5 Ingredients Curry Masala Powder

Happy New Year! Wishing you a Happy and Healthy 2017!

While DD2 would like nothing better than to eat out everyday I am not a huge fan neither are the rest of the family members. I bet there are a lot of people who love and enjoy eating out. I like it too when at the end of the day food magically appeared on the table from different places on different days. The problem though eating out comes with its own set of problems. The cost to health and well being for one thing and having to tolerate bad food being another. So if you are stuck between a rock and a hard place you come up with solutions.

There are a few small things that can be done ahead of time to make the process of cooking a bit easier when one is pressed for time. Before my mom back to India after her stay here,she made a small batch of some quick masala powder which can be used for curries. Saute onions, maybe ginger & garlic and some tomatoes and throw in a table spoon of this powder and voila you have a decent meal on your table. This works well with vegetables like cauliflower, zucchini, potatoes, okra, eggs and chicken. Chicken recipe coming up soon.

This recipe is simple as they come with none of the garam masala spices which you can always add later if you want.

5 Ingredients Curry Masala Powder
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients

1. 1/2 cup Coriander Seeds
2. 2 tbsp cumin seeds
3. 1 tbsp pepper corn
4. 1/4 cup Red Chilies (adjust to taste)
5. 1 tsp fenugreek seeds (optional)

Method

1. Dry roast the coriander seeds first for about 4-5 minutes. Add in the cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, pepper corn and the red chilies.
2. Roast till the red chilies start to get black here and there. Turn off the heat and let it cool.
3. Transfer the roasted ingredients to a blender and blend to a fairly smooth powder.

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Kothamalli thokku - Coriander leaves pickle

I am not the first one to send a child to college and neither will I be the last. This ritual old though it may be is new for us. I kept postponing thinking about it and then it happened. When I left for college I only cared about the fact that I was leaving home. Didn't spend too much time worrying about how my parents were going to miss me (or in my case they probably were thinking good riddance ;). Now I realize that being on the other side is just as hard or even harder.

Like most mother and daughter pairs we talked a lot, fought a lot, shouted at each other a lot and the most important of all DH and I had come to rely on her for a lot of things. Even though still a teen she had the maturity to understand. Her relationship with DD2 on the other was very different. She regressed by a few years and she behaved like she was the same age as her little sister.

Now all of us miss her and find it hard on weekends. Food wise I miss her even more - when I pass by by the aisles that have the food items she enjoys. I feel a tinge of guilt when I cook something that she likes and she cannot enjoy it.

Care packages have you heard of that? You ship overnight food to your away from home child. Luxury! Have not tried it yet though.

That is what is going on but that is not the reason that posts have been sporadic. That story is for another day.

Now on to some food talk,
Thokkus and pickles the mainstay of the summer months. If I have an abundance of tomatoes I make some tomato thokku which get used morning, noon and night. After tasting home made tomato ketchup store bought ketchup just don't do the trick so I make a batch of that. I had grown coriander leaves this season which gave an opportunity to make some coriander leaves thokku which I have been wanting to for some time.

I am used to buying coriander leaves that look like coriander leaves but does not smell like coriander leaves and I start to doubt if they are really coriander leaves. What if they are parsley? With home grown you will have no such doubt. The aromatic smell of those leaves will leave you mesmerized.

Saute the blackgram and urad dal along with the mustard seeds and red chilies. Get the tamarind pulp ready.
Blend the coriander leaves with the dal and the tamarind pulp and salt and saute in oil till it is shiny.

Unlike other pickles coriander thokku does not require that much oil but you can be liberal with the oil if you want to preserve it for longer.

Coriander Thokku - Coriander leaves pickle
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 25 minutes
Ingredients

1. 3 cups of packed coriander leaves
2. 1 tbsp bengal gram (kadalai paruppu)
3. 7-8 red chilies
4. 1/2 tbsp urad dal (ulutham paruppu)
5. 1/4 + 1/4 tsp mustard seeds
6. tiny bit of asfoetida
7. 1/4 cup of thick tamarind pulp from a small lemon sized ball of tamarind
8. 1/2 tbsp jaggery
9. salt to taste
10. 2-3 tbsp of oil

Method

1. Wash and dry the coriander leaves completely. You can also sun dry it to make sure.
2. In a wide mouthed pan, add a tsp of oil when hot saute the bengal gram, followed by the urad dal and remove when it is golden brown. Remove and set aside.
3. Saute the red chilies and mustard seeds and set aside.
4. Add the coriander leaves, quickly mix it for a couple of seconds remove to a separate plate.
5. 
   
6. Now add the tamarind pulp and heat it till it comes to a boil and then for a couple of minutes more and turn of the heat.


7. Slightly powder the roasted dals first, add the coriander leaves,salt and the boiled tamarind pulp and blend to a thick paste along with the jaggery.


8. Now heat the rest of the oil(I used 2 tbsp) and when hot add the mustard seeds and asfoetida. When the mustard seeds starts to pop, add the blended paste and saute it for about 5-10 minutes till it becomes shiny.


9. Cool and store in glass containers. Stays good outside for 5-6 days but for a month or more in the fridge.

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Puliodharai mix - Spicy Tamarind mix

Antibiotics saves lives. Overuse of antibiotics also kills lives. So finally FDA is working on a plan to phase out antibiotic use in farms. Overuse of antibiotics in farms is leading cause of highly resistant bacteria and super bugs that is very bad for all of us. So this ruling by the FDA is a good one but it is a voluntary action on behalf of the farm owners. Have to wait and see how that one goes.

You must have also heard of the recent news regarding antibacterial soap. Apparently the chemicals that are used to kill bacteria can cause hormone disruptions. Usually these soaps do not do much more than what plain soap and water can do. Companies that manufacture these antibacterial soaps have a higher burden of proof now and now have to actually prove these soaps help in preventing common ailments. For us as consumers it is time put away the antibacterial wipes, soaps and sanitizers for good. A few years ago when I went looking for antibacterial hand wash they were very hard to come by. I found Method which was the only one that had hand washing liquid soap that was not antibacterial.

Kids who grow up in farms and with animals have higher immunity than those in sterile suburban homes. Let the kids play in the dirt, touch animals without being swabbed with antibacterial rinse right after. Washing with soap and water should be sufficient.

Now on to the recipe,

Having Puliodharai mix at home ready to be used is always a good thing. It is quite simple to make. While there are plenty of choices for ready made mixes, making them at home is a pleasure in itself.

Roast the spices (to powder) and powder them using a coffee grinder or the smallest jar in the blender.
Heat oil in a flat heavy bottomed vessel and saute the seasonings and red chilies in oil. Add the extracted pulp and let it come to a boil in medium heat.
Let the sauce thicken a bit and add the powdered spices and turn off the heat.

Sauce ready to be mixed

Puliodharai mix - Spicy tamarind Mix
Preparation Time:10 minutes
Cooking Time:25 minutes
Ingredients

1. 1 cup of thick tamarind pulp - from a small size ball of tamarind (soak in just enough water)
2. 1/4 cup of roasted or raw peanuts
3. 6-8 red chilies split in half
4. curry leaves
5. 2 tbsp sesame oil
6. salt to taste
7. 2 tsp of turmeric powder
8. 1/2 tbsp jaggery or brown sugar
9. Seasonings - 1/2 tbsp channa dal, 2 tsp split urad dal, few fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds and curry leaves
For the Powder
10. 1/2 tbsp channa dal (kadalai paruppu)
11. 1/3 tbsp of coriander seeds
12. 1 tsp pepper corns
13. 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds (vendhayam)
14. 1/4 tsp of cumin seeds
15. a pinch or two of asfoetida (perungayam
16. 1 red chili

Method

1. Roast the ingredients one by one under the 'For the Powder' category till they are nice and brown. Set aside. The dal for instance has a different roasting time compared to coriander seeds. If you are indeed roasting them all at the same time take care not to burn.
2. Powder the roasted ingredients into a fairly smooth powder. I used the coffee grinder to powder. Set aside.
3. In a heavy bottomed pan heat the oil, season with mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and curry leaves.
4. Once the mustard starts to pop add the split urad dal, channa dal and let it saute till it starts to turn brown. If using raw peanuts add them along with the channa dal. When they are nice and brown add the red chilies and saute for a 1/2 minute more.
5. Add the extracted tamarind pulp and let it come to a boil and in medium heat let it simmer till the oil separates. Add salt.
6. Add the powder spices at this time and the jaggery and the roasted peanuts, give a good mix and turn off the heat. It should not be in the heat for too long after the spices are added.

Can be stored in air tight container for a week or in the fridge for up to a month.

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Dry Curry Masala Powder(Kuzhambu thool) and Wet Masala - Store and Use

Have you seen the new Kaiser advertisement? If you haven't here is a link. The theme of the ad is to find a physical activity that matches you. Most advertisements bother me, this one I happen to like and has prompted me to write this post.

I am at the risk of repeatedly repeating myself when I say how physical activity has really helped me both me both physically and mentally. I am not that fond of running, jogging, doing yoga or aerobics. Swimming is another matter altogether. Winter blues are just around the corner and activity is what helps keep it at bay.

A long time ago when I started working as a software drone I developed severe to moderate lower and upper back pain. I was young and posture did not matter or so I thought. Slouching and bending the back into a question mark did bad things to the back.

I kind of fell into swimming and in a few short months the back pain completely disappeared. Swimming also stimulated my brain into positive thinking and alertness. I strongly recommend swimming as a cure all for most back related ailments.

for the wet masala

This theory was confirmed when I caught a program on PBS during their fund raising drive. In the a show a doctor was talking about the most common ailments and how one's lifestyle can help control them. He mentioned that a vast majority of adults young and old suffer from back pain, some chronically and Aqua therapy is known to provide relief from back pain and keep it away.

Anyway this summer our swimming pool closed for about 3 months. I tried walking but it worked best with a partner. When my friend wasn't around it was almost impossible to garner the enthusiasm. Luckily my mom was here and she loved to walk. So that sustained me for some time. I truly enjoy the sights and sounds of the early morning walk but unfortunately it is not my thing. Like my friend would say it costs nothing and the benefits are enormous.

The first day I returned to the pool I felt like I had reconnected with my long last friend. I think the activity you choose should be able to give you satisfaction and joy. I know I am lucky to have this indulgence. Swimming pools with clean water is not a luxury that is available to most people.

All the more important to find an activity that suits the budget and the part of the world you live in.

So what is your favorite activity? Do you do it regularly? Do you have a partner who spurs you along?

for the dry masala

Now on to the recipe for this pantry essential which if on hand cooking Indian food is not all that hard. I prefer to make my own so I can add/subtract the spices that I want/don't want. Well thanks to my mother, she made this spice powder just before leaving to India to make my cooking tasks easier in the evening rush.

I know Indian cooking seems a daunting task to a lot of people. Most non-Indian or maybe a few Indians as well assume it is hard because of the long list of ingredients or they take their cue from restaurants and think the food has to be orange and greasy.

Indian cooking is very methodical and easily adaptable. If you have the basic ingredients and techniques they are interchangeable and can be used with most kinds of vegetables. The gravies or curry can be saucy or dry or soupy and can be adapted to suit any palette.

I assure you that armed with these two simple masala mixtures Indian cooking should be an easy task.

Dry Masala Powder - Kuzhambu Thool
Ingredients
1. 1 Cup dry whole coriander seeds
2. 1/4 cup cumin seeds
3. a little less than 1/4 cup black pepper corns
4. 15 dried red chilies

Method
1. Dry roast the coriander seeds first and when they start to turn a shade darker or are heated through set aside
2. Roast the cumin and pepper corns slightly for 3-4 minutes till they are heated through set aside
3. Roast the red chilies till they just start to turn color, set aside

Cool the above and blend to a fine or coarse powder as per your liking. Store in airtight container. Keeping them in the fridge makes it last longer.

Now on to the wet masala which can be frozen. The ingredients listed below can be used for 3 recipes for a family of four.

Wet Masala mix
Ingredients
1. 1 medium sized onions cut into dices (about 1 - 1 1/4 cups worth)
2. 8 garlic cloves peeled and chopped
3. 2 inch piece of ginger peeled and chopped
4. 8-10 dry red chilies
5. 2 tsp of oil

Method
1. In a wide mouthed pan heat oil and when hot add the onions and roast till they are translucent. Add in the garlic and ginger and let them saute till the onions start to turn color.
2. At this point add in the red chilies and let saute for 2-3 minutes

Cool and with as little water as possible blend to a smooth paste. Cool completely. Freeze 3 tbsp worth of this paste in separate containers. I got about 4 servings worth.

Thaw the invidual frozen portions and curry is ready in less than half an hour.

Note:
The red chilies listed here are make for mild curries. The heat is also dependent on the type of red chilies used.

A chicken curry recipe using the dry and wet masala coming up soon...

Vadai from Paruppu Vadai Mix (Instant Lentil Fritters Mix)

Couple of weeks ago it was every third person, last week it was every other person now it is everybody is talking about the debt ceiling. The joke I liked best (sorry I forget his name) the higher we raise the ceiling the harder it will be to paint. Exactly right?


Jump to the Recipe >>>

I want to throw a fit every time a politician calls himself/herself a patriot or somebody else introduces a politician as a patriot. Oh come on don't you? I do not for a minute believe the folks sitting in the Congress, Senate or White House are doing what they are doing the last couple of weeks out of a sense of patriotism.

Dal Mix

I do not want the debt ceiling raised and I want the taxes for the very rich raised. Both are unlikely to happen. Americans have confused being selfish with individualism and have reached this sorry state of affairs. Nobody will compromise because each one has an idea which is THE best.

Should we as a nation stop being me me and flip it to we we for a few years and see how that pans out?

I do not have any more energy so I will stop with that debt talk and move on to a recipe that is courtesy of my MIL.

Wet dal mix mixed with onions, chilies ...

When my mom came over MIL had sent with her a packet of ready to make Paruppu Vadai mix. Add water, mix in onion, ginger, curry leaves and voila the batter for the vadai is ready. It is very easy to make the mix, store and use as required.

Paruppu Vadai Mix
Ingredients
1. Split Yellow/Green peas - 1 lb
2. 15 dried red chilies
3. a small piece of asfoetida
4. 3-4 cloves
5. 1 inch piece of cinnamon
6. salt

Method
For the Mix
1. Wash the peas and let it dry in the sun (let it sit out in direct sun for a couple of days, bring it in at night )
2. Roughly blend the peas with the other spices. The resulting powder should be a little coarser than grits. It will be impossible to make vadais with a very smooth powder

Making Vadais
1. 2 Cups of mix, 1/2 cup onions, 4-5 green chilies chopped, handful of curry leaves chopped, coriander leaves chopped, 1/2 tbsp grated ginger, a few fennel seeds
2. Add about 1/4 - /12 cup of water and let it sit for 15-20 minutes
3. Take a small lime sized ball of dough and press it flat in the palm of your hand
4. Deep fry in hot oil till golden brown. Crunchy on the inside and soft on the inside.

Note:
1. If the wet mixture does not sit for the required amount of time the vadais will become too dry
2. Control the number of chilies if the mixture has enough heat from the red chilies

Bisi Bele Bhath Spice Powder

The first thing that needs attention when I enter the house is the kitchen sink filled with dirty dishes. Once that is done the evening rush at home starts. Whatever help is available to make the dinner preparation is welcome.

One pot meals with rice and dal are the easiest and quickest. After lunch at the office one day got bisi bele bhath stuck in the head and just could not get it out. The good thing about bisi bele bhath is the rice, dal and the vegetables are all cooked to mush and there is no pressure to keep the rice shiny and separate.

The only involved process is making the powder. Making a slightly larger quantity makes another day's dinner faster. Roast and powder all the spices but the coconut for storage. Roast and powder the fresh grated or dried coconut just before making the rice.

I skipped all of the aromatic spices from the recipe to keep the flavors simple. Please free to add cloves, cardamom or cinnamon if you prefer.

the spices blended with the roasted coconut

Based on the recipe from Monsoon Spice

Bisi Bele Bhath Powder
Ingredients
1. 1 tbsp channa dal or Bengal Gram
2. 2 tbsp of Urad Dal
3. 15 dried red chilies
4. 1 tbsp coriander seeds
5. 2 tsp cumin seeds
6. 1/2 tbsp peppercorn
7. 1/4 cup washed and dried curry leaves
8. 1/4 tsp asfoetida
9. 2 tsp methi seeds
10. 1 tbsp of grated or frozen fresh coconut (one serving)
11. 5 cloves, 1 inch piece of cinnamon, 1-2 cardamom (optional)

Method
1. Dry roast the channa dal first and set aside
2. Add the urad dal, coriander seeds, cumin, pepper corn, methi seeds and roast till they start to turn color
3. Roast the red chilies and asfoetida
4. Place the curry leaves in the microwave for 2-3 minutes or roast for a couple of minutes till they get crisp
Cool and make a coarse powder and store in an airtight container.

When you are making the rice,
5. Roast the coconut till it is nice and brown, cool powder and mix with the spice powder and use.

3-4 tbsp of the powder is required for 1 1/2 cups of rice and 1 cup of dal + 2 cups of vegetables.

Flax Seed Idli Podi - III - Spiced flax and dal powder - Chutney Powder - 3

What does one do when life (DH) hands you a bag of flax seeds more than you have ever seen in your life?

It was supposedly bought to make the onerous task of making the texture of oatmeal better. But oatmeal being oatmeal not much can be done who get it single and separate. So I have all of this flax seeds and not many recipes that come to mind. The only one that came to mind and I was capable doing quickly was Idli Podi.

The formula I usually use is 3 cups of dal to a cup of dried chilies. In this recipe, half a cup of flax seeds was substituted for one of the dal. Going by the end result a cup would not have been a bad idea. There is always a next time and no dearth of flax seeds.

What are the other recipes possible with flax seeds? Ideas and suggestions are welcome.

Flax Seed Idli Podi
Ingredients
1. 1 cup of split white urad dal
2. 1 cup of split moong dal
3. 1/2 cup of horsegram (kollu)
4. 1/2 cup of flax seeds
5. 1 cup of red chilies
6. 1 cup of loosely packed curry leaves
7. a small piece of asfoetida
8. 2 tsp of salt

Method
1. Roast the dal one by one till they start to turn a nice and golden brown
2. Roast the horse gram till they start to make the pat pat sound
3. In a very very low heat saute the flax seeds - in half a minute they star to bounce and fly so remove it quickly from the heat. If you are not careful you will have more flax seeds on the floor than in the pan
4. Toast the red chilies for a minute or two
5. Toast the curry leaves in the microwave till they are nice and crisp and all the moisture is completely gone
6. Toast the asfoetida and salt for a minute

Cool, and blend to a fine powder.

Idli Podi II - with 3 4 dals (Spiced lentil powder) - Chutney Powder -2

"Love Thy Neighbor" is not only a phrase from the bible but in daily life a very important one. I consider my neighbors to be the first line of defense and would try my best to be friendly. But not everyone thinks that way was evident when I was an unwitting witness to some fights for unimportant things.

I was kind of surprised when one of my neighbors came complaining about another neighbor, lets call them N1 and N2. N1 complained that N2 cuts grass on his side of the property. It reminded me of land disputes back home among relatives who fight over few feet of land and on whose land the foot path should go and so forth. Sometimes knives and fists are involved. Well anyway this was not anything like that but a few feet of extra lawn that was getting mowed. N1 settled the affair by planting some border plants. Another neighbor got annoyed that his neighbor had an unused tire lying around for a few days. These are incidents that are too small to sweat over, relationship with the neighbor is far more important don't you think?

IMHO, neighbors are our eyes and ears when we are not around. I am grateful to have some neighbors who really pitch in and help when needed. The water my plants when I am away, feed DDs fish, pick up the newspapers. What if we needed a lift to the doctor and can't dirve by ourselves? Not only for the help they are also what make a street a community. To steal the popular saying "No man is an island".

The other day one neighbor found a person loitering near her neighbor's door when she took the dog for a walk. She immediately called the neighbor to alert her. Imagine if the relationship was strained, would the same effort have been taken?

I have also seen neighbors clean the sidewalks for other during winter time, it is against the law to leave snow for more than a day. Small actions but they speak much louder than words.

This is not to say that all neighbors are good, there are some really obnoxious ones too. One of them who lives a few houses further away from us was putting up a fence and he was setting up the fence further inside his adjoining neighbor's property. So when that neighbor approached the offending party his reaction was "lets settle this with a gun". The neighbor on the receiving end was hopping mad. I would have lost it too.

I have learnt over the years not to sweat the small stuff, good relations with neighbors has paid for itself many times over for which I would be ever grateful.

What is your philosophy in dealing with your neighbors? And do you consider it important to have good relations with them?

I think I hit the publish button a little too soon without posting the recipe. If you have noticed I usually quote my mom and ammayi(mom's mom) cooking a lot but not so much my MIL. This is not because I don't consider her a great cook but because I have not watched her cook at close quarters much. I did when she visited us but not enough, but I still have learned a few recipes. There are a lot of tiny ideas and influences that I remember and incorporate in my daily cooking. One thing that stands out in my MIL's, mom's and grandmoms's is the simplicity of the cooking process itself. No grinding masalas or rich sauces just simple flavorful food that makes for a very tasty meals albeit light and easy on the stomach affairs. If Kollu Paruppu Podi was a recipe from my mother, this idli podi recipe is from my MIL. When we visit she alwasys packs us a substanstial bag of idli podi to last till our next visit home. She uses three dals - kadali paruppu (channa dal), urad dal and moong dal, also mentioning that some people add a bit of horsegram as well and that was just what I wanted to hear to add a handful of horsegram. MIL suggested I add all the dals together and roast.

Idli Podi
Ingredients
1. 3/4 cup of Chana dal (original recipe calls for 2 cups)
2. 3/4 cup urad dal
3. 3/4 cup moong dal (I used the split one with the skin on)
4. 3/4 cup horsegram
5. 1 cup red chilies
6. 20 curry leaves
7. a tiny piece of asfoetida
8. 4 tsp kosher salt or 2 tsp regular table salt (add more if required after blending and tasting)
Method
1. Heat a wide mouthed pan and roast the dals one by one till they turn a slight brown or
Combine all the dals and roast them together.
2. Microwave the curry leaves for a minute till crisp
3. Microwave or heat the asfoetida for a few seconds
4. Microwave the red chilies for about 3-4 minutes or roast, till they start to turn color or become completely dry
5. roast the salt for a few minutes.
6. Cool and blend to a fine powder

Goes well with rice, idli, dosai or even chapatis.

Kollu Paruppu Podi (Horse gram Urad dal Spice Powder) - Chutney Powder - 1

Incorporating Kollu (horse gram) in several different recipes is something I try to do every chance I get. I rarely ever make spice powders (or idli podis), bring them from back home made by mom or MIL. My stash ran out and having no idli podi is like a handicap. My mom makes this podi where she adds horse gram, but according to her horse gram is added only when it is made for eating with rice and not idli or dosai. I use them interchangeably and can't tell the difference. If you are making the podi for rice, powder it fine and if using for idlis make it a bit coarse.

For Idli podis urad dal is the one predominantly used whereas for rice a combination of urad, toor and horse gram can be used. But the distinction actually does not matter so. The proportion is one that I used for the podi but there are no fast rules really so go ahead and experiement. You would be hard pressed to find a Kongu home without a bottle of, some variation of this paruppu podi handy.

What to do you do if you have left over rice? It is not very popular when they are reheated and served again. But made into Podi rice or seasoned rice they disappear quickly. This paruppu podi can be used to make podi rice as well.

Kollu Paruppu Podi
Ingredients

1. 3/4 Cup Split Urad dal
2. 1/4 Cup Horse gram
3. 1/2 Cup Red Chilies (adjust to taste)
4. 10 - 15 Curry leaves
5. a tiny piece of asfoetida
6. Salt to taste 3 tsp(start with 2 tsp and adjust if more is needed after powdering

Method

1. In a kadai dry roast the urad dal till it starts to turn a slight brown. Set aside
2. roast the horse gram till it starts to pop (take care not to make them black
3. gently toast the asfoetida
4. heat the curry leaves for a minute or two in the microwave till crisp
5. heat the chilies in the microwave for 2 minutes or roast them in the kadai
6. Add salt
Combine and powder, the texture can be be fine or coarse as per preference.

Podi Rice

1. 1 1/2 Cups day old rice
2. 1/2 Red onion chopped
3. 1/2 tbsp channa dal
4. seasoning: mustard seeds, cumin and curry leaves
5. 1 tbsp Paruppu Podi (or sambhar powder + salt)
6. 1/2 tbsp sesame oil

Method

1. In a flat bottomed pan, heat the oil and add the channa dal, when it starts to brown add the seasoning items. when mustard starts to pop
2. Add the onion and saute till translucent.
3. Now break the rice with your fingers and add to the onions
4. Sprinkle the paruppu podi and mix well with the rice.
5. Add more sesame oil if too dry.

Sambhar Powder

My first attempts at cooking always involved using Sambhar Powder. The mere fact that I had Sambhar Powder prepared by ammayi in the pantry gave me a lot of confidence! This is how my ammayi prepares it and there is a whole host of people including my mom and aunt who cannot survive without it. Linda, here it is specially for you.




Ingredients
1. Red Chillies - 4 Cups
2. Corriander Seeds - 1 1/2 Cups
3. Kadalai Paruppu (Chana Dal/Black Gram Dal) - 1 tbsp
4. Urad Dal (Black Gram Dal) - 1 tbsp
5. Cumin - 1/2 tbsp
6. Pepper - 1 tsp
7. Methi Seeds - 1 tbsp
8. Asfoetida - 1/2 tsp
9. Mustard seeds (black, Indian variety small ones) - 1/2 tsp
10. Curry leaves (fresh or dried) - 2 Sprigs

Tip: Dry all the ingredients in the sun for about 2 hours (optional)

Roast each of the ingredients one by one in a medium low flame, till they turn color slightly. As they get roasted they start to get a darker color, at this point stop. Do not let them turn black (have to throw away if they turn black).

If fresh, pat dry the curry leaves and then roast till brittle.

Let cool to room temperature. Mix and grind together in a blender to a powder. If using a coffee grinder, powder in small batches.

Basic Gravy and Curry Powder

Indian cooking is all about the combination of spices. I have not met a single person who has not posed the question "Do you know how to make curry?". Curry seems to be the name given to almost any Indian dish. So lack of a better term here are the basic ingredients for any "curry" dish.



For the gravy part

Simple Gravy
onions
garlic
ginger
red chillies
Usually all of the above are sauted in a little bit of oil and blended into a paste

Curry Powder
Corriander seeds
cumin
pepper
red chillies
cinnamon (optional)
cloves (optional)
cardamom (optional)

Dry roast and powder. A coffee grinder comes in handy


Once you have this handy cooking chicken/fish/vegetables is a breeze