Rasam Powder

Rasam, saaru in Kannada and chaaru in Telugu, is a thin, peppery soup of tamarind, tomato and toor dal water, poured over rice or sipped from a cup. Rasam powder gives it its flavour: black pepper, cumin, coriander, dried red chillies, toor dal, curry leaves and hing, roasted and ground. It is lighter and more peppery than sambar powder, which has more chilli, lentils and body.

Choose a Madras-style rasam powder for a sharp, peppery rasam, and a milder blend for tomato rasam and family meals. The same powder works for lemon rasam, pepper rasam and dal rasam, with only the sour element changing. A small pack is best, because rasam powder loses its pepper and cumin aroma faster than most.

The golden rule of rasam is never to let it boil hard once the powder goes in. Heat it until it rises and turns frothy, then switch off at once, finish with a tempering of mustard seeds, cumin and curry leaves in ghee, and scatter fresh coriander. See sambar powder, idli podi and the rest of the South Indian powders, plus tamarind.