Rasam holds a special place in Tamil cuisine, serving as the heart of any traditional meal and likely holding significance in other culinary traditions as well. A meal feels incomplete without the presence of rasam, which acts as a catalyst to our appetite.

Essentially, rasam is a spicy tomato-pepper soup where the tomato forms the foundational base, imparting depth and a subtle thickness. Pepper stands out as the predominant flavor, lending its distinct warmth. To enhance the richness of rasam, we incorporate additional nuanced flavors such as curry leaves, coriander leaves, cumin (jeera), asafoetida (hing), red chilly, and optionally, garlic. Of course, salt is essential, accompanied by a tempering of curry leaves, cumin seeds, and mustard seeds.

The term "rasam" translates to "juice," and here, we're referring to the juice extracted from tomatoes, combined with a blend of tamarind extract and spices to create the flavorful soup known as rasam.

The mark of a skilled chef and a truly satisfying meal is often determined by the initial taste of rasam, where its essence captivates the senses and sets the tone for the entire dining experience.

Enthusiasts of rasam, often considered food aficionados, have a unique ritual when it comes to enjoying this beloved dish. It's customary for them to accept a serving of rasam in their palm, akin to receiving prasadam at a temple. Without mixing it with rice, they'll taste it directly, offering a nod of approval as if to signify that the upcoming meal meets their expectations.

This ritual, observed at many weddings and gatherings, serves to heighten their anticipation and primes their appetite for the feast ahead. While other dishes may vary in quality, the integrity of the rasam must never be compromised—it's almost considered a culinary offense!

Despite the seemingly simple nature of rasam, there are countless variations in its preparation. However, only a select few recipes pass the ultimate taste test, earning a coveted place in family traditions. Each household boasts its own unique blend of spices, adding to the diversity and charm of this quintessential South Indian dish.

Well i do have several rasam recipes and i use them for variation , to me rasam making is a continous learning process and never ends . The changes made in few tsps of a single ingredient can be a game changer. There fore i keep playing around with different measurements and try to find out which is the best .

This recipe of rasam podi is a great combination of ingredients to make a perfect rasam podi , i do have several recipes for rasam podi each with small changes , however this is one of our favourites basically because it has no roasting work involved, just use dry ingredients, grind them all together in home mixie or in a commercial mill for bulk quantities.

However i highly recommend that you prepare for a fortnight at a time as we can get the taste of freshly ground podi and that is something to die for , you will be totally content with just rasm rice and will not want anything more .

The quantities are what i normally follow, however for more spicy taste increase either pepper or red chiliies as per your choice .

Ingredients

• 1.5 cups pepper corns

• 3/4 cup cumin seeds

• 3 cups coriander seeds

• 1 tbsp turmeric powder

• 1.5 cups red chillies

• 1.5 cups toor dal handful of dry curry leaves

• Method

• Add all the above to a mixer jar, grind them to a coarse powder .

• store in a clean dry container .

• use as required to prepare rasam