#saaru

Tomato Coriander Rasam / Saaru / Chaaru / Soup

Tomato Coriander Rasam / Saaru / Chaaru / Soup is a South Indian soup made with blended tomato, coriander leaves (Cilantro), tamarind paste along with other spices. It is very simple to make and is quite delicious. When you taste it, you will experience the rich tanginess. I love the added flavor from the blended tomato and fresh cilantro. Adding pepper powder really boosts the spice level. You…

Bele Saaru -Tempered Broth of Pigeon Peas and Tomatoes

One of the simplest and most gratifying sensations is the way you feel when you have a morsel of a modest combination of rice and bele saaru. Among the dals / lentils, pigeon peas is the most consumed in Kannada cooking. ‘Toor Dal’ or ‘tuvar dal’ in Hindi and ‘Togari bele’ in Kannada is a beautiful lentil which is a complete meal in itself when cooked and eaten with a little ghee, salt, lemon juice and rice. In fact, that’s a part of a child’s diet in our community until they are old enough to consume and digest complex foods.

When someone offers you ‘Dal-Chawal’ (lentils and rice), they’re making you an “offer you can’t refuse”. :) The Godfather reference aside, this divine combination has literally erased the class-divide in India. It is eaten by everyone and I can’t emphasize enough on the inclusiveness of the word - everyone.

Ajji’s saaru - A lost recipe

I have warm, loving memories associated with food and this recipe in particular. My grandmother, a devout Brahmin woman, for whom daily rituals came ahead of her own hunger, used to make a broth that was fit for the Gods. No, really! She was an extraordinary cook with years of experience handling tricky ingredients in smoke-filled, ill-planned kitchens. Her day started and ended in front of an earthen stove and she’d be cooking and feeding at least 8 people on any given day. She was tough and knew how to stretch a recipe. Her bele-saaru, was a watery concoction, diluted enough to cover the mounds of rice on everyone’s plates. Yet, it was delicious. We have spent many a summer day on her saaru-anna alone (lentil broth and rice). 

I have not been able to recreate that taste in all my years of cooking. None of my family members have. I have known my grandmother only through the food she used to make. She was never the affectionate kind. She’d keep us at arm’s distance and mind her own business - which was mostly cooking and offering prayers. She would discipline us to sit properly (cross-legged on the floor) and eat using our right hand only. I didn’t mind the impositions but I really wish she had shared the recipe with someone - a sister, an aunt, any one. She never did! She took it to the grave with her, that sand bag! (rolling eyes)

I can’t forget the taste of my grandmother’s bele saaru. But I have tried doing justice to bele-saaru, in general. I urge you to try this recipe for the sake of good old-fashioned family cooking. Feed that hungry, craving, monster with ladles full of wholesome tempered pigeon peas and tomatoes. Drown your rice in bele-saaru and tuppa (ghee / clarified butter). You deserve this pampering!

“Anna daata sukhi bhava!”

This is not just an ordinary Rasam / Chaaru / Saaru… but one made with fresh ingredients which is amazingly fast and easy to make. It is an effective remedy for cold, sore throat, and pollen allergies of early Spring. If you are craving a healing bowl of nutrients, this recipe serves as a soup or can be served along with steamed rice. (more…)

Some years ago, Kamini Mahadevan of Penguin approached me to write a book on “Sacred Food.”  At that time, I wasn’t ready to do it.

Some weeks ago, Sukumar, the editor of Mint, told me about this long-form platform they were launching and told me to write for it.  The multimedia digital platform is exciting.  I did my first voice over here.  They sent me a video and I memorized what I wanted to…