Neem flower rasam / Veppampoo rasam is one which I used to hate. Mom always insists to add some bitter taste in diet at least once in a week or month. But never followed her words…;) She every time collects neem flower from our backyard(tree) and preserves and pass to me. But I keep it in Chennai itself and come. This time when I saw the neem flowers given by her in Chennai, I felt bad and Vj too asked me to take it and try some thing with it. So I took and came to SG. I took the recipe for rasam from her and it sounded damn easy! I decided the very instant to try this out.
Actually we make it specially for Thamizh new year. We make mango pachadi, neem rasam compulsorily as its meant to include all the tastes-sweet and tangy taste from mango pachadi, salt and bitterness from this neem rasam, on the very first day of Tamil new year, so that we can be prepared for all the situations in our life throughout the year. So I thought of making and posting here. This year we have no celebrations as my paati passed away. The moment I made this rasam, the whole house was filled with aroma, and I was so tempted to eat rice with the rasam immediately. It tastes and smells great! And above all its good for health. I do have a thogayal recipe with neem flower, will post that soon as well 🙂
Veppam poo Rasam recipe
Prep Time: 5 mins | Cook time: 20 mins | Serves: 3
Ingredients
Tamarind – Gooseberry sized
Salt – As needed
Sugar – 1/2 tsp
Turmeric – 1/8 tsp
To Temper
Mustard – 1 tsp
Red chillies – 4-5
Urad dal – 1 tsp
Toor dal – 1 tsp
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Asafoetida – 3 pinches
Method
- Extract tamarind juice, keep aside. Heat a pan and roast the neem flower until u can smell a nice aroma and turns deep red.Keep aside. Add ghee in the pan and temper with the items given under ‘To temper’ table. Add the tamarind extract,salt and turmeric.
- Bring to boil. Switch off the stove and add the roasted neem flower and mix well.
Notes
- Roast the neem flower carefully in medium flame until nice aroma rises.
- Do not boil after adding the neem flower.
- Stays good for 2 days even, if kept refrigerated!
When I finished making the rasam, the whole house was filled with aroma! I could not resist the smell of the rasam…! A healthy rasam is ready!
When I see this rasam I get reminded of my Mom. Would love to have it with hot rice.
your recipes remind me of my patti…I would just drink this rasam piping hot as soon as she made it.She passed away last year and I haven't made this rasam since then.
Oooooooooh I love this a lot Raji..My dabba is already empty 🙂 I miss Veppam poo now 🙂 Yumm 🙂
Oh we make rice and rasam with veppam poo, never made thogayal. Do share it for sure 🙂
Rasam looks awesome… Feeling proud of our culture which taught us so many good n healthy things. But now a days we forget to follow it…
wow aromatic rasam,love to have a glass rite now…yummy:)
Yummy rasam and I make it once in a while. Neatly presented Raks.
Vardhini
CooksJoy
Its a staple in my house. I like it and have it once a week.The rasam is the ultimate though.
its a new one for me… looks yum!
wow…Healthy and yummy rasam…Used to have this rasam in my grandma home….Now its very rare to see it…
This rasam is completely new to me, interesting and healthy rasam to try out raji.
heard about this a lot but never tried before. must smell delicious!
Wow flavourful and healthy rasam.Easy to make.
what a healthy looking rasam..will try it soon..
Very healthy, have never tried this and such beautiful clicks..
வேப்பம்பூ ரசம் – மாங்கா ஸ்வீட் பச்சடி – சித்திரை முதல் நாள் அன்னிக்கி நம்ம உணவுல அறுசுவையும் இருக்கணும்னு நினைச்ச நம்ம முன்னோர்கள் புத்திசாலிதனத்த பாராட்டியே ஆகணும்..
Timely posting Raji – Well done!
so nostalgic Raks!!! amma used to make it often!!! I used to pack some here when i come back from vacation!!!! Love that aroma!!!!
I've never heard of neem flowers used in rasam. So drool-worthy!!!
Kiran @ KiranTarun.com
usually we do vepam Podi rice but never tasted rasam, looks tempting n Flavourfull rasam…
Very new recipe… Healthy one… Thanks for sharing dear
nice and healthy rasam, new thing to leanr use neem flowers
Deepa
Hamaree Rasoi
my MIL makes this rasam too & is super tasty :).. Have to hunt for this.. been ages since i did it!
Ongoing Event : WTML
wow aromatic rasam.. at our home we saute the poo in ghee n then we add it..n tamil new year recipes at the top all makes me crave badly..
Have heard a lot about this rasam…but never tried it…looks very nice
Nice n healthy rasam!!
love such traditional recipes…so good that you still manage to make this. wish could taste this.
Sounds new to me…havent tasted it. Looks flaovurful!
Even i am not a big fan of this rasam but my hubby loves it. My mil makes this in the same way. Simple and perfect recipe and posted on a perfect time
Even its a must for us along with mangai pachadi, am not a big fan of this rasam before,but now am missing it..
This is new for me ,looks yum,,,
I too have to use the dried neem flower for the new year in the pachchidi. The neem trees are in full bloom in November in Nigeria. I make the rasam on normal cooking days only.
This rasam is quite light and soothing.
My mom would add some of the vepampoo to the mangai pachadi too and I would beg her to keep some of the pachadi aside w/o it so the bitter taste wouldn't spoil the deliciousness… but nowadays I miss the healthy aspects of vepampoo.. maybe i should get some dried flowers too and try this rasam.
New for me and very interesting …looks yum for sure
so glad I saw this post Raks. I have some roasted neem flower and now I can make this. Thanks!
Sounds healthy rasam,new to me..yum
payasam looks deliicous ……
I had heard about the neem flower rasam, never tried it. Next time I get neem flowers, I will try this.
Its been a long time we had this. u tempted me to make.:)
this is looking awesome and delicious
Healthy rasam. I too do this but tried only once.
One of my friend has given me couple of packets of this neem flower Raji..its been sitting in the pantry for months! Thanks for the recipe!
Do we get veppam poo in sg? Great post.
Healthy and delicious rasam raji 🙂
very nicely made rasam..love 2 hv it wid rice..happy new year raji
yummy nhealthy rasam…
happy new year to u! i too find neem extremely bitter, reading this brought back memories of how mom wud compulsaruly giv it to me 😀
Looks delicious ! This is new to me.
It's long since I had this rasam…looks really appetising…superb Raks.
i didn't know how to do neem poo rasam. its very help full 2me.warm thanks 2 u.
Hi Raji,
I love bitter taste. My mom introduced bitter melon to me in a very early age, so I still eat with passio. I really would like to try this, but I am in USA and I am not sure where I can buy VEPPAM POO. Do you know where I can buy it?
Mila
Tomatoes not added to this rasam?
No we make this without tomato only. It will be nice, try and see
Hi Raji, Don’t we add any rasappodi or ground cumin, pepper, garlic?
Nothing Priya, Just killi potta red chillies. If it is seeps in oil well, it gets enough spice from it. The veppampoo lends the flavour for the rasam and we let it alone for best results 🙂 One more option: You can just add crushed roasted veppam poo to your favorite rasam at the end immediately after switching off. Hope this helps