Pepper Rasam (Mizhagu Rasam)

'Tis the season for colds, allergies and coughs. Yep its cold outside and whether you are feeling under the weather or not, you need this pepper rasam. It is full of black pepper in a spice blend, tamarind and fresh tomatoes. These ingredients are simmered together to make a most yummy vegetarian(or vegan) broth. You can enjoy in a bowl(or a steel tumbler like how we do!). You can enjoy on its own or with a big bowl of steamed rice for the most comforting meal ever.

What is Rasam?

Rasam(Ra(as in rum)-sum) is a Southern Indian spicy broth which is eaten everyday by millions. It is a staple for lots of us in Southern India. We make the broth by boiling water, tamarind water or paste, asafoetida,spices, tomatoes and finally finished with some tempered mustard seeds, curry leaves and dry red chilis.

Rasam is also called by other names including Saaru, chaaru depending on the state and is almost always eaten with cooked rice.Where I am from, we serve rasam as the second course of the meal right after sambar. However it also widely drank as a warm spicy drink if you don't want to have it with rice.

2 key ingredients in rasam are

1. Ghee - We use ghee as the fat to temper the mustard and curry leaves. You can just substitute with a neutral oil like avocado oil to keep it completely vegan. If not vegan or dairy-free , then I would highly recommend adding the ghee . This is because it adds a ton of flavor.

2. Asafoetida - If you have not used thsi before, it will not be the most pleasant smelling ingredient. You can absolutely skip it but I would recommend giving it a go. If you do decide to use it, I promise it will grow on you and its truly an X factor ingredient in Indian cooking especially rasam.

Rasam also comes in many variations including tomato, lemon, ginger, dill, dal, Mysore, garlic, apple, pineapple etc

How to make Pepper Rasam?

Making rasam is extremely simple and easy. It involves adding the spice blend, tamarind and tomatoes to the water and letting it simmer before adding the finishing touches. The major steps are dicussed below and all the steps are listed out in the recipe card at the end of the post.

Dry roasting spices : We will first dry roast black pepper, cumin, red chilis and coriander seeds. Heat the pan to medium low or low heat to prevent burning. Always keep an eye on the spices and gently saute regularly to toast the spices evenly. Once you can see them lightly browned and can smell the toasted spices, remove from heat. Once it has cooled down, grind it down to a fine powder. This is the only step you need to meal prep for rasam. You can store this ground spice mix in an airtight container for around a month or in the refrigerator up to 3 months.

This is potent stuff! So make sure you dont try to smell it by holding it very close to your nose 🙂

Making the broth : Bring 5 cups of water to a gentle simmer at medium low heat. As the water is heating, we will add the tamarind stock or tamarind paste. Tamarind pulp is usually available as a block in Indian stores and the tamarind paste in tubs. Make sure you dont pick tamarind sauces. They have added ingredients and they are used as a topping or dip. If using the pulp, I would recommed soaking around roughly 1 ½" blob of pulp in some warm water for 10 minutes. Remove the pulp and gently squeeze to remove excess water in to the same bowl. Discard the pulp and pour the stock in to the water.

Add turmeric,chopped tomatoes, the spice blend, asafetida and season with some salt. Let this simmer for 15-20 minutes. You can wait for the tomatoes to fully cook or leave it a little undone.

Tempering: When you are almost done making the rasam, heat a small pan to a low heat. Add a tablespoon of ghee and once melted, add the asafoetida, mustard seeds and curry leaves(washed and pat dried). Once the mustard seeds starts popping, turn off the heat and add this as a topping to the rasam. Add a little bit of rasam back to the tempering pan and rinse it out before adding it back to the rasam pot.

Mix well and taste. Add more salt if required.

Serving and storage suggestions

As mentioned earlier, you can enjoy this pepper rasam on its own. We widely consume rasam as a relief for common colds and coughs. I can definitely vouch for it's ability to really open up your sinuses and help you breathe a little better. I will add that it is quite strong! So do watch out if you are not used to having very spicy food and take small sips in the beginning.

My recommendation would be to have it with cooked white rice. You can also serve with brown, red rice or even cooked quinoa. Rice definitely helps tone down the heat while letting you enjoy the flavors of rasam. Serve with a side of southern Indian style vegetable stir fry(poriyal/palya) to make it a filling meal. For added protein, I would also recommed you add a protein rich side like kootu(moong lentil stew) or usili(dry lentil based stir fry). In the photo above, I have served it with spinach kootu which is a stew made with spinach and moong lentils for added protein.

Storage

Rasam should keep for 2-3 days in the refrigerator although I dont ever remember storing it for that long ever :). If you are considering freezing it for future use, wait for the rasam to cool down and place in a freezer safe container. You can store it in the freezer for up to a month.

Reheating

I would recommend reheating over the stove top until completely warm. If you have frozen it, then let it thaw overnight or for 3-4 hours before reheating in a pan or in the oven at 350 deg F for 30-50 minutes depending on how frozen the rasam still is when reheating.

I hope you get to try this pepper rasam soon because it is hot and delicious! If there is one food I can eat everyday(and I did for years!) its rasam. If you have any questions or comments please let me know in the comments section. I always love hearing from you and will get back to your questions asap. You can also follow along on social media including Instagram, Pinterest and/or Facebook.

Recipe