Recipe by Chef Jason Wyrick
Low‐fat Version
Toast all of the spices together instead of frying the mustard seeds, then proceed with the recipe as written.
Raw Version
Simply puree all the ingredients, making sure to create the spice powder before pureeing and only use half the onion and garlic. Let the soup sit for a couple hours before serving it.
Kitchen Equipment
Pot with Lid Stirring Spoon Measuring Spoon Measuring Cup Knife
Cutting Board
Presentation
This looks best when served in a small, light colored bowl.
Time Management
You can save some time by using tomato paste or tomato sauce instead of cooking the tomatoes down to make your own.
Complementary Food and Drinks
This should be served with rice, which can be added directly to the rasam once it is served.
Where to Shop
Curry leaves are usually available at most Asian markets. You can usually find them dried and
sometimes even fresh. Tamarind sauce can be found at most grocery stores, but you’ll get the best at an Asian market. Jaggery is also available at most Asian and Indian markets, though incredibly rare outside of them. The rest of the ingredients are common. Approximate cost per serving is $1.25.
The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Jason Wyrick
How It Works
The recipe is basically built around a spiced sweet and sour tomato sauce. The spices used, cumin, coriander, pepper, and chiles all match very well with tomatoes. Toasting the spices activates their essential oils and then the spices are ground to powder so that the soup doesn’t have a seedy texture. The mustard seeds are fried, which deepens their flavor more so than just toasting them, then the sauce is built up using the tomatoes and the sweet tamarind sauce. That tamarind sauce is what gives the soup the sweet and sour taste and both the sauce and tomatoes are cooked down so that the tomatoes because a sauce, which is then thinned with the water. Lentils are then added and cooked to round out the dish and make it heartier. In some rasam recipes, the lentils are cooked separately, smashed into a paste, and then stirred into the rasam.
Chef’s Notes
This is one of my favorite Indian soups. I love the light tomato broth with the heavy infusion of spices and the heat of the chile. It’s perfect for dipping breads.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
Calories 236
Calories from Fat 36 Fat 4 g
Total Carbohydrates 36 g Dietary Fiber 16 g
Sugars 9 g Protein 14 g Salt 334 mg
Interesting Facts
Rasam basically means juice or essence, referring to the tomato tamarind broth and is the inspiration for several other Indian soups.
The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Jason Wyrick
Sambhar
Type: Soup Serves: 2 Time to Prepare: 40 minutes
Ingredients
The Sambhar Powder 1 dried red chile
2 tsp. of coriander seeds
½ tsp. of cumin seeds
¼ tsp. of fenugreek seeds 4 black peppercorns 1 tsp. of red lentils
¼ tsp. of turmeric
1/8 tsp. of ground cinnamon 2 tsp. of red curry powder
½ tsp. of salt
Option: 1 ½ tbsp. of sambhar powder instead of the above spices The Tamarind Sauce
¼ cup of tamarind sauce 1 cup of warm water The Daal
1 cup of water
1 tsp. of vegan margarine or safflower oil
½ cup of red lentils
½ tsp. of turmeric The Rest of the Soup
1 yellow onion, diced 2 carrots, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced 1 large tomato, chopped
½ tbsp. of brown mustard seeds
¼ tsp. of fenugreek seeds Option: 6 curry leaves
1 tbsp. of vegan margarine or safflower oil 3 tbsp. of chopped cilantro (coriander)
Instructions
Making the Sambhar Powder
Over a medium heat, toast the lentils, red chile, coriander, cumin, fenugreek, and peppercorns for about 3 minutes.
Grind all of the ingredients in the Sambhar Powder section until they are powdered, then set the sambhar powder aside.
Making the Tamarind Sauce
Combine the tamarind sauce with warm water and set it aside.
The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Jason Wyrick
Making the Daal
Bring the water and margarine to a boil.
Add the turmeric and lentils and stir.
Bring the water back to a boil, cover the pot, reduce to low, and cook the lentils for about 17‐
18 minutes.
Once it is done, give the lentils a smash 2‐3 times, then set them aside.
Finishing the Soup
Dice the onion and carrot.
Mince the garlic.
Chop the tomato.
Over a medium heat, fry the mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, and optional curry leaves in the margarine until the mustard seeds pop.
Immediately add the onion and garlic and sauté until the onion just begins to brown.
Add the sambhar powder, tomato, tamarind sauce, and carrot and simmer until the carrot is just soft.
Pour this over the lentils and stir.
Garnish with chopped cilantro.
The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Jason Wyrick
Low‐fat Version
Omit the oil in all parts of the recipe.
Kitchen Equipment
Sauté Pan Spatula Spice Grinder
2 Small Mixing Bowls Small Pot with Lid Medium Pot Knife
Cutting Board Measuring Cup Measuring Spoon
Presentation
Sambhar should be served in a light colored bowl and the cilantro should be added after each bowl is plated.
Time Management
You can save a decent amount of time by using packaged sambhar powder, which can be purchased at most Asian markets. Make sure you get everything chopped before you start working with the second set of spices since the onion needs to hit the pan as soon as the mustard seeds are popping so the seeds don’t burn.
Complementary Food and Drinks
Serve this as a precursor to a full meal. Favorite companions are idli and dosai.
Where to Shop
Tamarind sauce can be found in most grocery stores, though you will get the best price at an Asian market. You can also use pressed tamarind beans and make your own tamarind sauce. For the spices, check out your local spice store or any market that sells spices from bulk jars. Approximate cost per serving is $1.00.
The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Jason Wyrick
How It Works
The sambhar powder is basically a standard red curry powder accentuated with a few other spices to give it more depth. This is then used to infuse the soup, which doesn’t take long. The tamarind sauce adds a sour flavor to the soup and a slight sweetness, making the other flavors of the soup pop out of the bowl! When the lentils are cooked with the margarine, they become very creamy. Note that this is a completely optional step. Mashing them a few times creates a bit of rough paste, which
disperses throughout the sambhar and creates a hint of thickness.
Chef’s Notes
This soup is delicious, relatively light in calories, and lasts forever in the refrigerator. It’s perfect for making in large batches and then eating throughout the week.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
Calories 393
Calories from Fat 81 Fat 9 g
Total Carbohydrates 61 g Dietary Fiber 18 g
Sugars 11 g Protein 17 g Salt 631 mg
Interesting Facts
Sambhar is one of the most popular Indian soups available around the world.
The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Jason Wyrick
Samosas
Type: Appetizer Serves: 16
Time to Prepare: 2 hours (includes 1 ½ hours for the dough to sit)
Ingredients The Dough
¾ cup of whole wheat pastry flour flour
2 tsp. of finely ground semolina flour
¼ tsp. of salt
2 tbsp. of vegan margarine
3 tbsp. of ice water
Margarine or oil to coat the samosa dough The Filling
2 potatoes, peeled and diced 1 cup of water
½ cup of lentils 3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp. of black mustard seeds 1 tsp. of cumin seed
1 tbsp. of vegan margarine
¼ cup of roasted, diced green chilies
¼ cup of green peas
½ tsp. of salt
¾ tsp. of garam masalsa
Instructions Making the Dough
Mix the flour, semolina, and salt together.
Melt the margarine and add it, rubbing the flour and margarine between your fingers until you have a crumbly dough.
Slowly add in the ice water, kneading it by hand until you have dough that can be rolled into a ball.
Knead this dough for 8 minutes.
For a flaky samosa, do not knead the dough.
Form it into a ball, coat it with oil, cover it, and let it sit for an hour and a half.
Making the Filling
Peel and dice the potatoes.
Steam them for 20 minutes.
While they are steaming, boil the 1 cup of water.
Add the lentils, bring them back to a boil, cover them, and reduce them to low.
They should finish about the same time the potatoes are finished.
Mince the garlic and set it aside.
Once the potatoes are done, fry the mustard seed and cumin seed in the margarine until the seeds pop and jump.
The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Jason Wyrick
Add in the finished potato, lentils, garlic, chiles, green peas, salt, and garam masala and cook for another 3‐5 minutes.
Assembling the Samosas
Separate the dough into 8 different parts and roll them into balls.
Set them aside and cover them.
Lightly flour your working surface.
Roll a ball out into a 6” round.
Cut it in half.
You will work with one semi‐circle at a time.
Moisten one half of the straight edge about ¼” in towards the center.
Fold the dry half over this, crimping the dry straight edge against the moist straight edge.
This should form a cone.
Fill the cone about half full of the filling and seal the rest of the edges the way you sealed the straight edge.
Crimp this down to make sure it is fully sealed.
Repeat this until all of the samosas are filled, covering the finished ones.
Heat up enough oil to fully cover the samosas to 365 degrees.
Fry the samosas for 4‐5 minutes and then set them aside to drain.
The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Jason Wyrick
Low‐fat Version
You can toast the seeds instead of frying them and you can also omit the margarine from the dough, though you will not have a flaky, light dough if you do this. Instead of frying the samosas, bake them on 325 degrees for 20 minutes.
Kitchen Equipment
Mixing Bowl Measuring Cup Measuring Spoon Towel
Peeler Knife
Cutting Board Sauté Pan
Wok or Deep Pan Tongs or Spider Basket
Presentation
I generally serve these either on one big platter or by twos on small metal plates. The samosas in this picture are baked, not fried.
Time Management
You can make the filling while the samosa dough is setting so that everything is ready to go as soon as you start rolling out the dough. Make sure to have everything on hand when you start rolling and assembling the samosas so you can get them quickly filled and wrapped and keep them from drying out.
Complementary Food and Drinks
Serve with a spicy cilantro coconut chutney and a tamarind chutney.
Where to Shop
All of the ingredients for this are fairly common, though you will get the best price if you can purchase the whole wheat pastry flour and spices from bulk bins and jars. Approximate cost per
The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Jason Wyrick
serving is $0.25.
How It Works
Working cold margarine and water into the flour keeps the flour flaky and light, particularly important if you decide to make puffy samosas instead of the denser ones made by kneading. The filling is then simply a spiced potato, pea, and lentil mix, though the spices are particularly heavy in the filling to cut through both the potatoes and the dough.
Chef’s Notes
Once you are done making the filling, put it away in a safe place. It is hard to keep from snacking on it!
Nutrition Facts (per serving, baked version)
Calories 95
Calories from Fat 27 Fat 3 g
Total Carbohydrates 14 g Dietary Fiber 4 g
Sugars 2 g Protein 3 g Salt 155 mg
Interesting Facts
Samosas aren’t just popular in India, they’re found throughout all of southern Asia, from the Middle East to Viet Nam.