Adamant Creeper Rasam/Pirandai Rasam/Veldt Grape Indian Soup

I always want to make dishes out of Adamant creeper aka pirandai, its quite a tough task to find this healthy creeper here. Obviously i couldnt resist to dish out some dishes with this creeper during my last year trip to India. Actually this creeper have many amazing medicinal value and its grows easily everywhere with less efforts. Adamant creeper which is known as Pirandai in tamil helps a lot to treat indigestion, fractures, sprains, menstrual problems. Though this creeper have such medicinal values they have their own itchy nature, obviously if you are cooking with this pirandai, you need to smear your hands with bit sesame oil, this helps to prevent the itching. If this creepers are tender, you can just break them easily with your fingers. If they are bit aged, just take a peeler and peel them as we do for ridge gourd and chop them with a knife. Now your creepers are ready to cook. Though chutney with pirandai is quite famous everywhere in Tamil Nadu, my grandma makes excellent medicinal value rich rasam with it.

Obviously when i crossed this creepers in Pondicherry market, i couldnt stop myself to make some healthy Indian soup aka rasam with it. This rasam makes an excellent pair to serve along with rice and spicy potatoes. You can serve very well as soup, which will definitely helps a lot for digestion. This rasam is going to be a part of this week's blogging marathon as am running this week's theme with Family Recipe. If you are handling Pirandai for the first time, this rasam is quite an easy dish to give a try with.  Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#60.

1/2cup Pirandai/Adamant creeper (cleaned & chopped as small pieces)

1/4cup Split moongdal (cooked and mashed)
1no Tomato (crushed)
2nos Garlic cloves (crushed)
Few curryleaves
2nos Green chillies (slit opened)
1/2tsp Mustard seeds
1/2tsp Cumin seeds
1/4tsp Asafoetida powder
1no Dry red chilly
1tbsp Lemon juice
1tbsp Ghee

To grind:
1tbsp Peppercorns
1tsp Cumin seeds
2tbsp Coriander seeds
2nos Dry red chillies
1tsp Channadal

Dry roast all the spices given under list 'to grind' for few minutes and grind as fine paste with enough water.

Meanwhile take the cooked dal,crushed tomatoes,grounded paste,crushed garlic cloves and salt in a bowl, add enough water and keep aside.

Heat ghee, let splutters the mustard seeds,cumin seeds and add the slit opened green chillies,curry leaves, dry red chilly, asafoetida powder and fry for few minutes.

Immediately add the chopped adamant creeper pieces and saute for few minutes.

Now add the already prepared dal-grounded paste mixture to the tempered spices and cook until the rasam starts bubbling, finally add the lemon juice and put off the stove.

Serve hot with rice.