Also known as Rassam, this peppery and watery stew is eaten with fish curry and rice. It is the forerunner of the Mulligatawny soup which the British colonialists introduced to their home country and colonial outposts.
Ingredients: (Serves 4)
- 4 drumsticks **
- ½ tablespoons coriander seeds
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon ghee (clarified butter) or cooking oil
- 2 large brown onions, or 5 shallots, peeled and sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, bruised with skin intact
- 2 green chillies, slit lengthwise
- 2 cm/1 inch ginger, peeled and bruised
- 1 tablespoon tamarind pulp, mixed with 250 ml (8 fl oz/1 cup) water and strained
- 250 g/9 oz prawns (shrimps), deveined
- 250 ml/8 fl oz/1 cup rice water or starch from cooked rice ***
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- Salt to taste
- Ground white pepper to taste
Method:
Scrape skin off drumsticks and rinse. Cut into 6-8 cm (2½-3-in) lengths.
Coarsely grind coriander seeds, fennel seeds and black peppercorns together.
Heat ghee or oil and add onions, garlic, chillies and ginger. Stir-fry for 2 minutes, or until onions are soft. Add ground coriander, fennel and pepper and mix well.
Add tamarind liquid and another 450 ml (15 fl oz / 1-4⁄5 cups) water and bring to the boil. Add prawns and drumsticks and continue to boil for
5 minutes.
Add rice water and stir for 3 minutes. Lower heat and add ground turmeric, salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and serve.
** Drumsticks are available from Indian grocers. If you cannot find them, use very thick long beans with fleshy piths.
*** Rice water can be obtained from soaking raw rice grains in water and rubbing the grains firmly together. Alternatively, use the water from boiling rice.This is mainly starch and it can be used to thicken soups and stews.
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