Monday, March 31, 2008

Rasam Powder or Charu Podi

Ingredients:

Oil- 2 tsps
Ghee-1/2 tsp
No salt required

To be roasted dry:

Corriander seeds-1cup
Fenugreek seeds- 1.25 tbsp.
Cumin seeds 1/2 cup

To be roasted in oil:

Red chillies-10-12, stalks removed
Curry leaves-1.25 cup
Asafoetida- 1 tsp

To be roasted in ghee:

Peppercorns-1.25 tbsp

Procedure:

1- Heat ghee and roast peppercorns until the aroma rises. Remove from ghee and set aside.
2- Grind all the ingradients into a fine powder, cool and store in air tight jar.

Sambar Powder or Sambar Podi

Ingredients:

Oil 1/2 tsp
No salt required

To be roasted without oil

Coriander seeds-1cup
Fenugreek seeds-1tbsp
Dry coconut -1/4 cup, grated

To be roasted in oil:

Red chillies- 20 to 25, stalks removed.

Procedure:

1- On a low flame, dry roast the coriander and fenugreek seeds, each seperately, until deep brown. Roast the dry coconut without oil until golden.
2- Heat oil and roast the chillies on a low flame until crisp and bright red. Remove from oil and set aside.
3- Grind all these into fine powder. Cool and store in air tight jar.

Curry Powder or Koora Podi

Ingredients:

Oil: 2 tbsp
No salt required

To be roasted without oil

Bengal gram -1cup
Split black gram -1cup
Dry coconut-1/4 th cup

To be roasted in oil:

Red chillies-1 cup, stalks removed
Curry leaves- 1/2 cup
Asafoetida - 1 tsp

Procedure:

1-On a low flame, dry roast the grams, each seperately, to deep brown. Roast the dry coconut without oil until golden brown.
2- Heat oil and roast the chillies on a low flame until crisp and bright red, but not brown,. Remove from oil and set aside. Now roast the cury leaves until crisp and dark green/ Remove from oil and set aside.
3-In the same oil. roast the asfoetida for 10 to 15 seconds and set aside.
4-Grind all these ingredients into a fine powder, cool and store in air tight jar.

Some tips on how to use this Curry powder:

1- Ridge gourd vegetable or Beerakaya koora

Peel ridge gourd and dice into medium sized pieces.
Heat oil and temper with split black gram, mustered seeds, chillies, curry leaves and asafoetida powder.
Add chopped onions and turmeric powder and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the ridge gourd. Cover and cook for 2 minutes. Add Koora podi, salt and some water and cook till the vegetable is done. You may add dash of roasted and powdered sesame seeds in the end.

Note: Same recipe can be followed using snake gourd or boiled potato

2-Bitter gourd vegetable or Kakarkaya Koora:

Boil chopped bitter gourd along with turmeric powder. Starin. Follow the above ridge gourd recipe.
Make a powder of roasted gram and roasted sesme seeds. Mix this into the vegetable with little jaggery and cook for 2 minutes. Switch off the flame and add dash of lemon juice.

3- Stuffed Bitter Gourds or Kakarkaya Koorina Koora

Scrape and slit the bitter gourds partially. Remove the seeds. Make a mixture of chopped onions, ginger, garlic, coriander leaves, koora podi and salt.
Stuff the bitter gourds with this mixture carefully. Roast in oil until bitter gourds are well done.

Sunday, March 30, 2008

Red Gram Powder or kandi Podi

Ingredients:

Oil 1 tbsp
Salt to Taste

To be roasted without oil

Split red gram : 1 cup
bengal gram :1.5 cups
Roasted gram :1.5 cup
Cummin Seeds :3/4 tbsp

To be roasted in oil:

Red chillies: 2 heaped cups, stalks removed
Curry leaves: 1/2 cup
Asafoetida: 1 tsp

Procedure:

1: On a low flame dry roast the grams and cummin each seperately- the roasted gram to a light brown, the others to deep brown.

2: heat oil and roast the chillies on a low flame until crisp and bright red, but not brown. Remove the chillies and set aside. Now roast the curry leaves until crisp and dark green. Remove from oil and set aside

3: In the same oil, roast the asafoetida for 10 to 15 seconds.

4: Grind all these ingredients along with salt into a powder, neither fine nor coarse. Cool and store in an airtight container.

CORRIANDER LEAF POWDER OR Kothimeeri Podi

Ingredients:

Oil- 4 tbsp
salt- to taste

To be roasted without oil:

Split Black gram dal- 2 tbsp
Bengal Gramdal - 2 tbsp

To be roasted in oil:

Corriander leaves- 2 cups
Red Chillies- 10/12 stalk removed
Asafoetida powder (Hing)- 1 tsp

The tempering:

Musterd seeds- 1/2 tsp
Fenugreek seeds (Methi)-1/4 tsp

Procedure:

1: Wash the coriander leaves and pat dry
2: On a low flame, dry roast the grams, each seperately, and keep aside.
3: Heat 31/2 tbsp oil and roast the coriander leaves for 2/3 minutes. Take care to see that leaves remain green.. Remove from oil and keep seperately.
4: In the same oil, roast the chillies until bright red and crisp, remove from oil and keep seoerately.
5: Roast Asafoetida and remove
6: Grind all above ingredients along with salt into powder, neither fine nor coarse.
7: Heat the remaining oil for tempering. Pop the musterd seeds and then add the fenugreek, As the fenugreek turns brown, mix the this into the powder, Cool and store in a air tight jar.

Note: Serve with Idlis, Disas or mix with steaming rice with a dollop of ghee or sesame oil and eat.

Curry leaves Powder or Karvepaku Podi

Ingredients:

Oil- 4 Tbsp
Salt to taste
jagerry /sugar optional-1 tbsp

To be roasted without oil:

Split black gram -2 tbsp
Bengal gram - 2 tbsp

To be roasted in oil:

Curry leaves -2 cups
Red Chillies- 10 to 12 stalks removed
Asafoetida ( Hing) - I tbsp
Tamarind- medium lemon sized ball

Procedure:

1: Wash the curry leaves and pat them dry
2: Dry roast the grams, each seperately on a low flame, to deep brown
3: Heat oil and roast the curry leaves on a low flame until crisp. Remove from oil and set aside.
4:In the same oil, roast the chillies until crisp and bright red, but not brown, Remove them from oil and set aside.
5: Roast the Asfoetida and remove from oil and set aside.
6: Finally roast the tamarind and remove from oil.
7: Grind all these ingredients along with salt and jaggery into a powder, neither fine nor corse. Cool the powder and store in air tight jar.

Note: Serve this with idlis, dosas or eat with steming rice.

Variation: Roast little grated ginger in little ghee for 2/3 minutes and grind along with all other ingredients.

Powders or Podi's as we know them

PODI CHUTNEY: Spicy and tasty

INGREDIENTS:

Oil 4 spoons
Ghee 2/3 spoons
Salt

To be roasted without oil:

Bengal gram dal- 1 cup
Split black gram -1 cup
Poppy seeds -1 tbsp
Dry coconut- 3/4 cup, grated

To be roasted in oil;

red chillies-2 cups
Curry leaves-1/2 cup without stems
Asafoetida (Hing) small marble sized chunk or 1tbsp powder
Tamirand- Large lemon size ball

The tempering:

Split black gram - 1 tbsp
Musterd seeds 1 tbsp
Asafoetida powder -1 tbsp

Procedure:

1: On a low flame, dry roast the gram dals seperately, to deep brown

2: Dry roast the poppy seeds and dry coconut seperately till golden brown

3: heat 3 tbsp oil and roast the chillies until crisp and bright red, but not brown, Remove the chillies from the oil and set aside, Now roast the curry leaves untill crisp and dark green, Remove from oil and set aside.

4: Dry roast Asafoetida powder or roast in oil Asafoetida ball

5: Roast Tamarind, remove from oil and set aside.

6: Grind all these ingredients along with salt into a coarse powder.

7: Heat the remaining ol for tempering, Add the gram; as it turns brown add musterd and switch the heat off when musterd pops. Add Asafoetida and pour this tempering into prepared powder and mix well with a spoon.

8: Finally , pour in warm ghee and mix well. Cool and store in an air tight jar.

Note: This mouth watering/eye watering Podi mixed with steaming rice makes a great sunday meal, You can serve this podi with idlis and dosas too.

Powders or Podi's

Chandu mavshi gave me this fantastic book written by the family members of Subhadra Parigi, who was eldest daughter of ex. president of India Mr.V.V Giri. I returned to Pune with the book and was reading it and same time there was news item in papers that she passed away at the age of 87. I felt as if I lost some one I had known well, and was sad for a while. May her soul rest in peace.

I am going to post few very very Andhra receipes on this blog for next few days, ofcourse I borrowed them from the book "Cooking with Pedatta"