Orange Neem flower Rasam / Orange Vephampoo Rasam

 

I have not planned to make this rasam. Mandarin oranges which I bought from the grocery store were too sour and we were able to enjoy those little ones. Initially I thought of making orange marmalade but I dropped that idea as I did not want to use any sugar. Finally I decided to make a spicy healthy rasam using these oranges.  The sourness of these oranges perfectly substituted in this rasam and I didnt need to use any tamarind at all.  Addition of neem flowers to this rasam makes it even more balanced in taste. Nowadays, I like to add neem flowers in all my rasams as they are very good for treating stomach related problems, for treating intestinal worms, etc.,  Totally, this rasam contains the mixed taste of all the healthy ingredients and its an excellent Vitamin C booster.

Our family enjoys a cup of rasam daily as an appetizer, including my kids which in turn triggers me to try out different varieties of rasam. After I tasted, I see a slight resemblance between this rasam and pineapple rasam. With a side of  potato fry or hot rice, it tasted heavenly. Try this rasam in your kitchen and let me know your feedback. 

Ingredients

Orange Juice of  15 little Mandarins

Tomato - 2 medium

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Rasam powder - 2 tsp

Salt - As required

Water - As required

Toor dal water - 1/2 cup ( Optional )

Coriander leaves - To Garnish

For Seasoning 

Ghee - 1/2 tbsp

Hing - 1 Dash

Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp

Cumin seeds / jeera - 1 tsp

Dry red chili - 1

Black pepper powder - 1 tsp

Cumin powder - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - 3 or 4

Dried neem flower - 1 tbsp

Preparation Process

• Peel the Mandarin oranges and extract the juice using a blender. Filter the pulp and keep the orange juice ready. Crush the tomatoes in the blender and keep the tomato pulp ready.
• In the cooking vessel, add half a cup of water,tomato pulp, turmeric powder,rasam powder,salt and little hing. Close the lid and allow them to cook for few minutes till the raw smell goes off.
• Add the orange juice into the vessel and allow them to cook for a minute on low flame. Add required amount of water as per your consistency. Do not boil the rasam after you add the orange juice.
• Start the seasoning on a separate tadka pan on its side. Add all the ingredients for seasoning in the tadka pan. When its done, pour the tadka over the rasam.
• Garnish it with coriander leaves.
• Switch off the flame.
• Enjoy with hot rice and a nice veggie fry of your choice. 

Tips

• Do not boil the rasam after you add the orange juice. Switch off the flame after a minute and let the orange juice gets cooked with the existing heat.
• I prefer to add little black pepper powder, cumin powder in the tadka. This definitely adds more flavour and punch to the rasam. This is my mom's method of seasoning especially for rasams.