RAG Demo

Tag: Vegetarian

  • Rava Kesari

    Rava kesari is the sweet Tamil households make when guests arrive without notice or when a small offering is needed for a pooja. It takes under half an hour, uses only pantry staples, and it is the sweet served at almost every South Indian wedding breakfast alongside ven pongal and vada. The name comes from kesar, the saffron that gives it its traditional orange-gold colour.

    Well-made kesari is soft, glossy and melt-in-the-mouth, with each grain of semolina distinct and coated in ghee. It should not be gluey or dry. The flavour is buttery and sweet with cardamom, and the fried cashews add crunch. Pineapple or banana kesari are popular variations using the same base. A spoonful is often the first thing served at a South Indian wedding.

    At a glance

    RegionTamil Nadu
    CuisineTamil
    DietVegetarian
    CourseDessert
    Prep time5 minutes
    Cook time20 minutes
    Total time25 minutes
    Serves4
    Spice levelMild
    DifficultyEasy
    Gluten-freeNo
    Key ingredientssemolina / ghee / sugar / saffron / cashews

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup fine rava (Bombay rava / semolina)
    • 1/2 cup ghee, divided
    • 12 cashews, halved
    • 1 tbsp raisins
    • 2.5 cups water
    • 1 cup sugar (up to 1.25 cups if you like it sweeter)
    • a generous pinch of saffron, soaked in 2 tbsp warm milk
    • pinch of orange food colour (optional)
    • 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
    • pinch of salt

    Method

    1. Heat 2 tbsp ghee in a heavy kadai on medium-low heat. Fry the cashews until golden, then the raisins until they puff. Remove and keep aside.
    2. In the same ghee, add the rava and roast on low heat for 6-8 minutes, stirring continuously, until aromatic and each grain looks dry and separate. It should not change colour much.
    3. Meanwhile bring 2.5 cups water to a rolling boil in another pan with the saffron milk and food colour if using.
    4. Reduce the heat under the rava to the lowest setting and pour in the boiling water slowly, stirring all the time. It will splutter, so stand back.
    5. Keep stirring for 2-3 minutes until the rava absorbs all the water and turns thick. Cover and cook on low heat for 2 minutes so it cooks through.
    6. Add the sugar and a pinch of salt. The mixture will loosen and turn liquid again; keep stirring on low heat for 4-5 minutes until it thickens.
    7. Add the remaining ghee a spoon at a time, stirring after each addition, until the kesari is glossy and starts to leave the sides of the pan.
    8. Stir in cardamom powder, fried cashews and raisins. Serve warm, or press into a greased plate and cut into pieces once set.

    Tips

    • Add sugar only after the rava is fully cooked; sugar added earlier stops the semolina from softening.
    • The water must be boiling when added, or the kesari turns lumpy.
    • Use 1:2.5 rava to water for soft kesari, 1:2 if you want firm pieces that can be cut.

    Serve with

    Ven pongal and medu vada for a classic South Indian festive breakfast.

  • Curd Rice

    No Tamil meal is complete without thayir sadam at the end. After the heat of sambar and rasam, curd rice settles the stomach and cools the body, which matters in a state where summer temperatures stay high for months. It is also served at temples, packed for journeys, and given to children and anyone with an upset stomach.

    Good curd rice is creamy and loose, never stiff. The rice is cooked soft and mashed while warm, then mixed with fresh curd and a little milk so that it does not turn too sour as it sits. The tempering adds crunch and a gentle heat, and grated carrot, cucumber, grapes or pomegranate are common additions in homes and restaurants.

    At a glance

    RegionTamil Nadu
    CuisineTamil
    DietVegetarian
    CourseRice
    Prep time10 minutes
    Cook time20 minutes
    Total time30 minutes
    Serves4
    Spice levelMild
    DifficultyEasy
    Gluten-freeYes
    Key ingredientsrice / curd / milk / ginger / curry leaves

    Ingredients

    For the rice

    • 1 cup raw ponni or sona masoori rice
    • 3.5 cups water
    • 1.5 cups fresh thick curd
    • 1/2 cup boiled and cooled milk
    • 1 tsp salt, or to taste
    • 1 small carrot, grated
    • 2 tbsp pomegranate arils (optional)

    For the tempering

    • 1 tbsp oil
    • 1 tsp mustard seeds
    • 1 tsp urad dal
    • 1 inch ginger, finely chopped
    • 1-2 green chillies, finely chopped
    • 1 sprig curry leaves
    • pinch of asafoetida
    • 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

    Method

    1. Wash the rice and pressure cook with 3.5 cups water for 4-5 whistles on medium heat so it is very soft. Let the pressure drop naturally.
    2. While still warm, mash the rice well with a ladle until it is creamy, with only a few whole grains left. Spread it out to cool until just lukewarm.
    3. Add the milk first and mix; this stops the curd from turning sour quickly. Then add the curd and salt and stir until smooth and loose. Add a few spoons of water if it feels thick.
    4. Heat oil in a small pan on medium heat, add mustard seeds and let them splutter. Add urad dal and fry until light golden.
    5. Add ginger, green chillies, curry leaves and asafoetida and fry for 20-30 seconds.
    6. Pour the tempering over the rice, add the grated carrot and coriander and mix well.
    7. Top with pomegranate if using. Serve at room temperature or chill for 30 minutes on a hot day.

    Tips

    • Never mix curd into hot rice; it splits and turns grainy.
    • Curd rice thickens as it rests, so keep it looser than you want to eat it, especially for lunchboxes.
    • For temple style, add a few chopped cashews to the tempering and a little cream instead of milk.

    Serve with

    Mango or lime pickle, mor milagai (sun-dried curd chillies) or a spoon of vatha kuzhambu.

  • Tomato Rasam

    Rasam sits at the centre of a Tamil meal, served after sambar and before curd rice. Tomato rasam is the everyday version made in most Tamil homes several times a week, and every family has its own balance of tamarind, tomato and pepper. It needs no rasam powder; freshly crushed pepper, cumin and garlic do the work.

    The texture should be thin and clear, almost like a broth, with the solids settled at the bottom. It tastes sour, peppery and warm, with the fragrance of coriander and curry leaves. Many people drink it from a tumbler when they have a cold, and it is often the first food given to someone recovering from fever.

    At a glance

    RegionTamil Nadu
    CuisineTamil
    DietVegetarian
    CourseSoup
    Prep time10 minutes
    Cook time20 minutes
    Total time30 minutes
    Serves4
    Spice levelMedium
    DifficultyEasy
    Gluten-freeYes
    Key ingredientstomato / tamarind / black pepper / cumin / garlic

    Ingredients

    For the rasam

    • 3 ripe tomatoes
    • small lemon-sized ball of tamarind, soaked in 1 cup warm water
    • 1 tsp black peppercorns
    • 1 tsp cumin seeds
    • 5 garlic cloves, unpeeled
    • 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
    • 1/4 tsp asafoetida
    • 1 tsp salt, or to taste
    • 2.5 cups water
    • 1 sprig curry leaves
    • 3 tbsp chopped coriander leaves with stems

    For the tadka

    • 1 tbsp ghee
    • 1 tsp mustard seeds
    • 1 dry red chilli, broken
    • 1/4 tsp cumin seeds
    • a few curry leaves

    Method

    1. Squeeze the soaked tamarind well and strain to get about 1 cup of thin tamarind water. Discard the pulp.
    2. Coarsely crush the peppercorns and cumin in a mortar, then add the garlic and pound a few times until bruised but not pasty.
    3. Chop one tomato finely. Crush the other two by hand straight into a pot, skins and all.
    4. Add the tamarind water, chopped tomato, turmeric, salt, asafoetida and curry leaves to the pot. Boil on medium heat for 8-10 minutes until the raw tamarind smell is gone and the tomatoes are soft.
    5. Add the crushed pepper-cumin-garlic and 2.5 cups water. Bring it up slowly on medium-low heat.
    6. Watch closely: when a layer of froth rises to the top and the rasam is just about to boil, switch off the heat. Do not let it boil hard, or it turns flat and bitter.
    7. Heat ghee in a small pan, splutter mustard seeds, then add red chilli, cumin and curry leaves for a few seconds. Pour over the rasam.
    8. Add the coriander, cover with a lid and leave for 5 minutes for the aroma to infuse before serving.

    Tips

    • The froth stage is the most important cue in rasam making; boiling past it dulls the flavour.
    • If your tomatoes are very sour, reduce the tamarind by half.
    • A teaspoon of cooked toor dal water added with the plain water gives a slightly fuller body without making it a dal.

    Serve with

    Hot rice with ghee and a potato or raw banana fry, or simply in a tumbler as a soup.