Milagu jeera Rasam / Pepper Cumin Rasam

 Jeera Milagu Rasam is a comforting meal which is a soothing Indian style soup flavored with fresh ground pepper and cumin enhanced with the aroma of fresh curry leaves and ghee tempering.

There are many recipes with mild variations to make this aromatic and tasty milagu jeera Rasam, but today I shall share with you my amma's recipe which has been my childhood favorite. 

Growing up, I used to come down with cold and cough with every single weather change and this yummy rasam mixed with soft rice and ghee used to be a staple . It used to be so soothing and calming to the sore throat and would also give the dull taste buds a quick rejuvenation. 

Even to this day,I make jeera milagu rasam (saathamudhu) when even one person in the family is under the weather. 

Having said that , the last couple of days one after another,  people at home are coming down with sore throat , cold ,cough due to the sudden change in weather in my city. Jeera milagu rasam has been on the menu ever since and hubby loves to sip on hot rasam with fresh ghee  tempering which smells of fried asafoetida and crackled jeera . 

To make jeera milagu rasam, we donot use the regular rasam powder instead we make a fresh spice mix by roasting pepper corns , jeera ,red chilly and pigeon peas (thoor dhall). 

I use tomato as well as tamarind in this recipe, but you can skip the tomatoes and make it just with tamarind and spice mix .

Preparation Time - 5 mins
Cooking Time - 15 mins
Complexity - simple 
Serves - 2 to 3

Ingredients 

For the spice mix

1.5 tsp pepper corns /milagu
1 tsp cumin /jeera
1/2 tsp thoor dhall
2 dry red chillies
Pinch of asafoetida 

For the rasam

1 medium sized tomato
Small lemon sized tamarind 
3 cups water 
Salt as needed 

Tempering 

2 tsp ghee  (use cooking oil for Vegan version) 
1/4 tsp jeera
1/4 tsp mustard 
1/2 tsp pepper powder 
Pinch of asafoetida /hing
Fresh curry leaves and corriander 

Method 

• Dry roast the ingredients mentioned under the spice mix and blend it to a fine powder . Set aside . 
• Blanch the tomatoes along with the tamarind for 5 to 6 mins .
• Once it cools down, squeeze out the puree from the tamarind and tomato.  Pass it through a sieve and collect it in a thick bottom vessel.
• Add 2 cups of water to the tamarind tomato puree with some salt and boil it till the raw flavor of tamarind is lost. This will take about 8 to 10 mins.
• Make a paste of the spice mix with little water and add this to the boiling tamarind water and cook on low flame till you see the rasam frothing . Turn it off at this stage and garnish with fresh corriander leaves. 
• Heat ghee in a pan and splutter the mustard seeds, followed by jeera and curry leaves.  Turn off the stove , add asafoetida and pepper powder .pour this tempering over the rasam.
• Sip on the hot rasam as is or mix it with steamed rice and enjoy with some roasted papads and simple potato stir fry /urulai kaara curry.

Some more rasam varieties to enjoy 

Lemon Rasam

Tomato Rasam

Kalyana Rasam

Mor Rasam 

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Strawberry Lemon Soda (Mocktail)

 Strawberry lemon soda is a very refreshing mocktail drink that can be served at any party.

Made from fresh strawberries ,flavored with fresh lemon juice and spiked up with either club soda or sprite ,this drink gives a nice zing with every sip. If using plain club soda we will need to add some sugar or sugar syrup to give the sweetness while we don't need extra sweetener if using sprite or 7Up. 

Preparing Strawberry Lemon Soda is actually a child's play as there is not much complexity involved.  Though at home we are a huge fan of Strawberry Milk shake , this refreshing mocktail was a welcome change and we all simply loved it . I have used sprite in my recipe, hence no extra sweetener added .

If serving for a large party ,you can mix the Strawberry syrup ,lemon juice along with some ice cubes and lemon slices in  a jar and keep it ready ..pour the Strawberry mix onto serving glasses and add in the soda /sprite just before serving along with some crushed ice .

If you love to spread some Strawberry Jam on  a warm slice of toasted bread,then Priya's Strawberry Chilli Jam is a must try .

Preparation Time  - 10 mins
Cooking Time - Nil
Complexity - easy 
Serves - 2 glasses 

Ingredients 

8 to 12 strawberries 
2 tsp sugar 
1 tbsp lemon juice 
Few lemon slices 
250 ml soda /sprite 

Method 

• Trim off the top part of the Strawberries and roughly chop them.
• Add them to a blender with 2 tsp sugar and blend it to a smooth puree .
• Divide the puree equally into 2 serving glasses , add 1/2 tsp lemon juice and a slice of lemon to each . Add some crushed ice before adding sprite/ soda .
• Slowly pour in the chilled sprite in both the glasses and serve immediately. 

Refreshing and classic welcome drinks on my blog 

Watermelon Lemonade 

Pineapple Punch

Classic Lemonade 

Ganga Jamuna

Black grapes Lemonade

Green Grapes Lemonade 

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Matar Poha | Peas Poha - Vegan breakfast

 Poha (Flattened rice) is a versatile ingredient used for breakfast or a quick evening snack all over India. 

During winters fresh green peas are available in plenty and I use them in my cooking a lot.

Peas Poha is one such favorite breakfast at home where lot of fresh tender peas are used as a part of the recipe. Poha is seasoned and tempered with simple Indian spices that makes it very tasty and flavorful .

Choora Matar or Chooda Matar is a variant of Peas Poha that is very popular in Northern India especially UP and Bihar and is a purely No Onion No Garlic snack .

Matar Poha can be made with or without onions depending on your taste . If using onions, saute them after you splutter the mustard seeds and curry leaves until the onions turn soft and then add in the poha .

Some delicious Poha variants which can be easily prepared for breakfast / lunch boxes and also as Prasadam .

Tomato Poha

Chooda Matar

Batata Poha 

Puli Aval /Gojju Avalakki (Karnataka Special)

Gopalkaala / Dahi Poha (Janmashtami Special)

Poha Kheer with Milk 

Poha Kheer with coconut milk (Vegan) 

Preparation Time - 10mins

Cooking Time - 8 to 10mins

Complexity - Simple 

Serves  - 2 to 3

Ingredients 

2 cups medium thick Poha/Flattened rice 

2 to 3 green chillies 

1/2 cup boiled peas 

Small piece ginger finely chopped 

1 tsp mustard seeds

Pinch of asafoetida

Pinch of turmeric 

2 tsp lemon juice

Salt as needed 

Pinch of sugar

2 tbsp oil

Few curry leaves 

Method 

• First and foremost ,sieve the poha and get rid of small dust and other unwanted particles.
• Wash the Poha under running water in a colander and let it sit for 5 to 6 mins . This step is very important.  If there is too much water in the poha ,it will become a mushy mass and we don't want that .
• Meanwhile, heat the oil in a thick kadai /wok.
• Splutter the mustard seeds ,followed by curry leaves, ginger ,turmeric powder and asafoetida. 
• Mix in the washed poha ,sprinkle salt and mix it well .
• Add in the boiled peas, sprinkle some water and cook covered for 3 to 4 mins till the poha becomes soft and well cooked. 
• Turn off ,open the lid, add sugar ,lemon juice and give it a quick mix ,serve hot with a garnish of freshly chopped corriander. 
• You can sprinkle some namkeen farsan/crispies for an added crunch .

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Month of January we are going "Vegan" in our food bloggers' group Shhh Secretly Cooking Challenge . A wonderful theme suggested by Radha as January is also celebrated as a Vegan Month in some parts of the world .  My partner for this month is Preethi of Preethi's cuisine. Preethi gave me lemon juice and ginger as secret ingredients which was used in this flavorful aromatic Matar Poha while Preethi made a yummy  and healthy Tofu Bean Stir fry with sesame oil and rice flour being the secret ingredients I suggested to her. 

Radha has prepared a lipsmacking Jackfruit Kofta Curry which is a classic innovative recipe and that too purely plant based ..