Kacha char means raw rasam from Andhra , which is served as raw, with thadka on it and it is not cooked, that’s why it is called kacha char. The spices are roasted first and grounded to a paste or can ground it in pestle mortar, then mixed in tamarind water. It is sour, tasty and different from other rasams which we cook. This rasam is very popular in villages and towns. This dish is found in homes of Andhra towns & districts, small villages like Anantapur, Guntakal, and other places also, who knows this dish.
I have seen people in anantapur, guntakal, kadappa and other districts, they cook. It goes well with the plain rice.
When I was a kid I used to taste this dish in my fathers relation house, then my mother got this dish from them, as my father liked it very much. It is spicy, tangy and delicious. It tastes good. Now I am cooking for my family. Believe me its totally different from other rasams, it’s my favourite and I love it.
Ingredients
Roasting and paste
- Onion (medium size) – 1/2
- Cumin seeds - 2 to 2 1/2 tsp
- Garlic cloves (big) - 3
- Dry coconut – 4 small pieces (4 tbsp)
- Dry chillies - 5
For tamarind water
- Tamarind - lemon size
- Water – 3 cups
- Salt - as per taste
Tadka/seasoning
- Oil – 2 tsp
- Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
- Cumin seeds – 3/4 tsp
- Dry chillies – 2
- Curry leaves – 15
- Onion (small, sliced) – 1/2
Method
- Soak tamarind in luke warm water for few min, squeeze it nicely the tamarind in water (1cup) and strain the tamarind juice and keep it aside.
- Take a pan, roast cumin seeds till its aroma comes, and its colour is changed, transfer into a bowl.
- Fry the onions in a same pan/tava, till it is golden brown and keep it aside.
- Roast garlic and dry chillies, when there lightly roasted, add dry coconut pieces on the same tava and roast for 30sec, switch it off.
- Let the coconut pieces get roasted in the hot tava itself.
- Roasting is done without oil and is done on simmer flame.
- When the ingredients gets cool, grind dry coconut, dry chillies, cumin seeds first, then add garlic and onion and grind them to a paste by adding required water (1/3rd cup).
- Take a big bowl, add tamarind juice, salt, remaining water and the paste and mix well.
- If tamarind water is required, then add little more tamarind juice, as per your taste. Mix it nicely.
Tadka/seasoning
- Slice the onion and keep it aside.
- Heat a pan and put oil, when it gets warm add mustard seeds and other ingredients one by one and cook till the onions are golden brown.
- Pour this thadka on the rasam, no need to cook it.
- Serve it with plain rice and with any side dish you like.
Notes
- This rasam is not cooked; it can be eaten with rice.
- If chillies are not hot enough then add little chilli powder in it, for others who do not like spicy can reduce chillies.
- No need to roast dry coconut much as it is already dry and need only warming up in the tava, where as fresh coconut need to be roasted for few min, till it is lightly golden colour.
- If you want can avoid onions in thadka (seasoning).
