice, flavourful Lime-Ginger Rasam and some dry potato curry. Taste of heaven right there.
Check out my other interesting rasam varieties too – Healthy Rasam and Buttermilk Neem Flower Rasam.
Ingredients
Moong dhal – 2 tbsp
Ghee/coconut oil – 1 1/2 tbsp
Turmeric powder – 1 1/2 tsp
Water – 1 L
Fresh ginger (finely chopped) – 1 tbsp
Green chillies (slit) – 3 (or to taste)
Salt – 1 1/2 tsp (or to taste)
Jaggery/brown sugar – 1 tbsp
Curry leaves (hand torn) – few
Black pepper (crushed) – 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds – 1 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Fresh ginger paste – 1 tbsp
Lime juice – 3 to 4 tbsp
Lemon zest – 1 tsp
Fresh coriander leaves (finely chopped) – 2 tbsp
Yield
~ 1 L (serves 4)
Prep time
10 mins
Cook time
15 mins
Method
1) Soak moong dhal for half an hour in warm water and boil it with 1/2 tsp turmeric powder and 1/2 tsp ghee/coconut oil until mushy. Set aside.
2) In a separate pan, take around 300 ml water, add 1 tsp turmeric powder, chopped ginger, green chillies, salt, jaggery and a few curry leaves. Bring to a rolling boil. Let it continue to boil on medium heat for nearly 8 mins, or until the raw smell of turmeric powder goes away and all the other ingredients become aromatic.
3) Now add ginger paste, lemon zest, crushed pepper and 1/2 tsp cumin seeds. Mix once and let it start to boil again.
4) Dilute the cooked dhal with approximately 600 ml water and add it to the boiling rasam. Simmer. In around 5 mins you will see froth forming on the sides of lime-ginger rasam. Switch off the heat when froth starts forming. Add finely chopped coriander leaves and lime juice and mix once.
5) Heat a tempering pan, add the remaining ghee/coconut oil. When it starts heating up, add mustard seeds and allow it to splutter. Then add 1 tsp cumin seeds and wait for it to splutter too. Now add the remaining curry leaves to it and pour the whole thing over the rasam. Aromatic, healthy lime-ginger rasam is ready to be served. Serve hot with plain rice or as a starter on a winter night.
Notes
- I’ve used moong dhal in this recipe. You can use toor or masoor dhal too to make lime-ginger rasam and the taste won’t vary.
- Using chopped ginger and ginger paste has two advantages. Chopped ginger has mild ginger flavour and give texture. On the other hand, ginger paste has a concentrated ginger flavour and adds a lot of punch to the rasam. So add ginger in both forms to maximise the flavour.
- Similar to ginger, I’ve used lime juice and lemon zest for maximum flavour. The entire sourness comes from lime juice and the flavour is enhanced by the addition of lemon zest.
- The entire spice comes from green chillies, ginger and black pepper for this rasam. Keep the ginger quantity as it is and adjust the amount of green chillies and black pepper according to your taste (I love the combination of all three though!).
- You can store this rasam for a maximum of 2 days when refrigerated.
