Recipe courtesy of Aarti Sequeira
Pumpkin-Tamarind Soup with Crispy Curry Leaves (Rasam)
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- Level: Intermediate
- Total: 1 hr 30 min (includes cooling time)
- Active: 1 hr
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 6 servings
- Calories
- 389
- Total Fat
- 33 g
- Saturated Fat
- 7 g
- Carbohydrates
- 23 g
- Dietary Fiber
- 6 g
- Sugar
- 5 g
- Protein
- 5 g
- Cholesterol
- 0 mg
- Sodium
- 949 mg
Rasam is a soup traditional to the south of India, from where I hail. It’s served in multiple ways. My favorite is in small cups or bowls at the beginning of the meal. With its peppery, fiery bite, this brothy soup is meant to open up the sinuses and prime the system to digest the rich meal ahead (which makes it perfect for a traditional American holiday meal!). My mum would also make rasam whenever we felt the sniffles coming on, because the combination of spices in the rasam masala (masala means spice mix) sent the sniffles running! Ours was tomato-based, but the addition of pumpkin adds a delightful sweetness that I adore. You can serve it in small mugs alongside a little white rice to sooth the palate if you like.
- Level: Intermediate
- Total: 1 hr 30 min (includes cooling time)
- Active: 1 hr
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 6 servings
- Calories
- 389
- Total Fat
- 33 g
- Saturated Fat
- 7 g
- Carbohydrates
- 23 g
- Dietary Fiber
- 6 g
- Sugar
- 5 g
- Protein
- 5 g
- Cholesterol
- 0 mg
- Sodium
- 949 mg
Ingredients
Squash:
Rasam Masala:
Soup:
Tadka (“Crunchies”):
Directions
Special equipment:
a spice grinder- For the squash: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (400 degrees F convection).
- Drizzle the kabocha squash cubes generously with avocado oil in a bowl, then sprinkle well with salt and pepper. Arrange on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, and roast for 30 minutes until tender and just starting to brown. Remove and turn off the oven.
- For the rasam masala: While the squash is roasting, toast the coriander, cumin, peppercorns, fenugreek, black mustard, turmeric, chiles and curry leaves in a skillet until fragrant. Cool on a large plate. Grind to a fine powder in a spice grinder. Store in an airtight container.
- For the soup: Drop the roasted squash, tomatoes, tamarind paste, garlic, curry leaves and a good pinch of salt into a large Dutch oven. Add the hot water. Set over high heat and bring to a boil, then turn down the heat to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon rasam powder, as much freshly ground black pepper as you like and the jaggery (or brown sugar; save the remaining rasam powder for another use). Simmer for another 5 minutes.
- In batches if necessary, blend the soup until smooth, adding more hot water if necessary to reach the desired consistency. Return to the Dutch oven, then stir in the coconut milk. Taste and season according to your palate. Keep warm.
- For the tadka: Heat the avocado oil in a small skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the cumin seeds and mustard seeds; they should immediately start to sizzle. Add the almonds and pepitas, stirring and cooking until they just start to brown. Quickly add the garlic and curry leaves. Cook until the garlic starts to brown, then immediately remove from the heat. Either pour over the top of the whole soup, or pour over individual bowls of soup. Serve immediately!
