Sambar Powder

For 1 kg of Sambar powder
Ingrediants : Red chillies 350 gms Coriander seeds 350 gms Turmeric powder 25 gms Bengal gram 100 gms Turdal 100 gms Asafoetida 5 gms

Remove the stem of the red chillies. Dry all the ingredients in the sun for better grinding. Grind them all together and store. If it is a small quantity, it can be ground at home in a mixer, and large quantities can be ground in a mill. Grinding at home may produce a slightly coarse powder, but it does not affect the flavour or texture of the dish it is added to. When sambar powder is added to any dish, it has to be cooked for at least 10 minutes.

Rasam Powder

For 1 kg of Rasam powder :
Ingrediants : Red chillies 350 gms Coriander seeds 350 gms Cumin seeds 100 gms Turmeric powder 25 gms Turdal 100 gms Asafoetida 5 gms

Remove the stem of the red chillies. Dry all the ingredients in the sun for better grinding. Grind them all together and store. If it is a small quantity, it can be ground at home in a mixer, and large quantities can be ground in a mill. Grinding at home may produce a slightly coarse powder, but it does not affect the flavour or texture of the dish it is added to. When rasam powder is added to any dish, it has to be cooked for at least 10 minutes.

Paruppu Podi

Recommended Season :In moderation during winter, avoidable during summer and warm weather.
Ingrediants : Turdal 1 cup Cumin seeds ¼ teaspoon Red chilly 1 Salt ¼ teaspoon

Dry roast the dal, cumin seeds and the red chilly (one after the other) separately, in a thick pan till dal turns dark pink, cumin seeds are lightly fried and red chilly becomes crisp (it need not change colour). Let them cool and then grind them together till you get a fine powder. Add salt to this powder, mix well and store it in a dry container. Serve it along with hot melted ghee, which is to be mixed in equal measure as the powder. This is ideal to be mixed with rice.

Molaga Podi (Dals - Chilly powder)

Recommended Season : In moderation during winter, avoidable during summer and warm weather.
Ingrediants : Black gram ½ cup Bengal gram ½ cup Turdal ¼ cup Tamarind 1 inch piece Red chillies ½ cup Asafoetida a pinch Salt 1 to 1 ½ teaspoon

Dry roast the three dals (one after the other) separately, in a thick pan till they are light pink in colour. (This is because each dal has a different duration of roasting.) Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a pan, add asafoetida and red chillies and fry on a slow flame till the chillies are roasted and crisp. Wipe dry the tamarind with a clean cloth. Dry grind the roasted dals, fried red chillies and tamarind together into a fine powder. Add salt to this powder, mix well and store it in a dry container. Serve it along with hot melted ghee, which is to be mixed in equal measure as the powder. This is ideal as an accompaniment to dosas.

Curry Powder (Menthi Karam)

Ingrediants : Fenugreek Seeds 1 tablespoon (heaped) Bengal Gram 1 cup (100 gms) Black Gram 1 cup (100 gms) Red chillies 5 to 6 (or according to taste) Cumin seeds 1 teaspoon (heaped) Coriander seeds ½ teaspoon (optional) Oil 1 tablespoon

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a pan. Keep the flame on medium to less heat throughout the process. Add fenugreek seeds and fry till they start turning pink in colour. Add the Bengal gram and black gram and stir till they turn light pink in colour. After stirring for 2 minutes, before the gram turns pink, add red chillies and stir. After the gram turns pink, add cumin seeds and coriander seeds, stir for half a minute, turn off the flame and keep stirring for another minute. That heat is also enough for cumin seeds and coriander seeds as they get roasted very quickly. Then transfer the contents to a plate and let them cool a little. Grind them to a powder in a mixer while still a little warm. After the powder cools, store it in an airtight container.

This powder may be added to vegetables like ridge-gourd, Indian ivy gourd and snake-gourd. Cook the vegetable as usual in a pan, adding salt, and when it has turned soft, add the powder, mix well, cook covered for another 5 minutes, stir again and turn off the flame. Such curries go well with rice and not with rotis.