With chilly weather slowly coming in, I start craving for hot, spicy soups like this rasam. Funny thing is, though Central Florida doesn’t really get cold like in the North, the temperature suddenly drops around late October. One day it is humid, in the 80s and the next day it is dry and in the 70s. Fascinating how quickly the change happens! I guess the adage “If you don’t like the weather in Florida, wait a minute” is true for most places.

Rasam 

Rasam or ‘ras’ literally means ‘juice’ in most Indian languages. This quintessential South Indian recipe evolves from a base of tamarind and water. Also called ‘chaaru’ (in Telugu) or ‘saaru’ (in Kannada), this dish is an integral part of a meal. My grandmother had to have chaaru with every meal! She used to say any meal was inadequate without a bowl of this soup to go with it. I must agree though, that this soup has hardly any calories, helps with digestion and most importantly helps clear sinuses and stuffy noses!

Spices

While tamarind water forms the base, there are several variations of this soup, made with different spices like garlic, ginger, green chili, pepper and so on. You can get off-the-shelf rasam spice powder that includes various spices like coriander seeds, peppercorns, dry chili peppers, cumin seeds. You can also use fresh spices, depending on the type of rasam you’re making.

Pepper Rasam

Unlike some of the other rasam recipes, this one incorporates freshly blended spices. During my trip to India earlier this year, I picked up this recipe from my sister. I may have said this before, but I’ll say again: she’s a terrific cook. For this dish, she uses peppercorns, fresh garlic, tomatoes and cumin seeds as the main spices. Interestingly, there is also a bit of jaggery (sugar molasses) thrown in, to balance the flavors. The result is amazing! Spicy black pepper, hint of garlic, tangy tamarind and tomatoes, garnished with cilantro. One sip of this soup and you can feel your sinuses clearing out!

Lentils

If you want to make this heartier, you can add pressure cooked toor dal lentils. Toor dal does not impact the flavor – it just adds protien and makes this dish more filling. In Telugu, the dish is called ‘pappu chaaru’, which translates to ‘lentil rasam’.

Don’t forget to check out our other delicious soups while you’re here:

• White Wine Infused Carrot-Ginger Soup
• Uma’s Veggie-Medley Soup
• Spicy Buttermilk Soup
• Roasted Butternut Squash & Black-Eyed Peas Soup
• Vegan Creamy Mushroom Soup
• Yellow Mung Detox Soup
• Creamy (Sans Cream!) Broccoli Asparagus Soup
• Raw Red Bell Pepper Soup
• Chilled Cucumber Dill Soup
• Tomato Soup With Seasoning
• Thai Curry Vegetable Soup

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5 from 2 votes

Pepper Rasam

This deliciously spicy, tangy soup is just what you need to clear up those sinuses! Perfect for a chilly day (or night)! Enjoy as a soup by itself or as part of a typical South Indian meal.

Course Soup

Cuisine Indian

Keyword ayurveda, black pepper, Cilantro, jaggery, rasam, Soup, Spicy, Tamarind, Tomato, turmeric

Special Diet Gluten Free, Grain Free, Nut Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Servings 4 People

Calories 70kcal

Equipment

• Le Crueset Nonstick Pan
• Kitchen Knife
• Cutting Board
• Spice Blender

Ingredients

• 1 Cup Tomato
• 1/2 Cup Cilantro
• 1 Clove Garlic
• 2 Teaspoons Black Pepper - Peppercorns
• 1 Tablespoon Cumin Seeds
• 1/2 Teaspoon Turmeric Powder
• 1/8 Cup Tamarind - Whole, seeds removed (or 1 teaspoon tamarind concentrate)
• 1 Teaspoon Jaggery
• 1/2 Teaspoon Sea Salt - Or to taste
• 1 Tablespoon Coconut Oil - Cold pressed
• 6 Cups Filtered water

Instructions

• Blend the following ingredients into a puree: tomato, garlic, jaggery, tamarind, peppercorns. If you are not using a high power blender, blend pepper first and then add rest of the ingredients.
  
• Heat oil in pan and add cumin seeds. Allow them to crackle.
  
• Add blended puree and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Add turmeric and mix well.
  
• Add water, mix well and bring the contents to a boil. Add salt and mix.
  
• Transfer to a bowl, garnish with cilantro and serve hot.
  

Video

Notes

Great as a soup by itself or with a meal.

*Use organic ingredients wherever possible

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Pepper Rasam

Serving Size

 

185 g

Amount per Serving

Calories

70

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

4

g

6

%

Saturated Fat

 

3

g

19

%

Sodium

 

316

mg

14

%

Potassium

 

185

mg

5

%

Carbohydrates

 

9

g

3

%

Fiber

 

1

g

4

%

Sugar

 

6

g

7

%

Protein

 

1

g

2

%

Vitamin A

 

464

IU

9

%

Vitamin C

 

6

mg

7

%

Calcium

 

38

mg

4

%

Iron

 

2

mg

11

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.