Jeera-Milagu Rasam..(Cumin-Pepper Rasam)-TamBrahm style

Jeera Milagu Rasam

Ingredients

• 1 lemon sized ball of tamarind
• 1 tsp. rasam podi
• 2 tbsps. tuvar dal (tuvaram paruppu)
• 1 tbsp. jeera (cumin seeds)
• 1 tbsp. milagu (pepper)
• 2 red chillies (Kashmiri chillies)
• Curry leaves - a few springs
• 1 tsp.Salt

Tempering

• 1 tbsp. ghee
•  1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 red chilli, broken into bits
• A few curry leaves 

Method of preparation

• Soak the tamarind in warm water. Extract the essence from the pulp. 
• To the tamarind water (about 2 cups of extract) add the rasam podi, salt and curry leaves.
• Heat on a low flame for about 10 minutes.

• Soak the tuvar dal, jeera, milagu, red chillies and curry leaves in water and grind to a fine paste.

Ground mixture of jeera, milagu, tuvar dal...

• Add this ground mixture to the boiling tamarind extract stirring well.
• Continue heating till bubbles appear on the surface of the rasam.

• Temper the rasam with mustard seeds, 1 red chilli and curry leaves in ghee.

Serve hot!

(Note: This particular rasam which is generally a good digestive soup does not have tomatoes, ginger, green chillies or asafoetida)

Rasam

Rasam

Rasam is a soothing dish, a sort of comfort food for the South Indian. It can soothe one's nerves and relax the digestive system.  There are various kinds of rasams, tomato rasam, milagu rasam, lemon rasam, mysore rasam and so on. Again methods of preparing rasam vary from region to region.

Here I shall give you the method I learnt from my mother in my early cooking days. It is quick, easy and really tasty!! Nothing like Mom's cooking......

Ingredients

• 1 small lemon size ball of tamarind soaked in warm water

• 2-3 tomatoes medium size...not over-ripe.
• 2 green chillies (split into halves)
• A few scrapping of ginger
• A small bit of asafoetida (hing) or 1/2 tsp. of asafoetida (hing) powder

• 1/2 cup of tuvar dal (thuvaram paruppu)

• A small bunch of coriander leaves (chopped fine)
• A few twigs of curry leaves
• 1 1/2 tsps. salt

• 2 tsps. rasam powder (rasa podi) ( https://radhascooking.blogspot.com/2019/09/rasam-powder.html)

For tempering

• 1 tsp. ghee
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1 red chilli broken into bits
• 1/4 tsp asafoetida powder
• 1/4 tsp. jeera

Method of preparation

• Wash the tuvar dal (thuvaram paruppu)  and pressure cook it alongwith tomatoes, green chillies, ginger and asafoetida.
• After 2 whistles, simmer the pressure cooker for 5-6 minutes.
• On cooling, mash the dal well and keep aside.

• Extract the tamarind juice. Make up the tamarind extract to about 2 cups. Add the rasam powder, curry leaves and salt and cook on medium flame for about 8-10 minutes, till the smell of tamarind has gone.

• Now add the mashed dal mixture to the tamarind extract and cook on low flame till it boils and bubbles appear on the surface. Simmer for a few more minutes.
• Switch off the flame.
• Add the chopped coriander leaves and cover.

• Take ghee in a kadai and heat it.
• When hot, add the mustard seeds, broken chilli, asafoetida. When the mustard seeds sputter, add the jeera and temper the rasam.

Rasam ready to be served in bowls

Serve the rasam in bowls. 

Many people love drinking the rasam...It is also eaten as rasam sadam with hot rice.