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 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. Check to get new recipe updates by email.
For a full-fledged south Indian meal, you can also serve the rasam and rice with a south Indian sambar.
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