Cold & cough20 min
Pepper Rasam for a Blocked Nose
A small cup of pepper rasam with tomato, cumin and garlic is a warm sip when the nose feels blocked. It is food, kept mild, and a cough past a few days needs a doctor.
A small cup of pepper rasam
Pepper rasam is a thin, peppery cup built from tomato, cumin, garlic and a pinch of black pepper. When the nose feels blocked, one small cup with a meal is the idea. It is still rasam, not a medicine measured in spoons of pepper.
Keep the pepper modest so the cup does not burn. A heavy cold, fever, or a cough past a few days needs a doctor. Rasam can sit beside that care. It does not replace it.
Ingredients
- A pinch of crushed black pepper
- 1 small ripe tomato
- A pinch of cumin
- 1 small garlic clove
- 2 cups water for a thin rasam
How to prepare
- Simmer the chopped tomato, cumin, garlic and black pepper in the water until the tomato softens.
- Mash lightly into a thin rasam, strain if you prefer, and pour one small cup.
How to use
- Sip one small warm cup with a meal when the nose feels blocked.
- Keep the black pepper to a pinch.
- Do not drink pot after pot through the day.
Helpful habits
- A thin rasam is easier to sip than a thick, oily one.
- If it tastes harsh, add a splash of hot water rather than more pepper.
Precautions
- Skip it if spicy food burns your stomach.
- A pinch of black pepper is enough for one cup.
- A cough past a few days needs a doctor.
Frequently asked questions
How much black pepper goes into the rasam?
- A pinch in a thin cup. A heavy spoon of pepper is harsher, not better.
Can I drink rasam instead of seeing a doctor for a long cough?
- No. A cough past a few days needs a doctor. Rasam is only a small warm cup.
Is this a full bowl or a small cup?
- A small cup with a meal when the nose feels blocked.
