Neem Flower(Veppampoo) Rasam: Medicinal South Indian Side Dish

 Neem Flower Image via Wikipedia

In South India medicine is considered as food and food is consumed as medicine. Neem or Margosa or Indian Lilac, Azadirachta indica (botanical name) is the well known medicinal herb from India. In Tamil it is called Vempu. The plant is well known for its bitter taste. Its flower will appear like a white tiny piece. It has its own medicinal properties. It is available in every Siddha Medicine (Nattu Marnthu) shops.

Neem flower rasam is one such medicinated rasam often prepared in the households in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. This dish is must on Telugu New Years day. It is very good for nausea, vomitting loss of appetite, indigestion, and flatulence. Sometimes the Siddha physicians ask the patient to eat plain rice and neem flower rasam alone for lunch and dinner.

Ingredients

• Green Chillies – Four Numbers
• Neem flowers (Dried and cleaned) – a handful 15 grams
• Salt to taste.
• Tamarind – 25 grams
• Toor dal boiled – four tablespoon

Method

1. Pressure cook toor dal and keep aside
2. Soak tamarind in 2-1/2 cups of water till the pulp gets softened. Once soft squeeze tamarind extract to a thick consistency. Filter it in a sieve and keep it aside.
3. Now boil this liquid till the raw smell of the tamarind juice gets vanished
4. Add salt, chilies, mustard powder and asfoetida to the tamarind juice and boil for ten minutes.
5. Add the boiled toor dal and let it boil under sim flame for one or two minutes.
6. Once it boils with bubbles remove the vessel from the stove.
7. In a thick bottomed vessel add ghee or oil. Then add muster and allow it to splutter.
8. Now add dry neem flower and stir for few minutes till the ingredients turns black in color.
9. Add the neem flower ingredients with tamarind water and boil for few seconds. Remove from the sove.
10. Add some chopped coriander and curry leaves
11. Now your hot steaming Neem flower rasam is ready.
12. Serve it hot with steaming plain white rice. You may also serve rasam in cups. It will cure all digestive and cold problems. You will feel the relief on the same day.