Pepper rasam for rainy evenings: a simple Kerala-style family recipe

It is raining outside. Everyone at home is tired after a long day. You want something warm, simple and full of smell. For many South Indian families, that answer is a hot bowl of pepper rasam.

This recipe serves 4 people and takes about 25 minutes. The secret is not a rare ingredient. It is fresh, whole black pepper, crushed just before you cook. Pepper powder that has been open for months loses most of its smell. Freshly crushed pepper fills the kitchen.

What you need (serves 4)

• Tamarind: a small lemon-sized ball, soaked in 1 cup warm water
• Tomatoes: 2 medium, ripe
• Whole black pepper: 1½ teaspoons
• Cumin (jeera): 1 teaspoon
• Garlic: 4 to 5 cloves, with skin
• Turmeric powder: a pinch
• Curry leaves: 1 sprig, and a handful of coriander leaves
• Mustard seeds: ½ teaspoon, and a pinch of asafoetida (hing)
• Ghee or oil: 1 tablespoon
• Salt to taste, and about 3 cups of water

How to make it

1. Crush the spices. Lightly dry-roast the pepper and cumin for 1 minute on low heat, until you can smell them. Crush them coarsely with the garlic in a mortar or a small mixer jar. Do not make a fine powder.
2. Make the base. Squeeze the tamarind and keep the water. Mash the tomatoes into it by hand. Add turmeric, salt, curry leaves and 3 cups of water.
3. Boil gently. Boil for 8 to 10 minutes, until the raw smell of tamarind goes.
4. Add the pepper mix. Add the crushed pepper, cumin and garlic. Lower the heat. When the rasam rises and turns frothy on top, switch off the heat. Do not let it boil hard after this point, or the aroma goes away.
5. Temper. Heat ghee, add mustard seeds and hing, and pour it over the rasam. Add coriander leaves and close the lid for 5 minutes.

Tips from our kitchen

• Crush, don't powder. Coarse pepper gives a fuller taste than fine powder.
• Taste the pepper first. Bite one pepper corn. Good pepper is sharp and smells strong. If it tastes dusty or flat, it is old.
• Serve it two ways. With hot rice and a spoon of ghee, or in a cup as a warm drink.

A recipe this simple depends on one thing: the quality of the pepper. That is why we select bold, aromatic pepper for AMODHAM and pack it whole, so it keeps its smell until it reaches your kitchen.