Murungai Keerai Rasam
முருங்கைக்கீரை ரசம்·(moo-roong-guy kee-ray ruh-sum)
Midwestern Sick Days: Rasam and the Architecture of Comfort
February in the Midwest. The windows fog. The stove glows. The tamarind water boils. Sick days taste like this: a sinus-clearing broth of freshly pounded black pepper, aged tamarind, and earthy drumstick leaves. There is no store-bought powder that can replicate the volatile, back-of-the-throat kick of crushing the spices yourself. It delivers deep, immediate relief, hacked for a Tuesday night by grinding dry lentils right into the spice matrix. Pour the broth into a stainless tumbler and drink it hot.
Before you start
Destem the moringa leaves.
Stripping the small leaves off their fibrous stems takes a few minutes, so do it in front of the television like a proper grandmother.
Ingredients
- whole black peppercorns1 tbsp
- cumin seeds1 tbsp
- dry raw toor dal1 tbsp
- dried red chilies2 med
- garlic cloves5 med
- fresh cilantro stems1 tbsp
- tamarind concentrate1 tsp
- water3 1/2 cup
- ripe tomatoes2 med
- turmeric powder1/4 tsp
- kosher salt1 tsp
- fresh moringa leaves1 1/2 cup
- ghee1 tbsp
- black mustard seeds1/2 tsp
- cumin seeds1/4 tsp
- fresh curry leaves10 small
- asafoetida powder1/4 tsp
Method
- 01
Grind the foundational spice matrix.
In a mortar and pestle or spice grinder, pulverize the black peppercorns, 1 tablespoon of the cumin seeds, toor dal, and dried chilies into a coarse powder, then roughly bash in the unpeeled garlic and cilantro stems.
- 02
Build the hand-crushed broth base.
In a heavy-bottomed pot, whisk the tamarind concentrate into 1/2 cup of the water, then add the tomatoes, using your hands to aggressively crush them into the liquid.
- 03
Boil off the raw edge.
Add the turmeric, salt, and 1 cup of the water to the pot, bringing it to a medium boil for 5 to 7 minutes until the tomatoes are mushy and the sharp tamarind smell dissipates.
- 04
Temper the aromatics in hot ghee.
In a small pan, heat the ghee over medium until hot, add the mustard seeds until they pop and sputter, then immediately toss in the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of cumin seeds, curry leaves, and asafoetida.
- 05
Bloom the crushed spices.
Scrape your crushed garlic and spice mixture into the hot ghee, sautéing for just 30 to 45 seconds until incredibly fragrant but not burnt, then pour the entire pan into the boiling tomato-tamarind broth.
- 06
Marry the elements and add the greens.
Add the remaining 2 cups of water and the fresh moringa leaves to the pot, then lower the heat immediately.
- 07
Steal the heat before it boils.
This is the golden rule of rasam: heat the broth gently just until a thick, bubbly froth gathers at the edges, then immediately turn off the heat and cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid to trap the healing vapors for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
The blender trick for picky eaters.
If your kids refuse to eat floating greens, blanch the moringa leaves in boiling water for one minute, cool them, and blend into a smooth puree before stirring into the broth at the very end.
Sourcing moringa.
Fresh drumstick leaves are easy to find in the produce section of American Indian grocers, but standard baby spinach makes a passable substitute if you're in a pinch (do not use powdered moringa).