I really can't believe that we are in the letter 'T' already ! I feel like we have just started this A-Z theme based marathon and we have already into the third week !
Anyways, for the letter 'T' I made a simple eggless Tutti Frutti cake .But there are already a few recipes posted by my fellow marathoners, so I have pushed it to the drafts and posting this herbal rasam instead......
I usually buy vegetables and fruits from the farmer's market near my house and once day when I came out of that campus, an elderly person had spread a while cloth on the ground and sat behind it. In front of him, on the cloth were small packets of some greens.
As a foodie, it is only natural that I go and ask him what it was and he promptly replied that it is 'Thooduvalai'. I have heard about this greens many times but never seen it before. So was tempted to buy a pack which cost INR 10.
After handing over a packet, he even told me how to prepare rasam with it and started explaining the health benefits of this leaf! I just realized that an elderly person from the village side, had more knowledge about the healthy stuff than we people living in the cities!
I have been to the farmer's market sever times after that trip and I don't see him there. Maybe comes on those days that I on;t go there or he was there just for that day so that I could buy a pack and try this healthy rasam!
T - Thoodhivalai Rasam / Herbal Rasam
Theme - Misc
Thoodhuvalai leaf looks like this....
And it had plenty of thorns...Can you see them in them in the circled area...
Thooduvalai leaves can be made into chutney/ dip, Kashayam / tonic , Gravy, Powder / spice mixes,soup , dosa etc.The most popular recipe is this rasam.
The other names include -
- Solanum Trilobalum,
- Purple fruited pea eggplant,
- Thai nightshade
- Mothiringnee [Marathi]
- Thooduvalai [Tamil]
- Achuda /agnidamani / Alarka [Sanskrit]
- Tudavalam [Malayalam]
- Alarkapatramu / Kondavuchinta / Mullamusti[Telugu]
- Kakamunji / Ambusondeballi [Kannada]
- Bryhoti[Oriya]
This is a creeper plant and has small bluish-purple flowers.It is used extensively as a herbal medicine.All the parts - leaves, root and flowers are used.
The properties are...
- It is used to treat sore throat, cold and cough
- This plant contains natural steroids.
- It is said have anti microbial,anti fungal and anti tumor activities.
- It relieves the stomach pain caused by heat and flatulence.
- In Siddha medicine, it is believed to be a blood-thinner, hence preventing several diseases and disorders.
- The juice if applied internally is said to treat ear ailments, etc...
Now to the recipe...
I used:
Thooduvalai leaves- 20 numbers,remove the thorns and wash well
Toor dal- 1/4 cup
Tamarind extract- 1 tablespoon, mixed in 1/4 cup of hot water
Tomato-1 chopped
Turmeric powder-a pinch
Asafoetida powder- a pinch
Ghee- 1 + 1 teaspoon
Mustard- 1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds- 1 teaspoon
Curry leaves- a few
Salt to taste
For spice mix - Roast in a little oil and grind to a fine powder / paste
Cumin seeds-1 teaspoon
Peppercorn-1 teaspoon
Garlic-3 pearls,chopped
Coriander seeds- 1 tablespoon
Red chili-2
- Pressure cook the dhal with enough water and mash well.
- Mix in the tamarind extract, spice mix and keep aside.
- Heat 1 teaspoon ghee in a pan and saute the thoodhuvalai leaves till they shrink,for a couple of minutes.Remove from pan and keep aside.
- In the same pan, add another teaspoon ghee and put in mustard, cumin and curry leaves.
- When the mustard splutters, add the tomato and cook for a couple of minutes.
- Add the dal mixture, salt, asafoetida, turmeric powder, sauteed leaves and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Increase the heat and let it come to a rolling boil.
- Remove from heat and serve as a side dish with steamed rice / as a soup.
Take a look at the Blogging Marathon page to check out what my friends are cooking in this A- Z series...
Previously in this series...
D -
Dates Cake - Eggless / No milk / No butter!!! - Baked
F -
Falooda - Ice cream Falooda And Kulfi Falooda - Regional / N.Indian
N - Nannari Sherbet - Regional / Tamil Nadu
O - Olo Kobi Bhaja - Regional / Odisa
Bon Appetit...
Labels: Better Half, Blogging Marathon, Cooking with herbs / flowers, Herbs, Rasam Varieties