Nuggekayi Saru / Drumstick Rasam

Ingredients:
3 - 4 Drumsticks / Nuggekayi
1 large Tomato
Small lemon sized Tamarind
Small lemon sized Jaggary
1/2 - 3/4 cup cooked Yellow Lentils
1 tsp Rasam powder
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
1/4 tsp Black Peppers
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
1/4 tsp Asafetida powder
1 - 2 Garlic Cloves
3 - 4 Red Chillies
5 - 6 Curry leaves
2 tsp Oil

Recipe:
Chop tomato into long thin pieces as shown in the picture below. Cut each drumstick into 1.5 inch sized pieces as shown in the picture below. Remove the outer cover of garlic and chop it into small pieces as shown in the picture below.

Put tamarind in a bowl and add little amount of water. Squeeze it and keep it aside.
Put mustard seeds, cumin seeds, black peppers, red chilly pieces, oil in a thick bottomed vessel/pan and heat. Once it starts spluttering, add chopped garlic and fry them for about 1 min. Add curry leaves, asafetida powder and turmeric powder. Fry them for about 1-2 mins in medium flame. Add chopped tomato, drumsticks and fry them for about 1 min.

Add tamarind water, salt, jaggary, rasam powder, sufficient amount of water and cook them well by covering a lid for about 20-30 mins.

Add cooked yellow lentils and bring them to boil. Add salt, tamarind pulp, water if required.(Cook the yellow lentils in a pressure cooker (3-4 whistles)by adding sufficient amount of water. The cooked yellow lentils can preserved in refrigerator for about 8-10 days.)Keep the Rasam in medium/low flame for about 4-5 mins. Mix well before serving. It goes well with Rice. I tried this recipe from Kitchen Tantra. Thanks Malar Gandhi for this recipe.