Jeera Rasam

Another rasam variety made with jeera (cumin seeds). Nothing can beat my grandmother's jeera rasam. Even my Mom's doesn't taste as good. Every time I visit my grandparents, jeera rasam will definitely be on the menu, sort of my grandmom's specialty. I miss her and her rasam!!!! :-( Anyhow, here is the recipe.

Ingredients (about 2 - 3 servings):

Tamarind soaked in water - about the size of a 1/2 inch ball
(If using tamarind paste, about 3/4 teaspoon of it)
Sambar powder - 2 full teaspoons
Asafoetida - 1/4 teaspoon
Salt to taste

To grind to a coarse paste (not very coarse but not fine either):

Toor dhal - 2 tablespoons
Cumin seeds - 1 tablespoon

For seasoning:

Cooking oil - 2 teaspoons
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Curry leaves (a must) - a few

Procedure:

1. Soak toor dhal and cumin seeds in little warm water (enough to cover them) for about 15 minutes, grind to a coarse paste and set aside.
2. In a deep vessel, extract about 2 cups (using a measuring cup) of the juice of soaked tamarind or dilute the tamarind paste with 2 cups of water.
3. Add sambar powder, asafoetida and salt to the contents from step 2 and bring the mixture to a boil. Boil for about 15 minutes on medium heat or until the raw smell of sambar powder and tamarind goes off.
4. Now add the paste from step 1 to step 3, 1.5 cups of water, mix everything well and heat the contents until you see a froth like layer forming on the top. That is the indication that you should turn off the stove. Boiling anything with jeera in it will add a slight bitterness to the dish, or so says my Mom.
5. In a pan, heat some cooking oil, add mustard seeds and wait for them to splutter. Transfer the contents of the pan to the rasam in step 4 immediately after the mustard splutters.
6. Garnish with curry leaves. Flavorful jeera rasam is ready!!!!

Jeera rasam and paruppu usili go hand in hand. Whenever there is jeera rasam in the menu in our family, we can be sure that paruppu usili is also in the menu :-).