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Ulavacharu recipe
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Horse gram soup - Kollu rasam - Ulavacharu recipe

This is a simple and delicious soith Indian style ulavacharu recipe. Also called kollu rasam or horse gram rasam. This recipe includes both Instant pot and stovetop methods.
Course Main Course, Side Dish, Soup
Cuisine Indian
Keyword horse gram soup recipe, kollu rasam recipe, ulavacharu recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Servings 4

Equipment

  • Instant Pot
  • Pressure cooker

Ingredients

Main ingredients of ulavacharu

  • ½ cup Horse gram raw
  • 3-4 cups water
  • ½ tablespoon tamarind paste if using fresh, use gooseberry sized tamarind
  • 1 red chili
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 1 small onion
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1 teaspoon coriander powder
  • ¼ teaspoon cumin powder
  • ¼ teaspoon fenugreek powder
  • Salt to taste

Ingredients for tadka

  • 1.5 tablespoon oil
  • ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds
  • ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 sprig curry leaves
  • 2 red chili
  • Pinch of hing optional

Instructions

Instant pot instructions

  • Soak horse gram for at least 8 hours in 3-4 cups of water. Then, drain the soaked horse gram and wash it twice to remove impurities.  
  • Now add washed horse gram to the instant pot inner pot.
  • Add water to this now and close the Instant pot with its lid. Seal the vent.
  • Start the Instant pot in manual or pressure cook mode and cook it on high pressure for 15 minutes.
  • Once the instant pot beeps, switch it off and let the pressure release naturally or wait for 10 minutes and then do a quick pressure release.
  • Now strain the water from horse gram and reserve both water and cooked horse gram separately.
  • Take ¾ cup of cooked horse gram into a mixer grinder. To this, add red chili, chopped onion, garlic cloves, tamarind and blend it into a smooth paste using water.
  • Wipe off the instant pot inner pot once and start the instant pot again in sautee mode.
  • To the hot pot, add oil, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves, and hing.
  • Once they splutter, add the reserved water to the instant pot inner pot.
  • Add this blended paste to the instant pot along with salt, coriander powder, cumin powder, fenugreek powder, and turmeric powder.
  • Mix everything well and let it boil for 8 to 10 minutes until you see a thick frothy top on the rasam.
  • Switch off the Instant pot and serve the Ulavacharu with hot rice.

Stovetop instructions

  • Soak horse gram for at least 8 hours in 3-4 cups of water. Then, drain the soaked horse gram and wash it twice to remove impurities.  
  • Add thoroughly washed horse gram and water to the pressure cooker. Cook it for 15 to 20 minutes on medium flame(approximately 7-8 whistles) 
  • Once the pressure settles down, strain the horse gram and collect the strained liquid into a vessel or pan in which you plan to make rasam. 
  • Now take a mixer jar and add ¾th cup of cooked ulavalu (horse gram) to it. 
  • Also, add red chili, tamarind, roughly chopped onion, garlic cloves to the mixer grinder and grind it into a smooth paste using ¾th cup water.  
  • Add this paste to horse gram water and put it to boil on the stove. To this, add turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin and methi powder, salt. 
  • Let the ulavacharu boil for 10 to 12 minutes on medium flame. You should see the frothy top on the rasam.
  • While horse gram rasam is boiling, heat a small kadai and add oil to make tadka.
  • Add cumin seeds, mustard seeds, whole red chili, and curry leaves to the hot oil and let it splutter. 
  • Switch off the stove and add a pinch of hing to the tadka. It's optional but recommended for authentic taste.
  • By now, ulavacharu will be boiled thoroughly, and it will not have any raw smell.  
  • Add the tadka to the boiling ulavacharu and switch off the flame.  
  • Serve the ulavacharu with hot rice and a dollop of ghee.

Notes

Adjust water for desired consistency.