Rasam podi is a cousin of Sambar Podi. Purists might not totally agree with me, but I love to put it like that purely owing to the fact that they make a busy person's cooking activity very simple. And, both are used to prepare a liquid dish!

All said and done, Rasam podi with the perfect amount of spices is just the right kind of dish you would like to have before you switch to curd rice and conclude a typical Telugu meal.

Srijanani's phrase for the Rasam Podi is 'The Tani Avartanam', the most delightful stage of a Carnatic music concert. She says that Rasam plays that beautiful role of sustaining the spirits that are already set by the other dishes in a meal. Just the right kind of food that doesn't spoil the after tastes of other dishes while maintaining its own stature.