The pepper and cumin in the rasam acts as a soothing relief. This pepper and cumin rasam mixed with hot rice and some ghee is something I grew up on. Rasam as such is a comfort food for me. A bowl of hot rasam and rice with some vegetable or appalam / papad is all I need to make myself comfortable. There are many different rasam varieties and this is Milagu Jeera rasam is one of the popular ones. At the first sight / feel of cold or cough, my patti or mom would immediately make this milagu rasam for dinner. Even though there is no medication to cure the actual infection (if viral), several homemade food helps minimize the effects of it. Milagu or milahu is peppercorn and Jeeragam or jeera is cumin seed. We also make rasam with just the pepper or just the cumin, but this combination of pepper and cumin is more flavorful and beneficial.
Why make this rasam?
With the beginning of school year and fall weather coming in, this rasam would be a perfect recipe to add to the weekly menu. My little one who has seasonal allergies is already exhibiting symptoms and this milagu jeera rasam was on the menu last night. When kids come down with cold and cough, they have a hard time eating anything. This milagu jeeraga rasam soothes the throat and helps them eat a little. This rasam helps adults and children alike. The medicinal quality of the pepper and cumin helps relieve the symptoms of cold such as coughing and body aches. We also add ginger to the rasam that is very soothing for the throat.At times I also add some garlic in the jeera rasam, but this one I have made with no garlic. Garlic acts as a very good anti-viral and anti-bacterial agent and helps cure the symptoms.
Every family has their own way to make this rasam. This is how my amma made it and I follow the same. I love to add a good handful of curry leaf when grinding the spices for the milagu jeera rasam. It gives good flavor and is also very healthy. If you are not a fan of too much curry leaf flavor, you can add a few torn leaves when boiling.
Ingredients needed
Check the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact measurements and printable detailed recipes. To grind
Tuvaram paruppu / toor dal - This gives the body to the rasam without making it too runny. Peppercorn / milaguCumin seeds / Jeera / JeeragamGingerRed chili - This is optional.Curry leaves
To make rasam
Tamarind - I like to use fresh tamarind, but can use tamarind paste as well. Turmeric powderAsafetida - This is optional. I add a little as I love the flavor. Salt
To season
Ghee - If making the rasam vegan, use oil instead. I like to use coconut oil in that case.Mustard seeds
Step by step process
In a small bowl soak the toor dal, black pepper, cumin, and red chili in water for about 10 minutes.
Grind the soaked ingredients along with the curry leaves and ginger to a coarse paste.
Soak the tamarind in about 2 cups of hot water and extract the juice. Boil the tamarind water with turmeric powder and asafetida until it reduces to about 1 cup and the raw smell of the tamarind disappears (about 10-15 mins).
Now add the ground mixture and let it come to a boil.
Add about 2 to 2 ½ cups of water and heat until the rasam becomes frothy. Do not boil too long after the ground ingredients are added because it makes the rasam bitter.
Season the mustard seeds in ghee and add it to the rasam.
Expert tips
Adjust the quantity of pepper and cumin depending on your family’s spice level. This quantity that I have mentioned yields medium spicy rasam.Red chili in the rasam is optional and can be skipped.Curry leaves can either be ground or just added as leaves when the rasam is boiling.Do not boil the rasam too long after the ground ingredients are added because it makes the rasam bitter.Adults or the elderly can drink or sip this milagu jeera Rasam when warm to help to soothe the throat.For babies and kids, I usually make rasam sadam and feed it warm with a dollop of ghee.You can season the rasam with oil instead of ghee to make it vegan.
Frequently asked questions
Other Rasam Recipes
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