Black Pepper is called the King of Spices. Out of many spices the most prevalent
spice is black pepper which is always on the table. Salt makes food taste better
but pepper gives a definite edge. Today, pepper is abundant around the world.
Peppercorns are part of the Piper genus family. Black, white and green
peppercorns come from the same vine. They get pungency from a substance
called piperine.
Green peppercorns: Peppercorns, when they are young, are green in color. Green
peppercorns are fruity and zesty.
Black Peppercorns: The fully ripe fruit is picked and dried, eventually becoming a
deep red. The peppercorn darkens and the skin gets its distinctive wrinkles. The
bigger the peppercorn the bolder the flavor, so the largest peppercorns get the
highest grade.
There are 2 types of Black peppercorns: Malabar Pepper and Tellicherry Pepper.
Malabar Pepper: Malabar peppercorns are exported from India throughout the world. Malabar peppercorns are brown and of good quality with mild flavor. Tellicherry Pepper: are also from the Malabar region. It is the best peppercorn in the world.
White Pepper: is left on the vine until ripe. White peppercorns are smaller than
black peppercorns because the husk have been removed. White pepper has
sharply floral notes with somewhat fermented trace imparted by the processing.
White pepper is used in Europe and parts of Asia.
Black Pepper has many health benefits:
The piperine in black pepper helps to decrease inflammation. Helps in controlling
blood sugar. It also boosts the absorption of nutrients such as Calcium and Selenium
as well as turmeric and green tea. It promotes gut health. The makeup of gut
bacteria has been linked to immune function.
Black Pepper has been a kitchen staple around the world and is a go-to ingredient
to give boldness to the food. Black pepper has been added to pasta, salad
dressings, soups, stir-fries, and many other foods for a quick spicy kick.
Black Pepper Rasam
1/2 cup Red Lentils
1/2 cup Tamarind Pulp
3 Large Tomatoes
2 cloves Garlic chopped finely
1-inch fresh Ginger
1 cup of Cilantro leaves chopped
1 Green Chili
1 teaspoon Turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 dried Red Chili
1 teaspoon Mustard Seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground Coriander
6 Curry Leaves
1/4 tsp asafetida
1 teaspoon Salt
Wash the red gram dal and place it in a pot. Cover it with water, add a pinch of
salt. Simmer on a low heat and cook for 1 hour.
Add tamarind pulp, tomatoes, garlic and ginger in the blender and process for a
minute. Heat this in a different pot for 5 minutes. Add fresh Cilantro leaves,
green chili, turmeric, black pepper to the blended tomato mixture. Add the red
cooked red lentils.
Cook the soupy broth for 12 to 15 minutes. Stir the pot so that the peppery broth
doesn’t overflow. Serve Piping hot.