1,000 Ways to Love Rasam
October 8, 2020 11:52 AM Subscribe
The simplicity of a rasam is a decoy for its depth. At first sip, you may only discern the faint sweetness of a ripe tomato. Then comes the punch of tamarind. You reel momentarily from this affront, but you will soon be soothed by the nutty richness of mustard seeds fried in ghee—called the thalippu, or tempering that crowns this trellis of flavor. For eons, South Indians of all stripes have claimed an intimate understanding of rasam, a broth (not unlike a stock) that teases complexity out of even the most minimal ingredients.Rasam Digest, an encyclopedic book by Usha Prabhakaran, is set to give the ancient, versatile, culture-melding dish its due.
Depending on how you make it, this versatile brew can serve a number of culinary and social functions. Lightly spiced and mixed with mushy, overcooked rice, it becomes the perfect weaning food. Bolstered with an extra dash of ginger and pepper, it is an instant fix for an itchy throat. Cooked slowly and garnished with fresh cream, it acquires the opulence of festive food.More about Usha and Usha's Pickle Digest:
Yet, despite its treasured place in South Indian home cooking, rasam is rarely celebrated outside of that context. Usha Prabharakan, a 64-year-old cookbook author based in Chennai, decided to change that. In 1999, when her first cookbook, Usha’s Pickle Digest—a cult classic that features 1,000 recipes for Indian pickles—was still with the printers, she began laying the foundation for her second book: one that would document an equally staggering variety of rasams. Two decades later, after a five-year hiatus owing to serious health challenges, her forthcoming book, Usha’s Rasam Digest, is nearly complete.
Goya Journal: Usha’s Pickle Digest for Lessons in Living through a Pandemic
LA Times: Indian pickling Q&A: It’s all about salt, oil and spices
New York Times: India’s ‘Pickle Queen’ Preserves Everything, Including the Past
The News Minute: Usha's Pickle Digest: How a TN woman wrote the ultimate guide for fans of the condiment
The Irish Times: Cult cookery book by India’s ‘pickle queen’ becomes a worldwide hit
In hopes that people will feel inspired to link to their favorite rasam recipes, here are some of my favorites (all by Suvir Saran or based on one of his recipes):posted by Lexica at 11:53 AM on October 8, 2020 [2 favorites]
Wow, I don't think I've ever misread a title as badly as I did this one.
posted by riotnrrd at 12:05 PM on October 8, 2020 [4 favorites]
posted by riotnrrd at 12:05 PM on October 8, 2020 [4 favorites]
I love very in-depth cookbooks, so this looks great.
posted by tofu_crouton at 1:03 PM on October 8, 2020
posted by tofu_crouton at 1:03 PM on October 8, 2020
Same, riotnrrd! Anyhow - this is so great! I think I know what the mystery soup at Udupi Palace is and I have wondered because it's so simple and good!
posted by freebird at 1:46 PM on October 8, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by freebird at 1:46 PM on October 8, 2020 [1 favorite]
I bought Usha's Pickle Digest after reading this thread, and have not regretted it. (Thanks, indianbadger1!)
posted by zamboni at 1:54 PM on October 8, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by zamboni at 1:54 PM on October 8, 2020 [2 favorites]
Oh yes, oh yes. To think that I didn't have that pickle book either. Well that's rectified.
posted by atrazine at 1:59 PM on October 8, 2020
posted by atrazine at 1:59 PM on October 8, 2020
I actually had a lovely email exchange with Usha about ten years ago when trying to get a copy of the pickle digest in the US, she mentioned working on the rasam book at the time but I had forgotten all about it. Thanks for this post!
posted by cali at 2:26 PM on October 8, 2020
posted by cali at 2:26 PM on October 8, 2020
Wow what a pleasant shock to see a post on Rasam here on Mefi!! Thanks! I’ll be getting the book.
posted by dhruva at 3:39 PM on October 8, 2020
posted by dhruva at 3:39 PM on October 8, 2020
A few weeks ago, faced with surfeit of tomatoes passed on to me by gardener friends, I turned about 20 lbs of tomatoes into a very tomatoey pepper-and-garlic rasam for all these people (plus tons of extra for me, much of it frozen). It's been a huge hit: one of my friends shared half her portion with her 82 yr old mother ... who has gone on to make it for herself twice more with the tomatoes from her own garden. Rasam for all!! Moarrrrr!
posted by MiraK at 4:40 PM on October 8, 2020 [4 favorites]
posted by MiraK at 4:40 PM on October 8, 2020 [4 favorites]
A minor point that might help someone else -- the pickle digest is dense with information and densely printed, and I find the Amazon ebook version hard to read (can't reflow it, etc.). I recommend the hardcopy.
posted by clew at 5:22 PM on October 8, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by clew at 5:22 PM on October 8, 2020 [3 favorites]
Don’t expect Ten Speed Press fanciness, however- the hard copy I got looks exactly how you would imagine a print on demand version of a self published book from the late 90s would look. It’s glorious.
posted by zamboni at 5:59 PM on October 8, 2020
posted by zamboni at 5:59 PM on October 8, 2020
This is great! I have a ton of tomatoes this fall and had rasam recipes bookmarked, but got tripped up at the asafetida, which isn't an ingredient I know where to look for or can imagine the flavor profile of. I'm sure I can find it online, though, so maybe this post is the motivation I need...
posted by deludingmyself at 6:30 PM on October 8, 2020
posted by deludingmyself at 6:30 PM on October 8, 2020
Asafoetida is usually available at Indian / South Asian grocers. But a little goes a long way and it lasts well in the cupboard, so you may find it offered online. As far as flavour profile... it’s *exceptionally* funky.
posted by sixswitch at 6:55 PM on October 8, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by sixswitch at 6:55 PM on October 8, 2020 [2 favorites]
I've never heard of rasam but it sounds amazing - every one of those recipes looks like something I'd eat like gangbusters (tomatoes, tamarind, broth - what's not to like??). I'm not sure I have it in me to try making it just at the moment, but I'm definitely bookmarking many of the recipes above for some future day when cooking something new to me sounds like fun again. It'll come.
posted by DingoMutt at 10:36 PM on October 8, 2020
posted by DingoMutt at 10:36 PM on October 8, 2020
I'm looking forward to this book... a lot. Mrs. Usha Prabakaran's Pickle Digest is a remarkable book and is well worth your time even if you only have a passing interest in Indian pickles.
posted by Ashwagandha at 5:19 AM on October 9, 2020
posted by Ashwagandha at 5:19 AM on October 9, 2020
On the topic of regional Indian recipes that you won't find in restaurants (not even if the restaurant is in India) because they're made in kitchens, in homes, here's a really great article I read about how Shraaddha (upper caste hindu mourning/death rituals) meals are a window into "authentic" cooking using ingredients that are native to the subcontinent. So for instance, Shraaddha meals do not include any tomatoes, potatoes, or chili peppers. All those ingredients which have now become central to what we all consider Indian cuisine (and no Indian kitchen can do without) are 18th century-ish imports from South America, Central America, Europe, etc.
Bonus: here's a recipe site I use because this is EXACTLY the taste of my grandmother's and mother's cooking. Again, I've never seen 90% of these dishes anywhere but a kitchen, and specifically a hindu brahmin kannada kitchen of my specific sub-caste. I'm so glad that this lady who knows the exact flavors of my childhood was able to put the recipes up on the internet. If anyone wants to try these out, here are a couple of the most specific-to-my-region-and-caste recipes:
1. Bitter Gourd Gojju (concentrated 'reduction sauce' of bitter gourd, tamarind, and jaggery) -- not quite an 'accessible' dish, imo, very complex and one needs to develop a taste for it. But if you're looking for exotic, this is it.
2. Vegetable Kootu (dill, peanuts, and root vegetables in a coconut and lentil curry) - very 'accessible' and easy to eat.
posted by MiraK at 7:09 AM on October 9, 2020 [2 favorites]
Bonus: here's a recipe site I use because this is EXACTLY the taste of my grandmother's and mother's cooking. Again, I've never seen 90% of these dishes anywhere but a kitchen, and specifically a hindu brahmin kannada kitchen of my specific sub-caste. I'm so glad that this lady who knows the exact flavors of my childhood was able to put the recipes up on the internet. If anyone wants to try these out, here are a couple of the most specific-to-my-region-and-caste recipes:
1. Bitter Gourd Gojju (concentrated 'reduction sauce' of bitter gourd, tamarind, and jaggery) -- not quite an 'accessible' dish, imo, very complex and one needs to develop a taste for it. But if you're looking for exotic, this is it.
2. Vegetable Kootu (dill, peanuts, and root vegetables in a coconut and lentil curry) - very 'accessible' and easy to eat.
posted by MiraK at 7:09 AM on October 9, 2020 [2 favorites]
If you are going to get the Rasam and Pickle books; might as well go all the way of comprehensive books and get the Dosai compendium (100 dosai recipes) by Chandra Padmanabhan( the author of what is in my opinion the BEST introduction to TamBram food: Dakshin), for eating with the rasam and pickles!!
If you prefer a more comprehensive, albeit badly edited (no Index) book that is more comprehensive of South Indian food (includes all the southern states of India); try Southern Flavors.
These are my go to for taste of what I grew up eating.
ETA: You're welcome @Zamboni. Glad you are enjoying pickling, the South Indian way
posted by indianbadger1 at 10:36 AM on October 9, 2020 [1 favorite]
If you prefer a more comprehensive, albeit badly edited (no Index) book that is more comprehensive of South Indian food (includes all the southern states of India); try Southern Flavors.
These are my go to for taste of what I grew up eating.
ETA: You're welcome @Zamboni. Glad you are enjoying pickling, the South Indian way
posted by indianbadger1 at 10:36 AM on October 9, 2020 [1 favorite]
Wow, I don't think I've ever misread a title as badly as I did this one.
Same, riotnrrd!
I am very curious what y'all misread this as!
posted by MiraK at 2:14 PM on October 9, 2020
Same, riotnrrd!
I am very curious what y'all misread this as!
posted by MiraK at 2:14 PM on October 9, 2020
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