Vilampazham Rasam Recipe - Wood Apple Rasam Recipe

Vilampazham Rasam (Wood Apple Rasam) is a healthy rasam recipe which we is made for lunch. Here I am giving this recipe with step by step procedure along with pictures. This rasam can be taken as it is like soup or it goes very well with rice.

Vilampazham  is popularly known as Wood Apple. It is also known as Elephant Apple, Monkey Fruit, Bael Fruit etc

The outer layer will be very thick, crack it open to get the pulp inside as shown in the picture below. Hallow sound can be heard when its ripe while tapped. The pulp will be dark or semi dark when it is riped. The pulp will be tangy. If it is not ripe the tangyness will be little more.

Because of this tanginess, it is usually mixed with  jaggery and used for making rasam.

The health benefits of vilampazham is amazing. It helps to control blood pressure, it helps in proper functioning of heart and brain, it also helps to cure piles problem and also helps to prevent breast and uterus cancer. It is abundant in Iron. Not only the fruit, its leaves also has so many medicinal values.It helps to cure sour throat (boiling leaves in water and having it by staining the leaves). Since it contains so many health benefits single post wont be enough to mention it. I will share the rest in my other post.

The pulp is usually mixed with jaggery before eating it. This will taste amazing and also gives many health benefits and you can prepare rasam, juice, and also some sweets etc. I will try to post some other recipe soon. So from today pick this fruit whenever you see it in the market and use in your daily diet.

Ingredients for Wood Apple Rasam : Vilampazham – 1 Toor dal - 1/4 cup Tomato - 1 Turmeric Powder a pinch Rasam Powder – 1 tbsp Oil – 1 tbsp Salt to taste Corriander few for garnishing To Temper: Mustard Seeds – 1 tsp Cumin Seeds – 1 tsp Pepper Corns – 1/2 tsp Red Chillies – 1 Hing a pinch Garlic – 2 nos crushed Sambar Onion – 2 nos crushed Curry Leaves few

Method:

• Cook Toor dal in a pressure cooker. 
• Transfer it to vessel and heat that cooked toor dal along with tomato, turmeric powder for 5 minutes (the tomato will become soft which will help it to crush using hand). Since tomato is cooked for 5 Minutes it becomes soft, so peel the outer layer and mash using hand. (You can also take the tomato puree and avoid this step). Mash the dal using the back of the spoon.
• Take the pulp from vilampazham by breaking the outer layer using hammer or by dropping from height.
• Mash it by adding little water.
  
• Strain it using a strainer.
• Add tomato puree (if you mashed it using hand add that).
  
• Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and allow to crackle. Add cumin seeds, crushed pepper corns, red chili, hing, curry leaves, crushed garlic and crushed onion.
• Add Vilampazham, tomato puree mixture to it, add rasam powder and allow to cook.
  
• Allow to boil.
• When raw smell goes add cooked dal and allow just the bubbles forms at the top.
• Switch off the flame and add add jaggery. Garnish with corriender leaves.
  
• Serve warm with rice or have it as a soup.
  

Note:

• If the fruit is more tangy then take only half of the fruit pulp.