Jeera Rasam (Pepper Cumin Rasam)

pepper cumin rasam recipe, milagu jeera rasam recipe

4.94 from 15 votes

Called Jeera Rasam (or Jeera Milagu Rasam in Tamil) and Pepper Cumin Rasam in English; this is a spicy, tangy and robust appetizer made from tamarind, black pepper and cumin. It can be enjoyed as a drink or served with a side of steamed rice.

Prep Time30

Cook Time20

Total Time50

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: South Indian

Diet: Vegan

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Servings:

Calories: 81kcal

Author: Dassana Amit

Ingredients

To be ground coarsely or semi fine

½ tablespoon black peppercorns
½ tablespoon cumin
2 dry red chilies - halved and deseeded
6 to 7 garlic cloves - medium sized, peeled

Other ingredients

½ tablespoon tamarind - tightly packed, soaked in ½ cup hot water
1 tomato - medium-sized, crushed or chopped
¼ cup coriander leaves - chopped, (cilantro)
1 to 1.25 cups water or add as required
salt as required

For tempering

1 teaspoon mustard seeds
8 to 10 curry leaves - medium sized
⅛ teaspoon turmeric powder roughly 2 to 3 pinches of turmeric powder
1 to 2 pinch asafoetida (hing)
1 to 1.5 tablespoon oil

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preparation

First heat ½ cup water. Soak tamarind in this hot water for 20 to 30 minutes.
Later squeeze the soaked tamarind to get the pulp. Strain the tamarind extract and set aside.
In a grinder, take garlic, red chilies, black pepper and cumin seeds.
Grind coarsely or to a semi-fine texture.

Making pepper cumin rasam

Heat oil in a pan or pot. Splutter mustard seeds first.
Then add curry leaves and the coarsely ground spices.
Sauté for a minute on low heat. Then add turmeric powder, asafoetida and chopped coriander leaves. Mix very well.
Next add crushed or chopped tomatoes. Stir and saute for a minute or two.
Add tamarind extract and water. Season with salt.
Stir and simmer rasam on a low to medium heat, without a lid, until the tomatoes soften and the raw taste of tamarind goes away.
It takes about 12 to 15 minutes.
Serve the Jeera Rasam as is or accompanied with rice, sambar and a side of South Indian style sautéed vegetable dish.

Notes

This Pepper Cumin rasam is spicy. For a moderately or less spiced version, reduce the black pepper and dry red chilies.
You can adjust the consistency of rasam as per your choice, by adding more or less water. Adding less water will make the rasam more tangy and hot but do not add too much of water as this will dilute the flavors.

Nutrition