Rasam powder

Name: Rasam powder
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 27 min
Ingredients: 40 g coriander seeds, dry-roast until a shade darker; 25 g black peppercorns, dry-roast until they crackle; 20 g cumin seeds, dry-roast until a shade darker; 15 g toor dal (split pigeon peas), dry-roast until golden; 12 g dried whole chillies, dry-roast until crisp (about 12); 3 g curry leaves, dry-roast until crisp; 2 g turmeric, raw, ground; 1 g asafoetida, raw

Vegetarian

ரசப் பொடி · racap poṭi

A peppery, cumin-forward South Indian powder for rasam: coriander seeds, black pepper, cumin, a little toor dal and dried chillies, roasted and ground with curry leaves, turmeric and asafoetida.

Rasam powder is a South Indian condiment, ready in about 27 minutes and made with coriander seeds, black peppercorns and cumin seeds. It serves 38 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking

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Prep: 5 min
Cook: 12 min
Rest: 10 min
Total: 27 min
Serves: 38
Level: Easy
Calories: 9

Ingredients

38 teaspoons (about 3 g each)

40 g Coriander seeds (opens in a new tab), dry-roast until a shade darker
25 g Black peppercorns (opens in a new tab), dry-roast until they crackle
20 g Cumin seeds (opens in a new tab), dry-roast until a shade darker
15 g Toor dal (split pigeon peas) (opens in a new tab), dry-roast until golden
12 g Dried whole chillies (opens in a new tab), dry-roast until crisp (about 12)
3 g Curry leaves (opens in a new tab), dry-roast until crisp
2 g Turmeric (opens in a new tab), raw, ground
1 g Asafoetida (opens in a new tab), raw

Equipment

Method

1
Step 1
Roast the toor dal (opens in a new tab) in a dry pan over medium-low heat for 3–4 minutes until golden. Tip out.
- 4 min
- medium-low heat
- Frying pan / skillet (opens in a new tab)
2
Step 2
Roast the coriander for 3 minutes, then add the peppercorns (opens in a new tab) and cumin and roast 2 minutes more, until the pepper crackles and the cumin darkens. Tip out.
- 5 min
- medium-low heat
3
Step 3
Roast the chillies for 1–2 minutes until crisp, then the curry leaves (opens in a new tab) until they crumble.
- 2 min
- medium-low heat
4
Step 4
Tip everything onto a wide plate in a single layer and cool completely, about 10 minutes. Warm spices release oil and steam in the grinder and turn pasty and clumpy.
- 10 min
5
Step 5
Grind with the turmeric (opens in a new tab) and asafoetida (opens in a new tab) to a slightly coarse powder.
- 3 min
- Coffee / spice grinder (opens in a new tab)
Food safety: Roast in a dry pan, never one with water droplets; and grind in short bursts — chilli dust from the grinder lid stings eyes and throat, so let it settle before opening.
6
Step 6
Spoon into a clean, completely dry glass jar or spice tin, label with the date and keep away from the stove, light and steam. Always use a dry spoon.
- 1 min
- Spice jar (opens in a new tab)

About this dish

Origin: Tamil Nadu, India · Commonly attributedA representative Tamil home ratio; rasam powder is lighter on coriander and much heavier on pepper and cumin than sambar powder.More food from India
Dish: Lunch · Dinner · Condiments, chutneys & relishes
Cooking method: Toasted
Taste: peppery, earthy, spicy (chilli heat)
Diet: Vegan · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carb
All labels
Vegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Whole-food focused · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · Low-sodium · DASH-style
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for: Make-ahead · Budget-friendly
Cook more with: Coriander seeds · Black peppercorns · Cumin seeds · Toor dal (split pigeon peas) · Dried whole chillies · Curry leaves
Techniques: Toasting · Spice roasting (dry-roasting)

Allergens

May contain: Wheatfrom asafoetida
May contain: Glutenfrom asafoetida

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

9 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 3 g · recipe makes 38

Where the energy comes from

Protein 13%
Carbohydrate 57%
Fat 30%

Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g
Energy	9 kcal	308 kcal
Protein	0.4 g	14.1 g
Carbohydrate	1.7 g	56.4 g
Net carbohydrate	0.9 g	29.5 g
Sugars	—	—
Added sugars	0 g	0 g
Fibre	0.8 g	27 g
Fat	0.4 g	12.1 g
Saturated fat	0 g	1.1 g
Trans fat	—	—
Cholesterol	0 mg	0 mg
Sodium	2 mg	54 mg
Salt equivalent	0 g	0.1 g

Vitamins & minerals per serving

Potassium: 46 mg
Calcium: 16 mg
Iron: 0.7 mg
Magnesium: 8 mg
Vitamin A (RAE): 4 µg
Vitamin C: 0 mg
Vitamin D: 0 µg
Vitamin B12: 0 µg
Folate (DFE): 2 µg

How these numbers were made

Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
Not counted (tiny amounts or “to taste”): curry leaves, asafoetida.
“—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

Add 1–1½ tsp per 600 ml rasam once the tamarind has lost its raw smell, and switch off the heat as soon as the rasam froths.

Common mistakes

Boiling rasam hard after the powder goes in — the pepper and cumin turn harsh.

Serve with

Tomato rasam, lemon rasam, pineapple rasam and milagu rasam with rice.
A pinch over potato fry or in buttermilk.

Food safety

Roast in a dry pan, never one with water droplets; and grind in short bursts — chilli dust from the grinder lid stings eyes and throat, so let it settle before opening.
Many asafoetida brands contain wheat flour; choose a gluten-free one if needed.

Storage

Airtight, cool and dark, for 3 months.

Variations

Mysore rasam powder: Adds chana dal, more coriander and dry coconut; often roasted in a teaspoon of ghee.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added 2 Nov 2026 · Updated 8 Nov 2026

About this masala

Type: Dry spice blend
Texture: Coarse powder
One batch makes: about 113 g
Keeps: about 3 months
Store: Airtight jar, cool dark cupboard
Recipe: Traditional

Tamil Nadu. Makes Rasam powder, the ingredient our dish recipes list. All masalas

Used in

Amounts are each dish’s own quantity, for the servings it is written for. “Make enough” opens this recipe scaled for that dish.

Milagu rasamMade fresh in the recipe (dry-roasted and ground coarse in step 1) · 22 g for 4 servingsMake enough
Mysore rasamMade fresh in the recipe (Mysore-style: roasted in ghee with coconut and ground to a wet paste (step 2)) · 37 g for 4 servingsMake enough
Pineapple rasam1½ tsp · 3.1 g for 4 servingsMake enough
Poondu rasam1 tsp · 2.1 g for 4 servings · optionalMake enough

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Compare with

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Toor dal (split pigeon peas), dry-roast until golden15 g

Used in step 1

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

Tomato rasam
South Indian · 55 min · 87 kcal · Vegetarian
Milagu rasam
South Indian · 35 min · 60 kcal · Vegetarian
Mysore rasam
South Indian · 50 min · 145 kcal · Vegetarian
Lemon rasam
South Indian · 40 min · 88 kcal · Vegetarian