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Ginger Rasam

I am an insomiac. Actully when I am pissed off and under a lot of stress I can’t sleep so I am chilling now by writing out this recipe while listening to Dash Radio which is an internet radio station and you can tune in it via your browser or through an app on either Apple or Google Play Stores. This depends on the the type of OS meaning operating system you have. I am on my macbook air right now and tuning in via Google Chrome. No this is not a plug for this particular site. I love the Pure Soul station on this site because these songs are timeless and they are the soundtrack of my life. It is a way to write a post so I do not doze off because of sheer boredom. Oh I forgot you can listen to it on Roku player too. That you can download the app in to your Roku player also.

Everything is great with good food and music, right?? First of all make the rasam masala in the 4th line of this post here,< My Mixed Dal Rasam> from here you set this aside after you make it in a mortar and pestle. In a stovetop pressure cooker or instant pot add 1 oz of either corn or safflower oil. For instant pot turn on sautè for 10 minutes and stovetop pressure cooker is high heat on stovetop.

Rinse and soak 1 cup of toor dal for 1 hour before using. For both methods Add 3 curry leaves, 1 pinch each of hing, fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds and cumin seeds whole. Let them crackle. Add 1 pinch each of pink salt, red chili powder, paprika, turmeric and stir. Add the contents of the mortar and pestle which is the rasam masala, 1 pinch of tamarind, 1 whole round or long red chili crushed, 1 medium piece of ginger minced, 1 tomato chopped. Be sure to wash them before using. and cook until tomato turns mushy.

Add the soaked toor dal, 1 liter or 1 quart of water to either the instant pot or stovetop pressure cooker. Stir and the instant pot should have shut off. When it is on sautè function after it becomes hot then it will start counting down and you will have to look for this while using this function. If it is not off then select cancel and then select pressure cook for 20 minutes with the pressure cook lid on the sealing position. Here you can walk away and do something else unlike the stovetop one you have to keep an eye on it.

Now for stovetop you will have to wait for the button to pop up while it is still on high heat to build up the pressure and set external timer for 20 minutes. You may reduce heat to medium high which will keep up with the pressure in the pot. After time is up just shut the heat off and wait for the pressure to release on its own. This may take as little as 10 minutes and please do not rush this. These things can be very dangerous. With the instant pot you can place the steam diverter and tap the quick release button. For both carefully open the lid to check the dal to see if it has softened. If not then you can repeat for another 20 minutes and then if you wish you can use an immersion blender to make sure the rasam is a smooth consistancy. Add 1 pinch of cilantro and serve with rice, quinoa or millet.

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