Black Pepper Rasam II

Ingredients:

1. Coriander seeds - 4 tsp
2. Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
3. Black Pepper Corns - 1 tsp
4. Red Chilies - 2 or 3
5. Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
6. Red Onion - 1 cut into small pieces
7. Garlic - 10 - 12 peeled
8. Curry leaves - 1 sprig
9. Cilantro - Some
10. Crushed Tomato - 1 cup
11. Thick Tamarind Paste - 3 tsp
12. Oil - 3 tbsp
13. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
14. Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
15. Salt - to taste

Cooking Procedure

1. In a mixer jar, first dry grind the ingredients 1 to 5 smoothly.
2. Next add items 6 to 9 and grind to paste. Keep it aside.
3. Now to a thick bottom pan, add oil and heat, when it is hot enough, add mustard seeds, wait to crackle, add asafoetida, then add the ground paste and fry,  then add crushed tomato, tamarind paste, water and salt. Bring it to boil and switch it off.

Serving Suggestions:

• It can be mixed and served as it is to the white rice or it can be filtered if one wants fine thin watery consistency. Can also drink as digestion drink.
• To taste better with rice, cook rice with little extra water, little mushy, so this rasam mixes well with rice.
• In cold weather or when suffering from cold or sore throat it can also be eaten with Sooji Upma. That is take a bowl add Upma and rasam, very thin consistency, eat like soup.