Ulavacharu

A thick, deeply earthy rasam made from horse gram (ulava in Telugu) — the lentils are soaked, boiled until soft, then the cooking water is reserved, the cooked gram is ground with tamarind, tomato, red chilli, and garlic, strained back into the water, and simmered into a thick, nutritious liquid that is part soup, part rasam, entirely unique. No other rasam is as protein-dense or as intensely flavoured; the horse gram's natural astringency and earthiness give ulavacharu a character unlike any dal or rasam in any other regional cuisine. A Rayalaseema staple — drunk warm as medicine for colds, poured over rice for sustenance, and offered at family meals as the most nourishing course of the thali.