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Grandma's Rasam

Discussion in 'Snippets of Life (Non-Fiction)' started by Anusha2917, Feb 25, 2020.

  1. shravs3

    shravs3 IL Hall of Fame

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    Recipe please :grinning:
     
  2. Thyagarajan

    Thyagarajan IL Hall of Fame

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    I agree. Thanks I stand corrected.
    Regards.
     
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  3. SinghManisha

    SinghManisha Platinum IL'ite

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    Anusha ji, You are back on IL with a bang ! I loved the post, reminded me of my grandma.
     
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  4. Amica

    Amica IL Hall of Fame

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    Welcome back, Anusha! What a lovely snippet! :hearteyes:

    You've made me nostalgic. I miss my grandma. And I want rasam. :crybaby2:
    .
     
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  5. Amulet

    Amulet IL Hall of Fame

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    Only recently i discovered that eeyam and velleeyam ( Lead and Tin) are confused for one and the same metal by Tamil speakers. This confusion is in a couple of posts on this thread as well. Lead is a neurotoxin, and Tin is safe. So much so that Tin coatings are used to make lead containing alloys ( such as brass) safer for using in kitchens.
     
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  6. Anusha2917

    Anusha2917 IL Hall of Fame

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    Yes Amulet you are right about tin and lead.
    Earlier days tin was used to manufacture this vessel . But since it's called velleeyam and not eeyam but the vessel itself is called eeya chombu, the artisans started using lead in the manufacture of this vessel in between and the whole fear of lead being poisonous started . This is what I read in a blog while reading about this. Yes I had read this earlier and couldn't recollect now.
    It's a misconception people have.
    My fear is not every artisan in interior parts of TN is equipped with internet (which helped you get the difference b/w tin and lead) . They wouldn't even be aware of the difference and they may manufacture using lead and this may cause more harm.

    The instagram page I mentioned is called Zishta traditional products claim in their website that only 3 artisans are alive today to make this authentic Eeya chombu in interiors of Kumbakonam.
     
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  7. Anusha2917

    Anusha2917 IL Hall of Fame

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    Hi Srama , thank you for your feedback. It's beautiful to read that you were able to connect with your grandma through this post.
    Bbb is my all time favorite meal. And you are very lucky to have inherited that from your paternal grandmother.

    My mom is an expert in bbb and I simply can't get her taste no matter how neatly I follow her recipe to the T.
    I guess these are rare gifts we acquire and apparently we can't acquire just everything from everyone.

    Your mention of BBB made me call my mom and ask her to prepare that for lunch today.
    So my kitchen closed today , run to Amma for lunch. :hearteyes:
     
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  8. Anusha2917

    Anusha2917 IL Hall of Fame

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    Thank you dear Manisha. Hope you are doing absolutely great. :relaxed::relaxed:
     
  9. Anusha2917

    Anusha2917 IL Hall of Fame

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    Thank you Amica...
    How all grandmas are special.. Isn't it?
     
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  10. Amulet

    Amulet IL Hall of Fame

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    Yes; in countries where intentional adulteration as well as unintentional quality messes happen, it is safe to avoid both black-eeyam(Pb) and white-eeyam(Sn).

    hahaha.... that is why I gave the kitchen-laboratory experiment to @Thyagarajan , our resident MIT engineer. Get some pure velleeyam in some form (foil, shots, tear drops (from melt-spray), etc. etc.), they can be added to the Rasam, and see if one can get the classic taste of the old fashioned recipe made in a tin-pot.

    Most of the Tin etchants (from the semi-conductor fabrication industry) are acid-based. And the recipe for a typical Rasam would call for making a dilute acid (Tamarind extract) and boiling that with salt, ,Rasam powder, and Tomato/garlic etc. for a bit, before coming to the finishing touches of Tadka and Coriander leaves. How much of the Tin gets etched off as the Tamarindic Salt of Tin, and goes into the Rasam to create the unique taste is not at all known. A Comprehensive Review on Rasam: A South Indian Traditional Functional Food

    After you deal with your exams you may take up this research.
     
    Last edited: Feb 29, 2020
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