A Monsoon Recipe for Nimbehannu Rasam

This elegant Malnad recipe uses discarded lemon peels to create a simple but flavourful broth, perfect to sip on in the monsoon.

For as long as I can remember, Ajji spent time in the kitchen. Not always cooking, but, true to her Malnad upbringing, fiddling with spices and herbs, preserving ingredients, and finding use for things that would otherwise be thrown away. My favourite childhood memory is sitting down, on the floor, to eat a simple, delicious meal, then diving face-down into a ripe mango and sucking the last juices from it, skin to stone, while Ajji watched on in amusement. Summer meals were simple, but full of flavour; even rice and rasam tasted like heaven.

Nimbehannu rasam, made with the Citrus limon, was just one of the ways Ajji employed discarded lemon peels – and compared to other, more robust dishes like gojju and thokku, nimbehannu rasam always had that simple, no-fuss air about it, going from saucepan to plate in a steady, aromatic stream.

So, what’s the big deal about this rasam? Lime is a common ingredient in South Indian cooking (as a souring and flavouring agent), and features in many hundred recipes. But this rasam uses lime peels. Light and summery, it is a wonderful palate-cleanser. Ajji loved to say it revived both sagging spirits and fatigued, fever-ridden bones. She made this rasam so many times, and, never stickler for measurements or recipes, she improvised on it every time. It was a joy to watch her in action, tossing things into a pot, singing in her soft, gentle tones.

Ajji grew up near Thirthahalli, a village in Malnad. And when I make this rasam, I think of her: her cooking, her music, and her gentle, green way of life; and her advice — throw a bunch of things into a pot, let simmer, season, and simply enjoy it, without tying yourself in knots about precision or technique. But be warned, this recipe is not for the faint of heart. It has discernible bitter undertones, and is a perfect blend of flavours, ruling from the top: sour, spicy, hot and sweet.

RECIPE FOR NIMBEHANNU PEEL RASAM

Ingredients
For the rasam
3 ½ cups water
Salt, to taste
½ inch knob of ginger, crushed
4-5 used lemon peels (de-seeded)
Mint leaves, a handful
1.5 tsp rasam powder
Turmeric, a pinch
½ tsp black pepper powder
2 tsp jaggery powder
4 pods garlic, crushed

Juice of 1 lime
Fresh mint leaves, a handful

For the seasoning
1.5 tsp ghee
½ tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp cumin seeds
2 garlic pods, crushed
½ tsp dry mint leaves powder 

Method
Place the ingredients for the rasam, except the lime juice and mint leaves for garnish, into a pot
Bring to a boil, then allow to simmer for 15-20 minutes on a low-medium flame

Heat ghee in a small pan, and add in the mustard seeds.
When the seeds splutter, add the cumin, garlic and mint powder. Saute for a few seconds until aromatic, and remove from the heat
Pour the hot seasoning into the rasam
Now, add the juice of one lime into the pot, and freshly chopped mint leaves before serving

Banner image credit www.theplentifulplatter.com/

Ranjini Rao is a writer and communications professor based in Bangalore. She is passionate about food, multiculturalism, sustainability and open education.

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