During cold winter common conditions most of us are suffer from are – blocked nose, running nose, throat irritation, fever, flu, body ache etc. In addition, we all feel like drinking and eating something hot and spicy. In India, a traditional rasam is always preferred for such conditions. Rasam is nothing but soup with simple herbal ingredients. One popular rasam recipe is commonly known as “jeera-menasu” rasam. Jeera is cumin and menasu is black pepper. This recipe also calls for clarified butter or ghee that helps in soothing the disturbed system and gives relaxation.

Preparation time is 15 minutes and one can have cumin-pepper rasam with rice or can drink hot.

Cumin pepper rasam

Ingredients:

1. Cumin – 1 tsp
2. Black pepper – ½ tsp
3. Salt – ½ tsp (as per your taste)
4. Jaggery – One inch piece (or brown sugar)
5. Curry leaves – 8-10
6. Coriander – ¼ cup (chopped)
7. Ghee – 2 tsp
8. Mustard – ¼ tsp
9. Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
10. Asafetida – a pinch
11. Water – 2 cups

 Method:

1. In a pan heat ghee (clarified butter). Add cumin and pepper and fry for a minute and take it off from the heat source. Allow it to cool.
2. Prepare coarse powder of fried cumin and pepper mix.
3. In a container boil water and add salt and jaggery.
4. To boiling water add crushed powder and turmeric powder. Continue boiling on medium heat for few more minutes.
5. In a seasoning pan heat a tsp of ghee and to heated ghee add mustard, curry leaves, little cumin and asafetida. Turn of the heat and add the seasoning to boiled rasam.
6. Garnish with chopped coriander and boil for a minute.
7. Serve hot rasam with rice or in a cup to drink. Add little ghee to enhance the flavor.

*option: little lemon juice can be added before serving.

** If you prefer you can add a tomato while boiling water (3^rd step)

*** Add couple of garlic cloves during seasoning to enhance flavor and to get benefit of garlic