Black Pepper & Cumin Seeds Rasam

Rasam is a must have in most of the South Indian meals. Especially in my kitchen sambar gets the 2nd place. I don't cook a traditional South Indian meal every day. But when I cook one, I always make a kootu and rasam. Here is a recipe for a quick rasam just in case you forgot to keep dhal in the cooker.

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon Black pepper seeds
1 Tablespoon Cumin Seeds
1/2 Tablespoon Toor dhal
1/2 Teaspoon of a Asafoetida
1 Tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 1/2 Cup of tamarind juice
1/2 Teaspoon turmeric powder
1 Spring of Curry Leaves
1 Clove garlic
1 Small tomato roughly chopped
Salt to taste

To garnish

1/2 Tablespoon Mustard seeds
1/2 Tablespoon Cumin seeds
1 Tablespoon Ghee

Directions

Soak black pepper, cumin seeds and toor dhal in 1/2 cup of water for an hour. In a sauce pan pour the tamarind juice. Add the turmeric powder, asafoetida, cut tomatoes and salt. Let it boil until the raw flavor of the tamarind juice wears off. Grind the black pepper, cumin seeds and toor dhal with the garlic. Add the paste to the sauce pan and add in a cup of water. Add the cilantro when the rasam boils and turn off the stove.

Heat the ghee small pan. Add the mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds splutter add the cumin seeds and curry leaves. Pour the ghee on the hot rasam. Serve hot with rice.

PS - You might not find cilantro and the curry leaves in my rasam because I didn't have any left when I made this :).