Jeera Rasam

Rasam is a thin gravy, which is tamarind or tomato based.
Dal may or may not be used and this dish generally does not require cooked dal.
This dish is served as an appetiser or mixed with plain rice and eaten.
It is yet another dish which wards off flu and the nasty cold!
Quick and easy to prepare and tastes delicious and easy on the stomach too with the freshly ground aromatic spices!!!
All rasams retain their original flavour and taste if they are not boiled several times before they are served.
Rasams taste great if they are brought to the boil just before seasoning, garnishing and serving.

Ingredients to serve 6 people

Small lime size Tamarind
2 ½ Cups Water
2 Tsp. Toor Dal
½ Tsp. Peppercorn
2 Tsp. Cumin seeds
1 Red Chilli
¼ Tsp Asafoetida Powder
¼ Cup Water
½ Tsp. Sambhar Powder
1- 2 Tsp. Salt
Few Curry Leaves

For Seasoning

1 Tsp. Oil
1 Tsp. Mustard seeds
Few Sprigs Curry Leaves

Preparation of the Rasam

Grind the peppercorn, cumin seeds, red chilli, toor dal and curry leaves with quarter cup of water into an almost fine mixture and keep aside.
Soak the tamarind for about 10 minutes in hot water
Extract the tamarind juice, add the salt and Sambhar Powder
Bring it to the boil

After 5 minutes, add the ground mixture and the remainder of the water.
When you are ready to serve, bring the whole pan with the rasam to the boil and remove from fire.

 For a “quick” rasam, substitute the ground mixture for 2-3 teaspoons of rasam powder 

Heat the oil in a small pan and add the mustard seeds.
When it crackles, add it to the rasam and garnish it with curry leaves