Watermelon Rasam | Tharpoosani Rasam | How to make Watermelon Rasam at home | South Indian Style Watermelon Soup | Stepwise Pictures

Hi Supermoms,

First of all, I want to thank all my readers for showering so much of affection for my cooking. My happiness triples when you send pictures of the recipes you have tried at home from my blog.  I had recently posted a video of the watermelon rasam in FB page and your overwhelming response has thrilled me to post this recipe over many other pending recipes. 

I have earlier shared a lot about 'Rasam' and it's importance in every South Indian meal. Regular readers know that I make rasam atleast 4 days a week.  I cook our traditional family rasam recipes as well my very own variations. To make 'Rasam' as exciting as  'Sambar' is my ultimate aim.  

Using fruits in rasam is considered 'sophisticated' and also gives a different  dimension to the traditional rasam. Some fruits are amazingly suited for Rasam making with their juices (Ras) having the right amount of sweetness, sourness and tangy twists to make the Rasam experience, appetising. Pineapple Rasam is very popular in Tamil Weddings. While we are on the topic of  "fruity recipes" feel free to try my Strawberry Kara Kuzhambu and Gooseberry Rasam and tell me about your experience.

While I was doing a research on "fruity recipes" I had came across a video of Mountbatten Mani Iyer's Watermelon Rasam. Summer is fast arriving and the markets are filling up with fresh, juicy watermelons and this gave me inspiration to create my version of "Watermelon Rasam". Since I know, my foodie family likes their rasam to be more spicy and tangy and less sweet. So, I have tweaked the recipe to make it more popular with my family. I can assure you that  I've got approval from them, and so  you can confidently go ahead with my recipe. 

Watermelon Rasam | Tharpoosani Rasam :

Preparation time : 5 minutes

Cooking time : 15 minutes

Serves : 4

1 Cup = 250 ml

Ingredients :

2 cups fresh watermelon juice ( remove seeds, puree and strain)

3 cups lentil/tuvar dal juice ( boil 3 tablespoon dal with turmeric , mash and add water)

1 & 1/2 tablespoon rasam powder 

1/8 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon peppercorns ( powdered coarsely using pestle and mortar)

1 teaspoon jeera /cumin seeds (powdered coarsely using pestle and mortar)

1 teaspoon coriander seeds/dhania ( powdered coarsely using pestle and mortar)

10-15 mint leaves ( tear roughly)

juice of half a lemon ( 1 teaspoon approximately)

salt to taste

For tempering :

1 teaspoon ghee

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 dry red chilli ( halved)

1 sprig curry leaves ( tear roughly)

pinch of asafoetida

Method:

1. Heat a vessel or kadai with the 3 cups of diluted tuvar dal/pigeon peas juice.

Tip: Add turmeric to the dal before cooking.Make sure that the dal is well cooked and mashed completely. You can also use moong dal for this recipe and it tastes equally good.

2. Add the rasam powder, salt  and let it simmer over low flame for 5 minutes.

3. Now, add the extracted watermelon juice and mint leaves.

4. Cook over low flame for another 5 minutes or till the time the rasam starts to froth in the sides.

5. Freshly grind the pepper, dhania and jeera and add it to the rasam.

6. Taste and adjust salt and spice .

7. Switch off and squeeze the lemon juice.

8. Heat a ladle with ghee and temper with ingredients given under 'for tempering' in the order given.

9. Pour it into the rasam.

Your amazing 'Watermelon Rasam' is ready to be served with steaming hot rice.

Chef Tips:

1. You can add more rasam powder if you want more spice.

2. The sweetness of the watermelon greatly influences the final taste of this rasam. So first taste the fruit and then decide the amount of sweetness or sourness your family will like.

3. When you grind jeera, peppercorns and dhania, grind them separately to release their flavours. Alternatively, you can use a dry powder grinder to grind this mixture even finely.

4. Do not boil the rasam too much after you have added the watermelon juice. Frothing on the sides and the centre is an indication to switch off.

5. I have used the chettinad rasam powder, but you can use any rasam powder. 

You can also try Paruppu Urundai Rasam, Village Style Milagu Rasam and Brinjal Rasam, if you are looking for more rasam recipes.

Happy Cooking !

With love,

Masterchefmom