Now we’ve spent much of Sunday in making rasam powder, yes? Hope you’ve made enough rasam for Monday too coz we here are about to be beamed up to an elevated level – a rasam based dish. First, we start with picking out the pieces of pineapple you put in yesterday and realised you didn’t REALLY care for at all!! (jes’ kidding, we are quite sure you loved them, it’s only that pesky 4 year old of yours who didn’t like them!)
I’ve been watching Masterchef Oz for years with great relish and Masterchef USA ( a very second rate show – food and drama wise!) when Oz gets over and I really have nothing else to watch – sad state of affairs…and i kept dreaming about making this dish till……i finally did!
Tiny rice kozhakottais with rasam
4 cups rasam
¾ cups rice flour
1 cup plus 2 tbsp of water
1 tsp gingelly oil
1 fried curd chili crumbled (mor mozhaga/
majjiga mirapakaaya)- optional
½ tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp chana dal
1 tsp urad dal
1 large pinch jeera
1 large pinch hing pwd
½ green chilli – chopped
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Salt
Method: Heat oil in a pan and add mustard, wait till it splutters, add all the other ingredients except rice flour and water. Add water and salt (go easy with this coz the chilis are salted already) and pour in the rice flour, stirring all the while. Switch off and continue to stir till the rice forms a ball around the spoon. Let cool a bit and then shape into tiny balls – about the size of the small marbles (golis). Place in a greased colander and steam for 7-8 mins on high till soft but springy.
To serve, pour rasam in each bowl and add about 7-8 kozhakottais to each serving. Top with coriander and serve.
And if like me, you are an Andhra who can’t live without ‘skin potato’ curry, here’s a variation:
Scrub and cube potatoes (death to those who peel them!) and roast over a slow flame with just hing, turmeric, salt and chili powder till you get a crisp curry. That’s it! for the curry i mean. Add this curry into the rice mixture and then make balls and continue as you did before. You now have a gourmet Masterchef dish made from humble rice, potato and rasam. For those lazy bones who can’t be troubled with all this – plain rice and roast potato curry with rasam will do!! And don’t cry!
For those active bones who DID, in the elimination challenge – here’s a 9 on 10 from each of the judges and off you go to the balcony! Oh, i forgot to add – a wet Monday morning in Madras is an inspiration to laziness 😉