Rasam rice or Rasam Sadham is a nutritious South Indian style meal in which we mix Rasam and rice. Rasam is a common south Indian staple which is a thin broth that uses nourishing spices and herbs. It is everyday practice to mix rice and Rasam and enjoy it with some vegetable curry. That is what I call ultimate comfort.
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But today, I will share how to make an easy one pot Rasam Sadam with quinoa and brown rice. If you are not a fan of brown rice and quinoa, you can also make this dish with just regular Sona Masoori or Ponni rice.
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What is Rasam?
Rasam is a classic South Indian dish. This is a thin soup or broth made with tamarind, tomatoes and an aromatic spice blend called Rasam Powder that we specifically use for this dish.
My mom makes Rasam whenever I am sick or my tummy is just not okay. Since this is a very light dish, it is ideal when we have a gassy stomach or the flu. And anytime after indulging in elaborate and heavy meals, my family prefers this easy one pot Rasam Sadam the next day.
You will love this Rasam Sadam because
- It is vegan, gluten-free and can be made as zero-oil dish.
- It is just what you need for a cold day’s lunch.
- You can make this in moment’s notice and this requires zero baby-sitting.
- This dish is so forgiving. Just serve it with roasted Papads and you have a wholesome meal.
Ingredients
- Quinoa– I have used tricolor quinoa. You can use regular white quinoa as well.
- Brown rice– Regular brown Sona Masoori works wonderfully here in this recipe.
- Lentils– The choice of lentils here is Toor Dal. Soak the Toor Dal for 15 minutes in hot water before cooking. This expedites the cooking process.
- Tamarind paste– I have used store-bought tamarind paste. This is the easiest and quickest way to make this dish.
- Tomatoes– What is Rasam without tomatoes, eh? I have used fresh tomatoes but you can substitute this with 1/2 tbsp tomato paste in a pinch.
- Garlic & Green chili– We love the flavor of green chili in Rasam. Serrano peppers are great here. If you are not a fan, please skip. As for garlic, this is what makes the dish flavorful. I highly recommend it.
- Aromatics– Other than the homemade Rasam powder, I have used ground turmeric and freshly ground black pepper. Read on to find out how to make this dish without Rasam Powder.
No Rasam Powder?
No problem. Use a mixture of 1. 5 tsp ground coriander, 1/2 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp ground turmeric and 1/2 tsp ground black pepper. Works perfectly as a substitute for the Rasam spice blend. You can also use store-bought Rasam powder instead of homemade Rasam Powder here.
Instead of quinoa and brown rice,
You can also use regular white rice. Or just use only quinoa or only brown rice. This dish is very versatile. If you are using just regular Sona Masuri rice, then the cooking time is 15 mins followed by natural pressure release.
Serving Suggestions
Enjoy this one pot meal hot with a shallow-fried vegetable curry or a South Indian style Kootu or Thogayal. Here are some dishes that are just perfect with this one pot meal.
Variations
- Sattwic Rasam Sadam– Just skip the garlic in this recipe for a onion and garlic- free version of this recipe.
- Use Masoor instead of Toor Dal for a different tasting dish.
- More aromatics– Add grated ginger and some finely chopped lemon grass for a unique flavor.
Method
I will share how to make Rasam rice in pressure cooker and Instant Pot here.
Instant Pot method
Prep the lentils and carbs
Wash the lentils, brown rice and quinoa by placing them in a colander. Once washed, transfer to a mixing bowl. Add 2 cups water and soak this for 15 minutes.
Cooking time and mode
Insert the inner pot into the Instant Pot. Add the tomatoes, garlic, green chili, ground turmeric and Rasam Powder along with salt.
Drain the water from the soaked mixture of quinoa, rice and lentils.
Add this to the pot along with the tamarind paste and salt. Tip in 2 cups water and stir well to combine. Tip in finely chopped cilantro leaves.
Ensure that the sealing ring has been inserted properly into the Instant Pot lid. Now, close the Instant Pot and turn the VALVE to SEALING.
Plug in the Instant pot and choose PRESSURE COOK MODE ( Manual in older models) on HIGH PRESSURE. Set the timer to 15 minutes.
Allow cooking cycle to complete fully. When the cooking cycle is complete, wait for the pressure to release naturally. It takes roughly 20 to 25 minutes for natural pressure release.
Once the pressure releases, open and gently mix the cooked mixture. Now, you can serve the dish at this stage if you want a zero-oil dish. Or you can temper and serve too.
Tempering
To temper this, heat a small pan with cold-pressed sesame oil. Add 1 tsp mustard seeds and when they pop, add 1 tsp cumin seeds and freshly cracked black pepper.
As soon as the cumin seeds begin to crackle, add some fresh curry leaves and immediately add the tempering to the dish. Mix well and garnish with more freshly chopped cilantro leaves. Serve hot.
On the day I made this, I did not have any curry leaves. This is why you cannot spot them in the picture.
Pressure cooker Rasam Sadam
You can make this is a regular stove-top pressure cooker too. To a 3 liter deep pressure cooker, add the tomatoes, green chili, garlic, ground turmeric, Rasam powder, salt, tamarind paste, chopped cilantro and soaked quinoa, lentils & brown rice.
Add water and stir well to combine. Pressure cook on medium flame for 4 whistles. Wait for the pressure to release naturally.
Once the pressure releases, open and serve as is. Or temper with mustard seeds, cumin seeds and curry leaves as mentioned under the Instant Pot method. Serve hot.
More Rasam Recipes
If you love Rasam like me or are looking to experiment with more variations, then check out these Rasam recipes.
Easy Rasam Rice
Equipment
- Instant Pot
- Pan
- ladle
Ingredients
- 1 cup chopped tomatoes can be substituted with 1 tbsp tomato paste or 1/2 cup canned diced tomatoes.
- 1 green chili slit
- 4 cloves garlic peeled
- 1/4 cup Toor dal
- 1/2 cup Brown rice
- 1/4 cup Quinoa Read blog post for more details
- 1 tsp tamarind paste
- 3/4 tsp turmeric poweder
- 1 tsp Rasam powder
- 1.5 tsp Kosher salt or to taste
- 2 cups water
Tempering
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 10 curry leaves
Garnish
- 1 tbsp finely chopped cilantro leaves
Instructions
Soaking
- Place the quinoa, brown rice and Toor Dal in a colander.
- Wash well under running water.
- Transfer to a mixing bowl and add 2 cups water.
- Soak this for 15 minutes.
Cooking Time and Mode
- Insert the inner pot into the Instant Pot.
- Add the tomatoes, green chili, garlic, Rasam powder, turmeric powder to the pot.
- Drain the water completely from the quinoa mixture.
- Now, add the salt, tamarind paste and the quinoa mixture.
- Add 2 cups water to this.
- Stir well to combine.
- Ensure that the sealing ring has been fitted properly into the Instant Pot lid.
- Close the Instant pot and turn the valve to SEALING.
- Plug in the Instant Pot and choose PRESSURE COOK MODE ON HIGH PRESSURE FOR 15 MINUTES.
- Allow the cooking cycle to complete fully.
- When the cooking cycle is complete, wait for the pressure to release naturally.
- Once done, open and mix well.
- Garnish with finely chopped cilantro leaves and serve as is if you want a zero-oil version of this dish. Or proceed to tempering
Tempering
- Heat a small pan with sesame oil.
- Add the mustard seeds and when they pop, tip in the cumin seeds and pepper.
- When the cumin seeds crackle, add the curry leaves.
- Immediately, transfer the tempering to the cooked rice.
- Mix well.
- Garnish with finely chopped cilantro leaves and serve hot.
Notes
- Instant pot timings vary based on your geographic location. The IP takes longer to come to pressure if you live in a high altitude place.
- The nutrition facts are provided here as a courtesy and are not an accurate representation. Please do due diligence by consulting a certified nutrition expert if you have any health concerns.
- Your Toor dal may not cook well if they are old. If you are using older lentils, increase the soaking time to 30 minutes.
- You can add more water to adjust the consistency if you like it more gooey.
- The fresh tomatoes can be substituted with 1 tbsp tomato paste or 1/2 cup canned diced tomatoes.
For Instant Pot & Air Fryer Recipes
Instant Pot timings may vary based on your geographic location. Air fryer settings and timings may vary based on the capacity and the model of the Air fryer.
Disclaimer
Nutrition values are provided here as a courtesy and are only a rough guide. Please consult a health care provider if you have any concerns.
Nutrition
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Just a note- in the recipe above it doesn’t mention turmeric powder in the ingredients but says to add it in the instructions. How much?
Also, there is not mention of adding water in the instructions/recipe above either, except for the rinsing water for the lentil mixture. You mention adding all of the other ingredients and then sealing and pressure cooking, but you don’t mention adding water. I did find the water mention above in the post under the “pressure cooker” method, but would be good to add it to the actual recipe so that no one tries pressure cooking without liquid which could be dangerous.
Thanks! I am making this right now and will let you know how it turns out
Hi Karin, thank you for the heads up. I have no clue how I missed adding it in the recipe card. Updated the recipe card now. You will need 3/4 tsp turmeric powder for this recipe.