Vethalai Rasam – Betel Leaves Rasam – Rasam Varieites

Vethalai Rasam is a flavourful & healthy rasam variety. Vethalai in tamil or Betel leaves in English has a lot of health benefits. It is rich in calcium and is helpful in curing cold and cough, which is the need of the hour now. Am no Doctor here, but just to remind that a lot of our Indian spices have medicinal values. With or without knowing we have been consuming it all these years. Vethalai also aids in digestion, no wonder it is served in marriages after a heavy meal. Now lets get to the healthy Betel Leaves Rasam recipe. Do try my Orange Rasam too.

Here is the video..

Now to the recipe..

[Preparation Time-15 mins : Cooking Time- 10 mins]

Vethalai Rasam Ingredients:

• Vethalai – 2
• Tomato – 1
• Salt – as needed
• Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp

To grind:

• Pepper – 1 tbsp
• Coriander seeds – 1 tsp
• Jeera/Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
• Garlic – 2 cloves

To Temper:

• Ghee – 1 tbsp
• Mustard – 1 tsp
• Jeera – 1/2 tsp
• Fenugreek seeds – 1/4 tsp
• Asafoetida – a generous pinch
• Red chilli – 1

Method:

• Take pepper, coriander, jeera & garlic in a mixer and grind it coarsely. Keep this aside.

• Take vethalai/betel leaves. Wash it and remove the stem part from it. Grind it along with tomato into a fine paste.

• Take the ground paste in a pan. Add required water to adjust consistency or as preferred. Add salt to it and mix well.

• Add turmeric powder to it and mix well. Start heating it on medium flame. Once it starts boiling and turns frothy, reduce the flame.

• Add the crushed pepper mixture to it and mix. Heat until it starts to boil and is frothy. Switch off the flame. Finally heat a pan with ghee and temper with the ingredients mentioned above. Transfer it to the rasam.

Thats it! Flavourful and healthy Vethalai Rasam ready!

Serve hot.

Tips:

1. Choose fresh and bright green betel leaves. The dark ones might taste bitter.
2. I used 2 medium sized betel leaves. Use accordingly.
3. U can add 1 green chilli while grinding.
4. I have not used curry leaves or coriander leaves here as I wanted the betel leaves flavour to dominate.
5. U can add 2 tbsps of cooked toor dal to the rasam.

– By Sundari Nathan