Pepper Rasam: a spicy, sour South Indian soup from Mallika Basu

This soup recipe will slay any cold, says our Indian food columnist Mallika Basu
Mallika Basu
Mallika Basu3 February 2016

Food is medicine. This Pepper Rasam, a spicy, sour South Indian soup, is a potent blend of freshly roasted and ground black pepper and cumin. It’s popular across the nation as a slayer of cold and flu germs.

There are many ways to make Rasam, and many different types too: Garlic Rasam, Lemon Rasam, Tamarind Rasam to name but a few. The key to an amazing pepper rasam is fresh ingredients and explosive levels of spices. Sinus doesn’t stand a chance! Oh, it’s a brilliant way to get the party started as an appetizer too.

Ingredients (makes 2 servings)

Lime-sized lump of fresh tamarind

1 tbsp whole cumin

1 tbsp whole black pepper

3 dry red chillies

Pinch of asafetida

Quarter tsp turmeric

1 medium tomato

2 fat cloves garlic

2 tbsp Toor lentils (Split Pigeon Pea)

1 tbsp coconut oil

Quarter tsp mustard seeds

6-8 curry leaves

Fresh coriander to garnish

Salt to taste

Mallika Basu

Method

Fill a kettle and bring it to boil. Put the lump of tamarind in a cup and fill it with freshly boiled water.

While the tamarind is soaking, make your rasam powder. Roast the cumin, pepper and one red chilli in a small pan for 30 seconds, and then grind in a pestle and mortar or in a small spice/coffee grinder. Leave the spices to settle.

Next, smash and peel the garlic cloves. Chop the tomato into little pieces and wash the lentils well. In a medium-sized saucepan, bring the tomato, garlic, asafetida, turmeric and lentils to boil with three cups of water.

When it starts bubbling, lower the heat to a low medium, add a tablespoon of the spice powder, and loosely cover and cook for about half an hour. The rasam needs to cook gently.

When the time is up, squeeze out all the juices from the tamarind with your fingers or a spoon and pass through a sieve into the soup. Stir this through. Then make your tempering or tadka.

In a small saucepan, bring the coconut oil to heat on high. When it’s hot, add the mustard seeds, curry leaves and chillies quickly and remove from the heat as soon as they start sizzling. Stir this through the Rasam, add salt to your taste, and pour into cups or bowls with fresh coriander to garnish.

This reheats well, so make a large pot and enjoy it for at least a couple of days.

Mallika Basu is a London-based food writer, cookbook author and cookery personality; quickindiancooking.com. Follow her on Twitter@MallikaBasu_ and find more of her recipes for the Evening Standard here.

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