Ellu Podi/Sesame Powder

Ingredients:
Black sesame seeds - 1/2 cup
Whole black gram (with skin) - 1/2 cup
Bengal gram - 2 tbsp.
Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp.
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs.
Black peppercorns - 1 tsp.
Garlic - 3 big cloves (peeled)
Asafoetida - a big pinch.
Dry whole red chilli - 6 (or as per taste)
Salt (to taste)
Sesame oil

Method:
Dry roast the sesame seeds in a pan till it creates noise. Remove and keep them on a plate.
Pour a little oil in the same pan and fry the black gram till they become crisp and change colour. Remove and place them on another plate.
Fry each of the ingredients individually.
{Fry the Bengal gram till golden colour.
Fry the coriander seeds till golden colour.
Fry the peppercorns for a few minutes.
Pour a little oil in the pan and fry the curry leaves till they become crisp.
Fry the red chillis with little salt till they become crisp.
Fry the asafoetida for a minute.)

Cool all the fried ingredients. 

Grind the black gram, Bengal gram, curry leaves, peppercorns, coriander seeds, red chilli, asafoetida and salt.
Chop the garlic, add them to the powder and grind.
Remove and keep the powder in a bowl.
Grind the sesame seeds for 2 to 3 seconds. Mix this with the gram powders.
Serve this flavorful powder with idli, dosa, uttappam or white rice.

Note:
I roasted all the ingredients (except garlic and salt) individually to avoid burning.
Remove any impurities from the black sesame seeds before roasting.

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Sambar Podi/Powder

I moved to my own domain name "www.nandinisfood.com". Now Let's continue to sambar powder.

It is natural to have unique preferences when it comes to taste. Similarly, the liking of sambar varies among individuals. The key item in sambar is the sambar powder. The sambar powder has to be customized for grinding. Some like it fiery hot, some like it mild. With a spice grinder/coffee grinder, we can manage for one day or even up to one week's usage. For larger quantities, chillies, coriander seeds and other ingredients (in large amounts) are dried under the sun directly until the chillies become crisp. Then they're collected in bags or in stainless steel vessels and  taken to the rice mills which have a separate machine for grinding these ingredients. After the powder is ready, they're taken back home and are spread on a big sheet of paper or on a large plate to cool as it's hot. It's stored in air-tight containers afterwards and are used for several months.

In this fast-paced world today, you can see various sambar powder brands readily trying to push one another to attract customers in the shelves of departmental stores in the masala section.

For people who live in apartments (and especially in the time of winter), you can saute the ingredients in the humble kadai and powder them.

Ingredients:
Dry whole red chillies - 100 g
Coriander seeds - 175 g
Tur/arhar dal - 20 g
Chana dal/Bengal gram - 20 g
Peppercorns - 10 g
Cumin seeds - 10 g
Fenugreek seeds - 2 big pinches
Turmeric pieces- 3 pieces/5 g
Asafoetida powder - 1/2 tsp. (heaped)

Method:
Dry roast chillies, coriander seeds, arhar dal, chana dal, peppercorns, cumins seeds and fenugreek seeds each separately till a nice aroma arises.
Cool.
Powder them along with crushed turmeric, asafoetida in small batches (My jar became very hot and I ran it after regular intervals).
Cool the powder and store in an air-tight container. Use them in sambar as required.

Note:
Expect to sneeze and cough a lot during the grinding process.

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Paruppu Podi

Paruppu podi/lentil powder is a powder eaten with hot rice and melted ghee. This uncomplicated yet delicious 'powder' comes in handy and proves to be very useful during lazy days.

Ingredients:
Toor dal/Arhar dal - 1 cup
Peppercorn - 2 tsp. (not heaped)
Asafoetida - 2 pinches
Dry red chilli - 1
Salt (to taste)

Method:
Dry roast dal till golden color. Dry roast the dry red chilli for a few seconds. Cool.
Grind the roasted toor dal and  red chilli, peppercorn, asafoetida and salt to taste into a fine or coarse powder.
Store in an air-tight container and enjoy 1 tsp of powder with hot rice mixed with ghee.

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Idli Podi

In every household, idli podi differs according to its family taste. They add tamarind, garlic, lots of/less chillies, roasted chana dal (pottukadalai), curry leaves, sesame seeds, etc. This podi is just a simple variation which I usually prepare at home before blogging.

Add urad dal/ulutham paruppu to the kadai. Start to dry roast without burning.

The urad dal should be roasted like this. Remove from kadai and keep it on a plate for cooling.

Dry roast the chana dal/kadalai paruppu.

Dry roast till golden brown and cool.

Dry roast methi/fenugreek seeds/vendhayam and peppercorn/milagu for a few seconds.

Add oil and heat it.

Add whole dry red chillies. I added only a small amount so that my kids can tolerate the spice. You can add 12-15 chillies according to taste.

Add a pinch of salt and sauté in low flame. Salt is added to avoid excessive sneezing.

Saute till crisp and let them cool.

First add the chillies and grind them.

Then add the roasted chana dal, peppercorn and fenugreek seeds.

You can grind them coarsely or finely as desired.

Then add the roasted urad dal and grind.

Add garlic with skin, salt and pinch of asafoetida. Grind for a few seconds.

Idli podi is ready.

Ingredients:

Urad dal - 3/4 cup

Channa dal- 1/4 cup

Peppercorns - 8

Fenugreek seeds - a pinch

Whole dry red chilli - 8 (or according to taste)

Garlic (with skin) - 7

Asafoetida - a pinch

Salt (to taste)

Oil - 1/2 tsp.

Method:

1. Dry roast the urad dal and channa dal separately till it changes to golden brown color without burning. Cool them.

2. Dry roast the pepper and fenugreek seeds till you get a nice aroma. Cool it.

3. Heat 1/2 tsp. of oil, add whole red chillies and salt. Sauté till the chillies turn crispy. Cool.

4. First add the chillies and grind them. Add urad dal, channa dal, fenugreek seeds and pepper one by one in dry mixer jar and grind them.

5. Add garlic, salt (to taste), asafoetida and grind for a few seconds.

6. Remove and cool them. Store them in an air-tight container which can be kept in room temperature for one month. After one month  refrigerate them.

7. Add sesame oil with this powder or podi and enjoy with idlies or dosais.

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Flax Chutney Powder (T&T-Veg Inspirations)

Ingredients:
Flax seed powder - 1/2 cup
Peanuts - 1/4 cup
Chutney dal/Pottukadalai - 1/4 cup
Curry leaves - 20
Tamarind - 1/2 inch
Brown sugar - 1/2 tsp.
Dry  red chilli - 6 to 7 chillies
Sesame seeds - 1/4 cup
Salt - 1 1/4 tsp.

Method:
Dry roast flax seed meal (till aroma rises), peanuts (till it changes color and remove the skin), sesame seeds, curry leaves (till dry and crisp) each separately. Keep aside to cool.
Fry the chillies in a drop of oil and a pinch of salt.
Powder coarsely all the ingredients except salt.
Finally add the salt and give 2 to 3 pulse.
Store them in an air-tight container.
Serve with dosa or idli by adding sesame oil.

Note:
Flax seed meal - powder the flax seeds.
I reduced the amount of chillies to our taste.

Original recipe here.
Sent off to "T&T-Veg Inspirations" hosted by Saveur and started by Zlamushka.

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Goda Masala

Maharashtrian Goda masala is used in vegetables, lentils and meat. I adapted this masala from a cookbook.

Just now we had a hail lasting for 4 minutes only.

Ingredients:
Coriander seeds - 1 3/4 cup
Dry red chilli - 25 gm
Dagad phul/Rock flower/Kal pasi - 1 tbsp.
Kopra/dessicated coconut  - 1 cup
Cumin seeds - half of half a cup
Shah jeera/Caraway seeds - 1 1/4 tsp.
Sesame seeds - 1/2 cup
Bay leaves - 4
Black cardamoms - 7
Cloves - 8
Cinnamon- 5
Black peppercorns - 1/2 tsp.
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp.
Asafoetida - 1 tsp.
Oil
Salt

Method:
Dry roast the sesame seeds till it turns light brown color.
Fry all ingredients in oil one by one or in groups of 2 or 3 spices till dark brown color without burning except turmeric and asfoetida.
I added 2 pinches of salt while frying chilies.
Powder them in batches and mix the turmeric and asafoetida.
Mix all well and store them in an air-tight container.

Dagad phul/kal pasi:

Sent off to Priya's "CWS-Cardamom Seeds" event.


Note:
I didn't add nag kesar as it wasn't available. 

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Coriander powder/Dhaniya Podi

Ingredients:
Coriander seeds - 1/2 cup
Peppercorn - 1 tbsp.
Urad dal - 2 tsp.
Chana dal - 1 tsp.
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp.
Asafoetida- 1 small cube
Salt - as required
Sesame oil (to fry) - 2 tsp.

Method:
Fry all the ingredients one by one in sesame oil till they turn golden color except salt.
Cool them.
Powder them after adding salt.
Store them in an air-tight container.
Enjoy with hot steaming rice mixed with sesame oil.
RB

Sent off to "CWS-Coriander Seeds" hosted by RV (started by Priya).

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Ellu Podi/Sesame Seeds Powder

Ingredients:

Sesame seeds (white) - 1 cup
Urad dal - ¾ cup
Chana dal - ¼ cup
Dry whole red chilies - 14
Curry leaves - 6 sprigs
Asafetida - ¼ tsp.
Salt
Oil

Method:
First, dry-roast the sesame seeds until they make noises.
Immediately remove and spread them on a plate to cool.
Dry roast the dals separately till they turn golden color. Cool.
Wash curry leaves and wipe. Fry till crispy without oil.
Heat oil, then add the whole red chili and fry.
Powder the sesame seeds coarsely.
Then powder the dals, red chilies and curry leaves.
Cool all of them.
In a dry-storage jar, add all the powders, salt and asafetida.
Close the lid and shake well (and dance while shaking!).
Ellu podi is ready.
Enjoy with ghee mixed in hot rice or as a side dish for hot steaming idlis!

Note: Add ½ tsp of jaggery powder and mix. This is optional.

Sent off to Priya's "Cooking with seeds: Sesame seeds".

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Karuvepilai podi

Curry leaves powder (or) Karuvepillai podi
Curry leaves play an important role in seasoning or tempering in most of the south Indian home. Throughout my early years, right till I left for college, we had 2 curry leaf trees in our garden. Most of the times, while in the middle of cooking, mom will call and make me run to the garden and get the leaves. The oil will be already heating in the vessel. I had to run fast, get few leaves, wash them and then hand over to mom. The tree was a country variety. The aroma of leaves will linger in the home for a long time. I don’t find such varieties outside Tamilnadu. Every week she made sure for us to eat the curry leaves thuvaiyal. Neighbors, relatives, and milkman were lucky. They would freely go to the garden and take the leaves as much as they like. Chutneys, Sambhars, Rasam, Kootu, Poriyals, and non-veg dishes etc…, always got the extra distinctive flavor. அது எல்லாம் ஒரு காலம். ஹும்ம்!!!!!!!! Now I don’t have a garden , so our shopping list never ends without curry leaves.
The medicinal values are…..There is some interruption.

H: Usha, what r u writing?
U: I am writing about curry leaves.
H: But, usually you don’t write blah, blah. Just the ingredients and the method. I thought u r writing an article for some newspaper.
U: Why should I write an article?
H: Don’t forget to write about the curry leaf plant, you grew in pots. hahahaha..
U: Why r u laughing?
H: Nothing.
U: Tell me!
H: The plants in the pots had the same height for 2 years.
U: U know the reason why…….it didn’t grow well. Okay I thought of writing medicinal values but now I am not interested.
H: Why?
U: I know only few uses like hair growth, diabetic friendly, etc…

Here are the ingredients:
Curry leaves -2 cups
Bengal gram (or)
Channa dal – ¼ cup
Urad dal – ¼ cup
Whole red chili – 5
Peppercorn – ¼ teaspoon (optional)
Tamarind – 1 spoon
Asafoetida – 2 pinches
Oil – 2 teaspoon
Salt as required

Method:
Wash the curry leaves and pat dry.
Fry the curry leaves in kadai without oil, till leaves become crisp.
Fry the Bengal dal, urad dal in oil until golden color separately.
Fry the whole red chili and tamarind.
Cool.
Grind all the fried ingredients ,peppercorn (optional)and mix salt and asafoetida.
It goes well with idlis, dosai and rice.

This goes to the event 'Kitchen Masterpiece'.

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