After heavy eating we all need something that helps us to digest that heavy food. Jeera rasam is good digestive food that helps to ease the heaviness of the tummy. With fewer ingredients, it takes less time to prepare but has good benefits for overall health of the body. Jeera and pepper both help to digest and lentil adds protein to body. Tamarind (or tomato) eases the load by preventing constipation. Curry leaves balances metabolism by preventing any indigestion that heavy food might cause!

Ingredients:

1. Cumin/jeera – 1 tsp
2. Pepper – 1 tsp
3. Red chilli – 1 or 2
4. Curry leaves – 15 leaves
5. Asafetida – a pinch
6. Toor daal – 1 or 2 Tbsp
7. Tamarind – small lemon size
8. Tomato – 1 (optional) finely chopped
9. Mustard – 1 tsp
10. Oil or ghee – 1 tsp
11. Chopped cilantro – 1 Tbsp

Preparation:

1. Soak tamarind in hot water for few minutes
2. Soak toor daal in hot water for half an hour
3. Grind cumin, pepper, red chili, curry leaves and soaked toor daal to a fine paste
4. Squeeze and collect tarmarind water.
5. Boil tamarind water with little asafetida and salt. Let tamarind smell reduce*. 
6. Add grinded cumin-toor daal spice paste, add two cups water, salt and continue boiling for few more minutes on low flame to avoid over boiling and spilling
7. Prepare seasoning using oil or ghee and mustard, add to jeera rasam. Using ghee gives more flavor for cumin rasam
8. Serve hot rasam with rice of to drink by garnishing with chopped cilantro.

*If you are adding tomato, then you can reduce tamarind to half size to avoid too much sourness. Add finely chopped tomato to tamarind water and cook well.