Avalo Rasam (Nellikai Rasam)

Avalo Rasam /Nellikai or Nellikka Rasam / Amla Rasam is a healthy gooseberry rasam made with fresh Indian gooseberries adding toor dal and goes well with hot steaming rice.Indian gooseberry is called Avalo in Konkani, Nellikai or Nellikka in Tamil and Malayalàm and Amla in Hindi. Avalo Rasam (Nellikai Rasam) recipe is explained with step by step method and photos.

The following ingredients are needed to prepare Avalo Rasam /Nellikai Rasam.

Ingredients:-

Gooseberry.         - 5 (fresh)
Tomato.                -1
Toor dal.               - 3 tbsp
Turmeric powder. - a pinch
Green chilly.         -1
Ginger.                  - a small piece
Hing powder.       -1/2tsp
Coriander leaves. - few chopped
Salt.                      - to taste

For Rasam Powder:-

Black Pepper Corn.   - 2tsp
Cumin seeds (Jeera). -1tsp

For Seasoning:-

Coconut oil or Ghee. - 1tsp
Mustard seeds.           -1tsp
Dry Red chilly.           -2
Curry leaves.              -1 spring

Instructions:-

1). Wash and clean fresh gooseberries and chop into slices and discard the seeds.

2). Wash and split green chilly into 2 halves.

3). Peel, wash and chop ginger into small pieces.

4). Grind the deseeded gooseberry slices along with slit green chilly halves and chopped ginger pieces to a smooth paste adding little water. Keep aside the ground gooseberry paste.

5). Wash and chop tomato into thin slices lengthwise and keep aside.

6). Wash and pressure cook toor dal adding a pinch of turmeric powder and 1cup of water for 2 whistles and keep aside.

7). Dry roast black pepper corn and cumin seeds for a minute on low flame and grind together to a fine powder and keep aside.

8). Broke dry red chillies into halves and keep aside.

Method:-

1). Heat ghee or coconut oil in a wide bottom pan on medium flame and splutter mustard seeds and saute well. Add broken dry red chilly pieces and curry leaves into the pan and saute well in ghee or oil for a second.

2). Add ground pepper cumin powder and add hing powder into the pan and saute well.

3). Add chopped tomato pieces and saute well. Add little water and cook the tomato pieces till soft and tender.

4). Add ground gooseberry paste, required salt and 1cup of water into the pan and mix well. Boil and cook for 3 minutes on low flame.

5). Add cooked toor dal along with cooked water into the pan and mix well.

6). Mix well and boil the gooseberry rasam for few minutes on low flame and switch off the flame.

7). Add chopped coriander leaves into the gooseberry rasam in the pan and mix well.

8). Transfer the gooseberry rasam to a serving bowl.

A very tasty Gooseberry Rasam (Avalo Rasam / Nellikai Rasam / Amla Rasam) is ready to serve with hot steaming rice.