As the weather begins to cool down and Desi comes down with a cold, I can be sure — before the first achoo! — that there’s a request coming for Garlic Rasam, a spicy and aromatic lentil soup that’s one of the most potent weapons to fight colds in a south Indian kitchen. It’s so effective, chicken soup would turn sour with envy.
I got my flu vaccine at work the other day, after many years, mainly because with a little one in the house who’s a germ magnet, I spent most of last winter fighting off a succession of colds. But within a few hours of getting the vaccine, I started to feel rather sick — a common enough reaction to the flu vaccine. After muttering all weekend and swearing off vaccines for good, I got a good old craving of my own for some garlic rasam. So sniffles and all, I went into the kitchen and cooked it up.
My garlic rasam combines some really powerful ingredients, all known to fight colds and comfort you. There are antioxidants here like turmeric, garlic and ginger. Vitamin C-packed tomatoes, limes and coriander. Some green chili pepper to get those nasal passages cleared. And lentils to fill you up with healthy, healing protein. The spices in the rasam powder also help warm up your belly, making you all cozy inside.
Rasam is usually eaten with rice and a side of potato curry (although I served it with a simple cabbage curry this time) and poppadums, but you can swig it straight out of the glass or spoon it up from a bowl if you wish. You’ll feel better, no two ways about it.
- 1/4 cup split pigeon peas tuvar dal
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1/4 tsp asafetida hing
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 moderately hot green chili pepper like jalapeno, minced
- 2 leaves sprigs of curry about 24 leaves
- 8 cloves of garlic
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 2 tbsp coriander leaves
- 1/2 tbsp tamarind extract
- 2 medium tomatoes diced
- 2 teaspoons heaping rasam powder you can also just buy this online or at an Indian store
- Juice of 1 lime
- Salt to taste
- Cook the dal with turmeric in a pressure cooker or on the stovetop with 2 cups of water until it's really soft. Use a whisk to mash the dal up. Do not discard the stock.
- Using a mortar and pestle, or in a food processor, crush 2 cloves of garlic, the green chili pepper, and cumin seeds to a coarse paste.
- Crush the remaining garlic cloves slightly but let them hold their shape.
- Heat the oil in a saucepan.
- Add the mustard seeds and, when it sputters, add the asafetida.
- Add the cumin-garlic-chili paste, stir-fry for a few seconds, then add the ginger, curry leaves, coriander leaves, and crushed, whole garlic. Stir-fry for a few seconds until the garlic starts to very slightly change color.
- Add the tomatoes and stir-fry until they just start to turn mushy.
- Add the tamarind extract with 1 cup of water and bring to a boil. Add the rasam powder and continue to boil for another five minutes.
- Add the cooked dal/lentils to the saucepan with salt to taste. Bring the rasam to a rolling boil, reduce heat to medium, and let it boil for another five minutes. If it starts to get thick, add water. Rasam should have a very watery consistency, although if you prefer it thick, you can add less water.
- Check salt and add more if needed.
- Serve very hot over rice or in a glass or bowl.
Vaishali, I am an RN and I have given hundreds of flu vaccines over the years. A flu shot contains killed virus, not live virus, and can therefore never ever give you the flu. However, if you have already been exposed to a virus of any kind, and it is incubating within your body, a flu shot (or any other vaccine) will not help you. If you get sick shortly after getting a flu shot, you were going to get sick anyway, with whatever virus you had been exposed to. And flu shots won’t help avoid illness with any other viruses, at any time. That said, I am all for using homeopathic and nutritional “medicine” to help you feel better and stay healthy!
Hi Leslie, that’s good to know, and from an RN–thanks for sharing! Perhaps, like you say, I’d already caught a bug. Anyway, this homemade remedy definitely helped. 🙂
Thanks for the recipe. Looks so delicious. Is it possible to cook everything in one pot instead of cooking dal separately?
I was also reluctant to get flu vaccines until a loved one became afflicted with an autoimmune disease. I do so now to protect her more than myself.
Hi Shan, you can certainly cook the dal in the saucepan first and then use the same saucepan for the rest of the recipe, but you will need to move the dal to another container until you are done with the remaining steps. So strictly not a one-pot meal, but since there’s no fat in the dal, you can just rinse out the bowl or tupperware you use to hold it. 🙂 You cannot cook the dal with the remaining ingredients already in because they would overcook.
LOOKS AMAZING.
Thanks, Jean! 🙂
I am a believer in the healing power of rasam…. I was coming down with a cold, but have managed to avoid it with this delicious, vibrant soup…
I am not so convinced about flu vaccinations… Given no major health issues…. it is preferable to let the immune system fight off the flu and colds. That strengthens the immune system…. Like a muscle which is not used, the immune system can atrophy, if not allowed to function due to too many vaccines….
I have a story similar to the one you tell about getting ill after a flu shot…. They were giving free, optional flu vaccines at work. I opted out. A friend who strongly urged me to get the vaccine and got it herself, promptly came down with the flu. I managed not too.
Hi Vaishali,
I made the delicious soup but it made so little. Is there a mistake in the recipe as there is no extra liquid added except for 1cup of water. This is supposed to serve 8 people??
Hi Lani, you need to add water to thin it out. Sorry if the recipe wasn’t clear, I’ll take a look and clarify now. Glad you liked it otherwise.
Hi Lani, I checked and the recipe does include instructions on adding more water as the rasam thickens. You should add enough to get a watery consistency.
I’m anxious to try this recipe – it looks amazing! I know this site is about food, but wanted to add my two cents to the flu shot discussion. Both of my son’s got the flu shot and both later got the flu. I know it can’t protect you from every flu virus, however, I opted out of the flu shot (offered free at work) and did not get sick even while caring for my sick kids. I talked to several co-workers who have had similar experiences. The way I see it, it’s just another way for pharmaceutical companies to make a lot of money off of people who follow the advice of well-meaning doctors, who base their advice on falsified data from pharmaceutical companies. Just follow the money to get to the root of most problems. Luckily truth usually finds a voice sooner or later.