BETEL LEAVES RASAM RECIPE / VETHALAI RASAM – BETEL LEAVES RECIPES

Today I have for you all an easy peasy flavorful ” Betel leaves Rasam / Veeledele Leaves Rasam ” a great dish to tickle your taste buds and an excellent home remedy for indigestion vows. If you are fighting that guilt of overindulgence / suffering from indigestion/craving for some simple comfort food … this betel leaves rasam is perfect for it. It’s unique .. easy .. simple and full of flavours.

Rasam is the most popular south Indian accompaniment which pairs nicely with rice as well as soup/appetizer. There are many types of rasam one can make. I have shared before Udupi rasam, Jack fruit seeds rasam, Pudina rasam, pepper rasam etc and today the chosen one is Beetel leaves Rasam.

Beetel leaves are called as veeledele in Kannada and are a must for any auspicious occasions be it for wedding, festival, pooja etc. It is a part of tambula/ kalasa during those rituals. They are not only auspicious .. but healthy too.  Betel leaves along with chuna is given to new lactating moms everyday post-lunch as it aids in milk production. They aid in digestion, good for weight loss, cold cough, oral health and diabetes too ..no wonder these heart-shaped leaves are part of our age-old tradition since long.

Apart from consuming them in the form of paan .. one can make a few dishes too out of it like Paan laddu, Betel leaves Rice and today’s recipe Betel leaves rasam are few such examples.

Few simple points to note while this Betel Rasam are as follows :

• Instead of  hing .. you can add few garlic flakes
• If you want you can add 1-2 tbsp cooked tuvar dal too .
• If the betel leaves are too matured .. discard the thick centre stem of the leaf . Else rasam might turn little bitter .

So next time you have few betel leaves in hand, Do try once n I’m damn sure.. you will like it…

BETEL LEAVES RASAM RECIPE / VETHALAI RASAM - BETEL LEAVES RECIPES

Smitha Kalluraya

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Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Ingredients

 

• 6-7 nos Betel leaves / Paan leaves / Veeledele
• 1 medium size tomato
• 1/4 tsp Turmeric / Haldi powder  
• small marble size Tamarind
• 1/2 tsp Jaggery
• few Coriander leaves
• Salt to taste

To Roast and Powder ( Masala )

• 2 tbsp Toor Dal / split pigeon pea
• 1 tsp Coriander Seeds Dhania
• 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds / jeera seeds
• 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
• 3-5 Red chilies, ( depending on your pref )

To Temper

• 1-2 tsp Ghee / oil
• 1 tsp Mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds / jeera seeds
• a pinch Hing /Asafetida
• few Curry Leaves

Instructions

 

• Wash the betel leaves nicely. Try to pick medium or young leaf .
  
• Take out the top stem part and the roughly chop the leaves .
  
• Finely chop tomatoes . Soak tamarind in warm water . Extract its pulp. .
• Transfer chopped tomato into the cooking vessel . Add some water , turmeric and keep to boil.Let the flame be medium .
  
• Add a tsp of oil to a small kadai and add all the ingredients mentioned under " to roast " . Fry till dal gets golden brown and chillies are crisp .
  
• Add roughly chopped betel leaves and saute for 2-3 mins so that the raw smell of it reduces a bit . Switch off and allow to cool .
  
• Once they comes to room temperature , powder them in a mixer .
• Once tomatoes are half cooked , add tamarind pulp , salt and powdered masala to it . Add water depending on your preferred choice of consistency . Mix well . Allow the rasam to boil well on medium flame . taste test .
• Once the rasam gets boiled nicely , switch off . Prepare a tempering . Heat a tsp of ghee, add mustard seeds and cumin seeds .When mustard splutters add a pinch of hing , curry leaves and switch off. Pour it over the rasam. Garnish with coriander leaves .
  
• Serve piping hot Betel leaves Rasam with hot steaming rice or sip it as a soup or as a yummy tonic for your indigestion / cold & cough.