Opening Chant

“Let’s invite healing into our hearts.
Let the healing come through our food into our hearts,
nourishing us with longevity and health.
Peace for my body, peace in my mind,
peace always surrounding my soul.
Thank you very much, and welcome.”

Two Soups, Two Paths of Healing

Ayurveda teaches us that food is medicine — but only when it’s chosen with care for the moment, the season, and the body’s needs. Some days, the body asks to be cooled and soothed. Other days, it needs fire to break stagnation and push metabolism forward.

This is why in this series we are exploring two traditional soups with opposite yet complementary effects:

• 
  Millet Soup — cooling, probiotic, and hydrating. It pacifies excess Pitta, restores balance in the gut, and refreshes the body on hot summer days.
  
• 
  Rasna Soup (Rasam) — fiery, sour, and pungent. It stimulates Agni (digestive fire), clears mucus, and awakens the system when sluggishness or congestion sets in.
  

In this we’ll go deep into the qualities of both soups and share the full Millet Soup recipe. You’ll get the complete Rasna Soup recipe with the full video so you can cook along with us.

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Millet Soup: Cooling & Restorative

Millet is one of the oldest grains in Ayurveda. Light, cooling, and easy to digest, it was a staple in my grandmother’s kitchen. She would often prepare millet with yogurt or buttermilk, creating a simple meal that soothed the stomach and refreshed the body during summer heat.

The addition of radish gives this soup a unique dimension. Raw radish is pungent and heating, but when cooked it softens into sweetness. Paired with probiotic dairy like yogurt, kefir, or buttermilk, the radish supports digestion without aggravating heat. Together, they create a probiotic-rich, gut-friendly dish that calms inflammation, hydrates the system, and nourishes the microbiome.

This soup is a classic example of Ayurveda’s wisdom: balance sharpness with coolness, pungency with sweetness, and grain with fermentation.

Rasna Soup: Fiery & Awakening

While Millet Soup cools, Rasna Soup ignites. Known widely as Rasam in South India, this dish starts with tamarind pulp — sour, tangy, and powerfully activating. Sour taste in Ayurveda stimulates secretions throughout the digestive system: gastric juices, bile, and enzymes. This cascade wakes up Agni and clears sluggish digestion.

The soup is then infused with pungent spices: ginger, garlic, turmeric, and black pepper. These ingredients cut through heaviness, dry up mucus, and support circulation. Traditionally, Rasna Soup is the first food prepared when someone feels a cold, cough, or congestion. Served with rice, it becomes a soupy porridge that is both comforting and deeply stimulating.

We’ll share the step-by-step Rasna Soup recipe and full cooking video in Part 2 of this series.

Millet Soup Recipe

Ingredients
¼ cup millet

2–3 fresh radishes (red, purple, or white), grated

1 cup plain kefir (or yogurt/buttermilk)

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 ½ teaspoons salt (adjust to taste)

1 tablespoon fresh green onion or cilantro, chopped (for garnish)

Water (as needed for cooking millet)

Method
Cook millet in 1 cup water until soft and mushy. Leave uncovered in summer for a light texture, or cover in winter for a slightly heavier dish.

Grate radishes finely. Add to millet once cooked and slightly cooled.

Stir in kefir (or yogurt/buttermilk) once the mixture is warm, not hot.

Add cumin seeds and salt, mixing well.

Garnish with green onion or cilantro. Serve slightly cool.

Closing Reflection

Together, Millet Soup and Rasna Soup embody two sides of Ayurvedic healing:

Cooling Millet Soup brings peace to the gut and calms excess heat.

Fiery Rasna Soup clears stagnation, relieves congestion, and rekindles digestive fire.

Rasam, a traditional South Indian soup, is more than just a comforting dish—it’s a therapeutic recipe designed to awaken digestion, kindle metabolism, and restore balance in the body. Often made with tamarind and tomatoes, this tangy, spicy soup has been passed down for generations as a remedy for colds, coughs, and sluggish digestion.

During the pandemic, Rasam became especially popular in Singapore, where many people turned to it for its warming, immune-supportive qualities. Ready-mix packets of Rasam flew off the shelves as families rediscovered this age-old recipe. Even modern research supports its benefits—a Harvard study has highlighted Rasam’s positive effects on gut health and digestion.

But beyond its health properties, making Rasam is also about reconnecting with food. The simple act of squeezing tomatoes by hand, peeling tamarind, and crushing spices in a mortar and pestle reminds us of the traditional ways of cooking that promote both mindfulness and longevity.

The Family Recipe

This recipe comes from my grandmother, who always prepared it when we had a cold. It’s light, flavorful, and deeply nourishing—a true post-meal soup that aids digestion after heavier foods.

Ingredients

• 
  2 ripe tomatoes
  
• 
  1 ½ cups water (plus 1 extra cup)
  
• 
  A small ball of tamarind pulp
  
• 
  2 cloves garlic
  
• 
  1 piece fresh ginger
  
• 
  10–12 whole black peppercorns
  
• 
  ½ tsp cumin seeds
  
• 
  ½ tsp turmeric powder
  
• 
  1 tsp jaggery (or substitute with raw sugar)
  
• 
  ⅛ tsp hing (asafoetida)
  
• 
  A handful of fresh cilantro, finely chopped
  

Preparation

1. 
   Tomato Base – Squeeze the pulp out of the tomatoes by hand (or blend lightly) and strain to remove seeds and skin. Collect the puree.
   
2. 
   Tamarind Water – Soak tamarind pulp in hot water, then squeeze to extract juice. Strain and set aside.
   
3. 
   Spice Paste – In a mortar and pestle, crush garlic, ginger, peppercorns, and cumin seeds into a coarse paste. Mix in turmeric.
   
4. 
   Combine – Add the spice paste to the tomato puree, then mix in the tamarind water.
   
5. 
   Seasoning – Add chopped cilantro, jaggery, and a pinch of hing. Pour in the remaining cup of water and bring everything to a gentle boil.
   
6. 
   Simmer & Serve – Let it boil for a few minutes so the flavors infuse. Serve piping hot.
   

Why Rasam Works

Rasam is unique in that it includes all six tastes recognized in Ayurveda:

• 
  Sweet – from jaggery
  
• 
  Sour – from tamarind
  
• 
  Salty – from mineral salt
  
• 
  Pungent – from black pepper and ginger
  
• 
  Bitter – subtle notes from spices
  
• 
  Astringent – from cilantro
  

This balance of tastes awakens the digestive fire (Agni), clears heaviness, and restores energy. It’s a rainbow of flavor in one bowl—simultaneously soothing and invigorating.

A Soup for Longevity

Rasam isn’t just food; it’s a tradition. It carries the memory of our ancestors’ kitchens, the healing touch of hand-prepared ingredients, and the wisdom of Ayurveda. Each sip warms the body, clears the senses, and gently ignites metabolism—making it a perfect soup to keep in your seasonal wellness routine.

Enjoy it hot, savor its six tastes, and let it remind you that sometimes the simplest recipes carry the deepest healing.