Rasam With Dry coconut

Ingredients:

Grated Dry coconut (copra)- ¼ cup

Milk - 250 ml

Water – 350 ml

Cumin seeds (jeera) – 1 tea spoon

Coriander seeds (dhania) – 1 tea spoon

Mustard seeds – ¼ spoon

Black pepper – ¼ spoon

Black gram – 1 tea spoon

Dry Red chilli – 4 (according to taste)

Asafetida – 1 pinch

Curry leaves – 10-15

Finely chopped Coriander leaves – ¼ cup

Jaggery - ½ lemon size
Turmeric- 1 pinch

Pure ghee – 2 tea spoon

Salt to taste

Method:

Heat a small wok. Put ½ tea spoon of ghee to it. Fry black gram, ¾ tea spoon cumin seeds (jeera), 1 spoon coriander seeds (dhania), dry red chillies and pepper, in low flame till black gram turns golden brown in color. Allow this to cool.
Transfer the fried ingredients to small mixer jar, add grated dry coconut and blend this to a smooth paste adding water.

Now place a thick bottomed vessel on stove and heat it. Pour remaining ghee to it. Add ¼ tea spoon jeera, ¼ spoon mustard seeds, curry leaves, turmeric and asafetida to warmed ghee. When jeera and mustard seeds splutter, add prepared dry coconut masala paste to this and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add water to fried masala and stir well to avoid lumping. Add jaggery and simmer the flame.

When it starts boiling, pour milk and stir . Allow the rasam to boil. Add salt and coriander leaves when milk mixed rasam boils well.

This rasam can be eaten with rice or can be used as soup in winter season.
Persons who are on weight loss program can use sunflower oil instead of ghee.

Precaution: Add salt only when the whole rasam along with milk boils well. Or else the milk will get curdled.