Friday, June 10, 2011

Karuvepellai Podi - Curry Leaf GunPowder

 

My upstairs neighbor A very generously shared a huge bunch of curry leaves from her MIL's garden- and that inspired me to rouse myself to blog again. I'm still recovering from surgery so am not eating too much let alone cooking.....but the curry leaves were so fresh and aromatic they couldn't be just left to wither!!My  post though is short to match my energy levels.

So, after many, many years I made this spice powder which we mix with steamed rice and ghee for a wonderfully satisfying meal. I remember my mom making small balls of this mixture and putting it into our hands straight from the dish in which she mixed it. There would be a a small piece of vegetable in the middle of the morsel. It was a treat to have such a meal because we were grown up (I was 10 and my brother 17) and being fed was such an indulgence. "Kai le saapadu" was something restricted to Saturday afternoons and by the end of the meal we practically ate double of what we normally used to.

In this weather we have been having a lot of rice so it's going to be a welcome addition to the pantry. This is the recipe my mom uses and I have just tweaked it a bit to make it more spicy - that way hubby can have it with idli and dosai as well. Store in airtight containers and use it up fast because the aroma of curry leaves goes away quite fast.

Karuvepellai Podi - Curry Leaf GunPowder
21/2 cups of fresh, tender curry leaves
1/4 cup chana dal (bengal gram dal)
1 tbsp urad dal (split, husked, black gram dal)
2 tbsp coriander seeds
10 dried red chillies
1 tsp oil
salt to taste

1. Wash the curry leaves in water and let dry on a clean cloth in the sun, taking care not to let them wither or dry out too much - they should just lose their moisture.
2. Take a deep pan or kadai and lightly toast the leaves once again just till they become dry but take care not to let the green colour go away.
3. Remove the leaves and keep aside. Then in the same pan, heat the oil and lightly toast the two dals till they are golden brown but making sure they don't burn.
4. In the same pan, add the coriander seeds and roast till they change colour and give off a nice aroma. Remove.
5. Add the red chillies and toast till they just change colour.
6. Allow all ingredients to cool. Grind the dals, salt and the spices and grind coarsely. Then add the curry leaves and grind again till a coarse powder forms. Check seasoning - you should be able to taste a little bit of salt so that it pairs well with the rice.
7. Serve with steamed rice and ghee or even with idlis and dosai and sesame oil.

More spice powder recipes:
Sambar powder
Rasam powder
Parippu podi (Spiced lentil powder)





14 comments:

indosungod said...

Hello Miri,
Glad to hear you are doing better now. Was wondering why you were not around. This karuvepillai podi is indeed a delight.

Sensible Vegetarian said...

Lovely and healthy podi, perfect with hot rice.

Lael said...

The fragrance is coming through the computer! Good to 'read' you again.

Suparna said...

love it with steaming hot rice n ghee...neat click :P glad that u are felling better, take care.

Priya Suresh said...

I'll happily have this healthy podi with rice..

Nupur said...

Mmm- I can almost smell that wonderful savory aroma through the screen! Best wishes for a quick and complete recovery and it sure is nice to see you blogging again.

Archana said...

Yaaay, you're back to blogging :) I need to restart mine now !! Didnt have the camera cord, so no pics, no blogging for the last two months !!

Krishna said...

welgum back :)
have told better half that the next round of podi being ground shud be this type..

Miri said...

Arch- hurry back- you have been missed! Hope you have pics of authentic Chettinad cuisine! ;-)

Miri said...

Arch- hurry back- you have been missed! Hope you have pics of authentic Chettinad cuisine! ;-)

Indian Food Rocks said...

I love this podi. I think I might have to make it to take along on our upcoming road trip.

BongMom said...

Happy Belated Birthday Miri. Hope you are feeling better now

Cooking Foodie said...

Its good to see u back to blogging...
i like gunpowder - thanks for the recipe

Miri said...

Thanks BongMom - I am, have my good days and bad!
Thanks CookingFoodie :)
Manisha you must - its awesome with everything possible!