PEPPER RASAM

Climate has become very chill suddenly in Chennai and I was having sore throat from yesterday. Was thinking what to do with it. My mother in law always suggests having black pepper Rasam if any one is having common cold and coughs at home and believe me its effective also. Normally this is the season when you are easily caught by cold because of climate change. So here is how I made this rasam which is called as Milagu Sathamdaum in typical Iyengar Language.


Pepper Rasam (Milagu Rasam)

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes

Serving: 4 persons

Ingredients

For Rasam

Tamarind (Imali)-a small lemon size (soaked in warm water)

Tomatoes-2

Salt-to taste

Red Gram Dal-1/4 cup (Washed and soaked in water nearly ½ an hour)

For Rasam Powder

Red gram dal-6tsp

Black Pepper-3-4tsp

Red Chilies-4-5

Cumin seed-1/2 tsp

For Seasoning

Ghee-1/2 tsp

Green Chili-1

Mustard seed (Rai dana)-1/2 tsp

Curry leaves (curry patta)

Asafetida-1/2 tsp

For Garnishing

Coriander leaves

Method

• First we will prepare pepper rasam powder.

• In a pan dry roast red gram dal along with black pepper, red chilies, and cumin seed till it turns to light pink color.

• Remove it from pan and allow it to get cool down.

• Then put all this in a mixer jar and grind it like a powder

• Keep aside.

• Boil the soaked dal in cooker with sufficient water.

• Grind tamarind with one tomato.

• Filter this puree nicely.

• Add another cup of water in this.

• Cut another tomato in cubes and put this in tomato tamarind puree.

• Take a wide mouth pan and put the puree in this.

• Boil this puree with required salt.

• Once it starts boiling and the raw smell of tomatoes goes off add the rasam powder what we have made in our earlier steps,

• Boil if for another a couple of minute.

• Then take the cook dal and mashed it very nicely.

• Add this dal in rasam and keep low the gas flame.

• Allow rasam to get set with froth and wait till 1-2 boil comes.

• Take it off from flame.

• Now heat ghee in a seasoning pan and put all season items.

• Then add this season in rasam.

• Garnish with coriander leaves.

• Serve with hot rice.