V8 Rasam is a South Indian soup with V8 vegetable juice and is served with rice.
I am concluding my blogging marathon # 17 with a healthy V8 rasam. Rasam or chaaru is one of my favorite Indian comfort food and it tastes amazing with hot rice. It also makes an excellent soup when mildly spiced. There are many varieties and, Tomato chaaru and miriyala chaaru are the ones I regularly make at home.
Once in a while I make V8 rasam which I adapted from a cookbook AT&T published back in late 90s. Addition of V8 juice to makes it a nutrient packed healthy side dish/soup.
What is V8 Juice?
V8 juice is a low calorie vegetable juice, loaded in vitamins. V8 is rich in Potassium, Vitamin A, C and Lycopene. It is a great low calorie, low sugar juice.
Why add V8 Juice to Rasam?
V8 juice is a vegetable juice and not everyone likes the juice as. Jazz it up a bit with Indian spices and it tastes wonderful. Second, adding the juice to rasam not only enhances the flavor but also increases the nutritional value. V8 is available in almost all the supermarkets and substitute it with some water for a hearty side dish!!
V8 Rasam ~ Chaaru Recipe
📖 Recipe
V8 Rasam
Ingredients
- ½ – 1 tablespoon Toor Dal ground to fine powder
- 2 teaspoon Oil
- ½ teaspoon Cumin ~ Jeera
- ½ tsp Mustard Seeds
- 4 Curry Leaves
- 1 ½ teaspoon Ginger Garlic Paste
- Pinch of Turmeric
- 1 can (5.5 oz. or 163 ml) V8 Vegetable Juice 3 cups Water
- ⅛ teaspoon Black Pepper Powder adjust to taste
- ½ tablespoon Salt adjust to taste
- ½ tablespoon Tamarind Paste check note
- 2 teaspoon MTR Madras Rasam Powder use any brand you like. This is the only brand I tried so far
- 1 medium sized Vine Tomato diced
- Cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Grind toor dal to fine powder. I grind dal to fine powder and add it to rasam instead of cooking the dal and then adding it to rasam. This saves some time and this is a tip I picked up from my mother-in-law.
- Heat oil in a 2 quart/liter sauce pan and temper it with mustard seeds, cumin seeds and curry leaves.
- Then add ginger garlic paste and sauté until raw smell of ginger is gone.
- Add turmeric powder, toor dal powder and roast the powders for a minute or two until the toor dal is lightly roasted in the oil.
- Add V8 juice, salt, pepper powder (can add pepper after tasting the rasam), rasam powder, tamarind paste and mix well. Add water, tomatoes, cover the pan and bring to a boil.
- Once rasam comes to a boil, taste rasam and adjust salt, pepper and tamarind paste to taste.
- Partly cover the pan and continue boiling for another 3-5 minutes until tomatoes are soft.
- Add cilantro, turn of the heat and cover the pan completely. Let it sit for another 5-10 minutes and serve hot with rice.
- This soup a little light and mild, and can be served as soup as well.
Notes
- I prefer light rasams over thick rasams. If one wants a little thick rasam, add another ½ tbsp. of toor dal powder and also adjust water to desired consistency.
- If not using rasam powder, grind together some cumin, pepper powder, coriander powder and fenugreek powder along with toor dal.
- I usually add some onion but I skipped it this time.
- Also, since I used rasam powder for the first time, I did not know how spicy the powder is, so I did not add any green chilies. If using green chilies, adjust the seasoning accordingly.
- Adjust tamarind paste to taste and it depends on how sour the tamarind is. I used homemade tamarind paste.
Nutrition
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Tiffany says
Thanks for your quick response.
Tiffany says
I love all your pictures. I would like to know where you buy those colorful spoons at? Thanks
Tiffany
MySpicyKitchen says
I bought the spoons from Crate & Barrel. Thanks for your comments regarding the photos.
Notyet100 says
Ummm slurp,..can have this aytime
Shobha says
The name sounds exotic... I also use the MTR spice powders for my rasam and sambar..I have to try this out with some other vegetable juice here in Brazil.
Cool Lassie says
That is one phenomenal Rasam/Soup/drink.. Truly innovative!
Jayanthi says
Love the color of this rasam...quick and easy. Bookmarked for those rainy days...thanks for sharing.
Pavani says
Very innovative use of V8 juice. I'll have to try your version soon -- sounds delicious.
harini says
I love those cute glasses and spoons. I usually add V8 in sambar next time shall try it in Rasam 🙂 thanks for the idea !
Priya says
Love the addition of vegetable soup to usual rasam,lovely twist.
Rajani says
Beautiful clicks Usha.
Suma Gandlur says
V8 juice addition is interesting and love your presentation.
Srivalli says
Beautiful pictures Usha, any idea why it's called V8?
MySpicyKitchen says
Valli, this juice is made of 8 different vegetables so the name V8, it says so on their website. I guessed why it is called V8 but double checked after seeing your comment.
nirmala says
With out Rasam the food will not be a complete one...Lovely clicks!!!
Divya Prakash says
Rasam looks very inviting.. Love the way you have presented the rasam..