Milagu Rasam / Black Pepper Soup

 

 

After this rain diwali, I crave for some comfort food. When I call it comfort food, it is comfortable for cooking as well as eating.

This recipe is from my periamma (Sundari periamma) who is such a wonderful cook.

This is such an easy and soothing rasam which is very good for cold or cough.

Why I call this an easy Rasam

Ø  No need to cook dal

Ø  No need to soak tamarind and get the extract

Ø  No need of rasam powder

Ingredients:

·         Tamarind – 1 small lemon sized ball

·         Asafetida – 1 big pinch

·         Tomato – 1 small size

·         Salt to taste

·         Water – 3 cups

·         Curry leaves – one strand

 To roast and grind

·         Pepper – 1 tsp

·         Jeera – 1tsp

·         Toor Dal – 1 tsp

·         Coriander seeds – 1 tsp

To temper :

·         Ghee – 1 tsp

·         Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Method :

Dry roast the ingredients mentioned in ‘To roast and grind’ till it is slightly changes color. Then grind it into coarse powder.

 

Make the tamarind as small lemon sized ball. Cut the tomato into cubes. Take one cup of water in a vessel and put the tamarind ball, salt, Asafetida, cut tomato. Let it boil for a while say 10 mins.

Cook it till the raw smell of tamarind leaves. Also the tomato will be cooked soft. Now the water will be reduced to half.

Once the raw smell of the tamarind leaves, add 2 cups of water, curry leaves, and the spice powder prepared. Switch off the stove when the rasam starts boiling.  The rasam turns little bitter when it boils too much.

 

To temper, add a tsp ghee in a kadai, once it heats up, add the mustard seeds, once it cracks up, add it to the rasam.

Serve the rasam hot with rice and roasted papad.

What else can make you happy on a rainy day?