Veppampoo rasam or neem flower rasam is made mainly during Tamil New Year and Ugadi. Though this seem to be a simple one to make have lots of medicinal values. Its always good to have it once in a while along with hot rice and little ghee.

Ingredients:
Tamarind Paste - 2 tsp
Thuvar Dal - 1/4 cup
Red Chillies - 2 nos
Pepper - 1/2 tsp
Jeera - 2 tsp
Dhaniya or Coriander seeds - 1 tsp
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Dried neem flowers - 1 to 2 tbsp according to one's taste
Hing/ Asafodeita - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1 pinch
Curry leaves - a few
Coriander leaves - a few
Salt to taste

Method:
In half a tbsp of ghee fry thuvar dal, red chillies, pepper, dhaniya and a few curry leaves. Remove from flame and add jeera in the hot pan. It will get fried. Grind all these to a fine powder along with hing.

In a shallow vessel, add 2 cups of water to the tamarind paste. Add salt and turmeric powder andbring it to boil. When it boils add the ground powder and bring it to boil again. Alternatively mix tamarind paste and the ground powder along with salt and turmeric powder and pressure cook it for two whitsles.

In the remaining ghee add mustard seeds and when they splutter add the dried neem flowers and pour it on the cooked rasam. Chop coriander leaves finely and add it to the rasam. Add the remaining curry leaves too to the rasam.

Note:
Finely chopped tomatoes can be added too.

Instead of making this rasam using tamarind paste, the same can be done with lemon rasam too.