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Selavu Rasam, Kongunad Special Selavu Rasam

February 8, 2018 by Suguna Vinodh 26 Comments

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selavu-rasam-rasam-for-cold
Selavu Rasam is a kongunad specialty made with spices and aromatics and is an excellent home remedy for cold, sore throat and flu. Recipe with step by step pictures.

Selavu Rasam is one of the very unique rasam variety from the Kongunad region. The spices are called as selavu in Tamil. Everyday spices are referred to as “selavu samaan” செலவு சாமான். There is an interesting story behind the word selavu. Selavu also means expense in Tamil. In olden days – the grains, veggies etc… would grow in the farm and whatever is harvested will go to the kitchen pantry, some produce will be bartered with the neighboring farms and the remaining will go to the market. The only expense – “selavu” was to buy the spices for cooking. Interesting right! This selavu rasam does not use tamarind or dal and is an excellent home remedy for cold, sore throat and fever.

Here is how to do selavu rasam.
You will need the following for making the selavu masala.
selavu-rasam-rasam-for-cold-1-29

I have used a clay pot for making the selavu rasam today. Heat sesame oil in a pan and add in all the selavu masala ingredients at once. Saute on a low flame for 2-3 minutes until fragrant and the onions are soft. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
selavu-rasam-rasam-for-cold-1

Grind the roasted selavu masala ingredients with half a cup of water to a smooth paste. Set aside.
selavu-rasam-rasam-for-cold-2

Heat sesame oil in the same pan and add in the mustard seeds and curry leaves. Let the mustard seeds crackle.
selavu-rasam-rasam-for-cold-3

Add in the finely chopped shallots and fry for a minute.
selavu-rasam-rasam-for-cold-4

Add in the chopped tomatoes and the salt. Make sure the tomatoes are very ripe.
selavu-rasam-rasam-for-cold-5

Once the tomatoes are cooked, add in the spice paste.
selavu-rasam-rasam-for-cold-6

Add in 750 ml of water and fresh coriander leaves. No need to chop the leaves. Add it whole.
selavu-rasam-rasam-for-cold-7

Let the rasam simmer. It will start to foam up. Once it foams up, reduce the flame to medium.
selavu-rasam-rasam-for-cold-8

Let the rasam simmer for 10 minutes. Switch off the flame after 10 minutes.
selavu-rasam-rasam-for-cold-9

Selavu rasam is ready!!!
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Serve hot! This can be served like a soup or had with hot rice.
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Selavu Rasam, Kongunad Special Selavu Rasam


★★★★★

4.8 from 8 reviews

  • Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 20 mins
  • Total Time: 30 mins
  • Yield: 3 cups 1x
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Description

Selavu Rasam is a kongunad specialty made with spices and aromatics and is an excellent home remedy for cold, sore throat and flu. Recipe with step by step pictures.


Scale

Ingredients

Selavu Masala

  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil (Indian gingelly oil)
  • 1 Gundu chilli
  • 5 small onions – Indian shallots
  • 4–5 curry leaves
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 teaspoon coriander seeds
  • 5 garlic cloves

For tempering the rasam

  • 2 teaspoon sesame oil (Indian gingelly oil)
  • 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 1 sprig curry leaves
  • 2–3 small onions, chopped
  • 2 ripe country tomatoes, chopped (use one tomato if big)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 sprigs coriander leaves

Instructions

Selavu Masala

  1. Heat sesame oil in a pan and add in all the selavu masala ingredients at once. Saute on a low flame for 2-3 minutes until fragrant and the onions are soft. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
  2. Grind the roasted selavu masala ingredients with half a cup of water to a smooth paste. Set aside.

Tempering the rasam

  1. Heat sesame oil in the same pan and add in the mustard seeds and curry leaves. Let the mustard seeds crackle.
  2. Add in the finely chopped shallots and fry for a minute.
  3. Add in the chopped tomatoes and the salt. Saute the tomatoes.
  4. Once the tomatoes are cooked, add in the spice paste.
  5. Add in 750 ml of water and fresh coriander leaves. No need to chop the leaves. Add it whole.
  6. Let the rasam simmer. It will start to foam up. Once it foams up, reduce the flame to medium.
  7. Let the rasam simmer for 10 minutes. Switch off the flame after 10 minutes.
  8. Serve hot! This can be served like a soup or had with hot rice.
  • Category: Soup
  • Cuisine: Tamilnadu

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Suguna Vinodh

I'm Suguna Vinodh aka Kannamma. I love south Indian food and I am passionate about baking. My Favorite things include my Wusthof knife, Coffee, Ilayaraja, Tamil and beaches. I love Jacques Pepin and Julia Child.

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Comments

  1. Bala says

    November 8, 2020 at 9:12 am

    Hi Suguna
    I like your receipes and your favorite things. In this page, clicking 2x or 3x does not change the quantity of water, it is 750ml always. Is that correct?
    Thanks
    Bala

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      November 10, 2020 at 6:20 pm

      May be its a bug. Will check this out. Thank you for bringing it to our notice.

      Reply
  2. Raji says

    May 28, 2020 at 4:33 pm

    Whoa! This knocked my sinuses off. Selavu rasam is super spicy – a perfect antidote for cold. I’ll tamp down the pepper a little next time though. 😉

    Thanks for sharing this traditional recipe!

    ★★★★

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      May 28, 2020 at 11:24 pm

      Thank you!

      Reply
  3. Sudha says

    March 13, 2020 at 7:32 pm

    Awesome

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  4. Cham says

    March 3, 2019 at 10:13 am

    Hello

    I am a silent admirer of your recipes, I tried a lot of kogunad recipes, few of them are my favorites but Selavu rasam which I tried today was the best. I am from a small village in Tamil Nadu, the dish brought back my childhood memories with my grandma who make similair dish.

    Thank you sooooo much. you are awesome. Keep posting more recipes 👍👍👍👍👍

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      March 7, 2019 at 12:52 pm

      Thank You!

      Reply
  5. Urvi says

    May 20, 2018 at 1:56 pm

    Great recipe. The mugs look awesome too.

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      May 30, 2018 at 11:29 am

      Thank you!

      Reply
  6. rajitha says

    April 20, 2018 at 12:13 am

    hi..it looks yummy..will definitely try..i have a question..can we use clay pots on electric stove..
    Thanks..

    Reply
  7. Yazo says

    April 19, 2018 at 3:45 pm

    Hi Mam,
    I would like to try this recipe, but
    Can I use dry red chilli and normal red onion as an alternative? as I dont have immediate access to the original ingredients…

    Thanks

    Reply
  8. Shyamala says

    March 19, 2018 at 1:51 pm

    Hi ,
    Can we use neetu vathal I stead of gundu milagai!
    Have tried many recepies from u r page…all came out well .Thanks!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      March 20, 2018 at 1:46 pm

      Yes Shyamala. You can. Its ok.

      Reply
  9. sankari says

    February 16, 2018 at 3:58 am

    Hi kannama i am regular follower of your site.whenever you post new recipe i try that very next day. I made this selavu rasam –power pack rasam– undoubtedly. all of us are addicted to this rasam. Thank for your unique recipes.. expecting more.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      February 18, 2018 at 5:52 pm

      Thank you so much!

      Reply
  10. Bala says

    February 12, 2018 at 1:01 am

    Thank you Suguna for this rasam.I thought of making for my child’s cold, I think I have found a perfect one.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      February 12, 2018 at 1:06 pm

      Thanks Bala. Hope your kid feels better soon.

      Reply
  11. Ravi says

    February 11, 2018 at 11:26 am

    Great recipe and it came out well. Tried for dinner tonight along with the Madurai Potato Masala. It was so good that my wife spared me from washing the clothes for one day.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      February 11, 2018 at 12:57 pm

      haha. Thats so nice Ravi!!! Happy cooking!

      Reply
  12. Preeti says

    February 9, 2018 at 1:52 am

    Why have we not used tamarind here ? Can we use tamarind incase we dont have tomatoes ?

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      February 9, 2018 at 11:40 am

      Why have we not used tamarind here ?
      Is it a rule that all rasams should have tamarind??????
      Tamarind will over power this rasam. The subtle flavor of the spices will be lost.

      Reply
  13. Radha says

    February 8, 2018 at 8:53 pm

    Hi can we skip onions?

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      February 8, 2018 at 9:51 pm

      Sure, if you dont want to. But shallots gives an excellent aroma and taste.

      Reply
  14. shan says

    February 8, 2018 at 5:04 pm

    When I was a kid, my mom used to make a “selavu chutney” for lunch. I forgot the recipe and am not able to get it. I am from Coimbatore area. Do you know this recipe
    thanks
    Shanmugam

    ★★★★

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      February 8, 2018 at 6:24 pm

      Selavu Chutney – Interesting. Sorry dont have it.

      Reply

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I’m Suguna, a former financial analyst, now a full-time food blogger. Welcome to my space. I share recipes gathered from my friends and family here. I am passionate about South Indian food. I crazy love knives. A sharp knife is a girls best friend. Hope you like the recipes here. Happy Cooking. Read more.....

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