Betel leaves rasam or Vetrilai Rasam is a traditional south Indian rasam infused with the refreshing flavour and health benefits of betel leaves.
Perfect for those days when your stomach feels heavy after festival meals or during cooler rainy season.
Check out my 10 minutes instant rasam and my Vetrilai poondu sadam recipe in this website.
After I made vetrilai poondu sadam, I thought I should also try vetrilai rasam without wasting the betel leaves. I came across this video of vethalai rasam and adapted to try my own version. Have made this several times since then and love it totally, love to have it as such.
Ingredients
Here are the simple ingredients you need to make betel leaves rasam.
- Betel leaves - Main ingredient, for it's digestive benefits and unique flavour. Betel leaves in Tamil is Vethalai or Vetrilai.
- Coriander leaves - A must in my rasam as it gives great flavour.
- Curry leaves - Adds flavour as well as good for health.
- Tamarind - Tangy base for the rasam
- Tomato - Balances sharp tanginess
- Turmeric powder - For it's goodness and colour
- Black pepper - Adds spice, good relief from common cold, cough
- Cumin seeds - Lends earthy flavour, aids digestion.
- Garlic cloves (small variety) - For flavour
- Tempering items
- Ghee
- Mustard
- Asafoetida
- Red chillies
- Cumin seeds
- Salt
Please check my recipe card below for quantities.
Step by step pictures
Let's see how to make betel leaves rasam.
- Soak tamarind firstly in hot water for 20 minutes minimum.
- Then smash it well with your fingers and then strain to get tamarind extract.
- Take black pepper and cumin seeds in a mixer.
- Grind to a coarse powder.
- Then add garlic cloves and just pulse it two times.
- Do not grind longer than that as the flavour is best only if it is crushed slightly.
- Transfer the ground spice mix to the rasam making vessel. In the same mixer, grind roughly chopped tomato coarsely. Then pour it on top of the spice mix in the vessel.
- In the mixer, take curry leaves, coriander leaves, betel leaves. Cut off the top and bottom part of betel leaves. Stack and tear them all roughy. Place in the mixie.
- Grind it with water to a coarse mixture.
- Add to the rasam making vessel, then add the tamarind extract.
- Then add turmeric.
- After that, heat it over stove. Once the rasam starts to boil, add salt and switch off the stove.
- Finally temper with ghee, mustard, asafoetida, red chilli, cumin seeds.
- Add to the rasam. Betel leaves rasam is ready.
Vethala rasam (Betel leaves rasam) is ready. I enjoyed with rice, pappadam, also had as soup at times and it's really refreshing and delicious.
Substitutions & Variations
Basically keeping the betel leaves as main ingredient, you can make your own rasam with betel leaves added to it.
- Use toor dal cooked water in the rasam.
- Add lemon juice at the end instead of Tamarind.
- Use sesame oil for tempering instead of ghee.
- Skip garlic if you do not like it. But it adds immunity and a great flavour to rasam.
- Add ¼ teaspoon of sugar for balanced taste.
Top Tip
Do not reheat the rasam, it can turn bitter. I like to finish it off the same day, just filter and drink it.
Similarly, do not boil it for long as it can turn bitter too.
Recipe card
Betel Leaves Rasam Recipe | Vetrilai Rasam Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoon Tamarind 10 grams approx
- 1 Tomato grind coarsely
- ¼ teaspoon Turmeric powder
- Salt
To grind
- 4 Betel leaves
- ¼ cup Coriander leaves
- 1 sprig Curry leaves
Rasam spice mix
- 1 tablespoon Black pepper
- 2 teaspoon Cumin seeds
- 10 Garlic cloves Small variety
To temper
- 1 teaspoon Ghee
- ¼ teaspoon Mustard
- ⅛ teaspoon Asafoetida
- 2 Red chilli
- 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
Instructions
- Soak 2 tsp Tamarind firstly in hot water for 20 minutes minimum.
- Then smash it well with your fingers and then strain to get tamarind extract.
- Take 1 tbsp Black pepper and 2 tsp Cumin seeds in a mixer.
- Grind to a coarse powder.
- Then add 10 Garlic cloves and just pulse it two times.
- Do not grind longer than that as the flavour is best only if it is crushed slightly.
- Transfer the ground spice mix to the rasam making vessel.
- In the same mixer, grind roughly chopped 1 Tomato coarsely. Then pour it on top of the spice mix in the vessel.
- In the mixer, take 1 sprig Curry leaves, ¼ cup Coriander leaves, 4 Betel leaves. Cut off the top and bottom part of betel leaves. Stack and tear them all roughy. Place in the mixie.
- Grind it with water to a coarse mixture.
- Add to the rasam making vessel, then add the tamarind extract.
- Then add ¼ tsp Turmeric powder
- After that, heat it over stove. Once the rasam starts to boil, add salt and switch off the stove.
- Finally temper with 1 tsp Ghee, ¼ tsp Mustard, ⅛ tsp Asafoetida, 2 Red chilli, 1 tsp Cumin seeds.
- Add to the rasam. Betel leaves rasam is ready.
Video
Notes
- Do not reheat the rasam, it can turn bitter. I like to finish it off the same day, just filter and drink it.
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