VEPPAMPOO / NEEM FLOWER RASAM, how to make Veppampoo rasam

Saw some fresh veppampoo....
Brought home at once, to make rasam... Neem flowers, aka  Veppampoo,  treat digestive disorders, improve eyesight, treat skin rashes or problems, are  used for aromatherapy,  used in ayrveda with honey to lower blood pressure level and to treat diabetes, and  strengthen  liver.
And you know, I used this whole bunch for rasam...lot of flowers were floating in the rasam...
The "bitter" truth is, rasam was slightly bitter...
But enjoyed it to the core, thinking of all its health benefits.

Please check out my other neem flower recipes:
Angaya podi
Mango-neem flower pachadi

Don't have to go to the market to buy neem flowers......waiting to be plucked,  just outside my window....

Plucked lots and lots...so fresh..untouched...from the branches to my hand....

Ingredients

Neem flower / veppampoo - 1 bunch, stems removed, and flowers cleaned

Tamarind paste - 1 tsp

Sambar powder - 1 tsp

Jaggery - 3/4 tsp

Tomato - 1, pureed

Fresh coriander leaves - handful, washed and chopped

Ghee - 2 tsps

Salt to taste

For seasoning

Ghee -2 tsps

Solid asafoetida/hing - 1 small piece

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Tur dhal - 2 tsps

Red chillies - 2,  broken

Curry leaves - handful

Recipe Cuisine: South Indian; Category: Lunch/dinner

Prep time: 10 mts; Cooking time: 20 mts

Serves 3-4

Veppampoo washed after cleaning the stems and drained. There might be very tender, fragile stems, clinging on to the flowers. That's absolutely fine.

Picture below shows the pureed tomato, and the tamarind paste and sambar powder, about to be added to the tomato puree.

Jaggery and salt added too, and set to boil.

Seasonings, above mentioned, in 2 tsps ghee...

and roasted to golden color 

curry leaves too added

then all the seasonings added to the boiling rasam, and let to boil and reduce nicely.

After it reduces to half, water added to the full vessel, flames on the lowest

Let it become frothy, at once it should be switched off.

Heat a pan, add 2 tsps ghee, and roast the neem flowers along with the coriander leaves to nice golden color. Take care not to make the neem flowers black in color. They should be very light golden, that's all.

Coriander leaves and neem flowers will get shrunk. Adding coriander leaves along imparts a superb flavor to the neem flowers also, and the flavor of coriander  tries to rule over neem flowers, making it easy for all of us to eat it.

and add these to the rasam.

Serve this healthy, flavorful rasam with any curry and rice, white or brown.

This post first appeared in www.malpatskitchen.com

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Categories: No Onion-no garlic, Rasams