Monday, July 9, 2007

Mint and Curry Leaves Powder



Hey all, ya I am back after a short break. I have got you guys some lovely home made Mint (Pudina) and Curry leaves powder. In the south Indian Kitchen some powders are very mandatory in the pantry like the rasam powder, sambar powder, rice powder, curry leaves powder and many more. My grandmother, mother and Mother-in-law, never purchased store made powders. The recipes for these powders is carefully passed through generations and if any one even whispered about buying them in stores it would be of great disgrace and shame to the family. Now things are slowly changing though.
For the first time I made Pudina (mint) powder which goes great with rice, dosa and idly.


Ingredients

2cups Mint leaves
1-1/3 cups of roasted chana dal (bengal gram dal roasted)
4-5 dried red chillies
2tbsp cumin seeds
dried coconut flakes (optional)
Salt

Preparation

Remove the mint leaves from the stem and wash them. Dry them with the help of a paper towel and keep aside. Slightly roast the roasted gram dal , cumin and red chillies separately in a deep bottomed pan on a medium low heat. Be careful not to burn them. Turn off the stove and to the same pan add the mint leaves and gently roast until there is heat in the pan. This is just to get rid of extra moisture. Don't roast the mint in a very hot pan as they change color and lose the fresh mint fragrance.
Now grind them all together by adding salt, in to a coarse powder and its ready. This powder tastes great when the mint marries hot rice.

Curry leaves powder

Karivepaku podi in Telugu, and karuvepilai podi in Tamil. After coming to US, when ever the curry leaf was separated and discarded from the plate I used to feel it as a great waste. I always dried them, powdered and used it as and when needed.
This is another Aromatic powder relished with rice.

Ingredients

2 cups of fresh curry leaves
1/3 cup bengal gram dal
2tbsp split black gram dal
2tbsp coriander seeds
1tbsp cumin seed
5-6 dried red chillies
Tamarind one lemon size
Salt
Dried coconut flakes (optional)


Preparation

Wash the curry leaves and dry them with a paper towel. In a deep heavy bottomed pan, dry roast all the ingredients separately. The bengal gram should be roasted until it turns red on a medium low heat and continuous tossing. Same with split black gram dal. Coriander and cumin should be roasted until the aroma is out into the kitchen. Dry chillies just for about 2 minutes.
Clean the tamarind. Now dry roast the curry leaves too until they turn crispy. Remember not to burn them.
The curry leaves looks like how it is in the picture after it is roasted.


Combine and grind them all together with salt. Aromatic curry leaf powder is ready to go with rice, dosa or idly. Both the powders are dry roasted and no oil is used. Oil is used only while having them with rice. This way it has a longer Shelf life.

My MEME will be in the next post.

40 comments:

USHA said...

Hi Sharmi,
You are right...few powder are very mandatory in our southside..
Luckily i was able to get from mom &aunties idly, rasam,rice podi...
Once i came here..i started preparing it taking instructions from parents..

Though more work..once you prepare you get big bottle..can use for longtime,its worth...

FH said...

Welcome back Sharmi.I surely missed you and your comments! You came back with great recipes.I do have loads of mint but Curry leaves are like gold to me!:D
Thanks for these Sharmi.

Prema Sundar said...

yes Sharmi.. store bought ones can never beat the taste fresh homemade sambar, rasam and idli powders. I have made curry leaves powder but mint is new to me.. thanks for sharing.

Dhana said...

Sharmi, the podis look awesome! Especially the mint leaves powder sounds very tempting.

DEEPA said...

welcome back sharmi ...fresh powder cannot be replaced by anything ...

Laavanya said...

Sharmi, thanks for 2 delicious powders. I love curry leaf powder in particular. Haven't tried one with mint-leaf though.

Richa said...

hey, that mint leaf podi looks yum, will try it soon. usually i just make a powder of dry mint for my raita, this will be great in the thali :) curry leaf pwd has such a wonderful aroma :)

Saju said...

That looks so yum Sharmi!

Sig said...

Welcome back Sharmi.... Yummy pics... I've never made curry leaves powder, but use the leaves in all my dishes... Great recipe, but don't you dare make the coconut flakes optional :D

Suganya said...

I love all podis. It gives our stomach that well needed rest..

Linda said...

Hi Sharmi, I love to see the traditional recipes -- thanks so much for sharing these. I bet the aroma is unforgettable :)

Coffee said...

Thats so true..... some of these recipes are passed on from generations and thats the true treasure!!! :)

Nice recipe..... and Its a good way to store these leaves as well. :)

archana said...

Nice to see you back Sharmi :)Good recipe for the powders.The mint leaves one looks interesting. Do the leaves dry in the pan completely?

Roopa said...

I love the curry leaves pudi. mint i never used before need to try this. thanks for sharing.

Suganya said...

I love curry leaves powder.... This is a nice recipe.....I will surely try this out....Love it...

Jyothi said...

Hi Sharmi, I love these types of spicy powders. These types of powders are mondatory in our south Indian side. Thanks for sharing your version.

BTW thanks a lot for your valuable words at my blog. They works as boost for me to post more good recipes. Once again thanks dear.

bee said...

we have lots of mint growing wild. this is a good way to use it. thanks for ther ecipe, sharmi. miss your music.

Viji said...

Both are my favorite Sharmi. I normally take one tsp of curry leaves podi with rice and ghee before starting the main course. Very nice version. Viji

sra said...

Hi Sharmi, don't think I saw pudina powder in homes, funnily enough. Only nowadays, I see it in the stores.

Raaga said...

I love karuveppilai podi with tayir saadam :-) Thanks for the mint recipe. Must try.

Cynthia said...

It's great to make these things yourself because you know exactly what is in it and can always have a ready supply.

Bharathy said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Bharathy said...

Wonderful round up for the AFAM,Sharmi...!!!

You are right Sharmi...powders are a must kept in our shelves without which we cannot pull more than even a couple of days..

Hope your son permits you to go ahead with the RCI-PUNJABI THALI (???) as well...after the meme...:D

Sia said...

aha:) good to see u back.
he he...i so much agree with u when it comes to making these powders a@home. thank god, i dont have to worry too much coz my quota comes from mom n MIL n aunties:)

J said...

Hi Sharmi! I like curry leaves a lot! Must try making this powder!

Sharmi said...

hey Sig, OK coconut mandatory!! ya coconuts make the podi more tasty. I agree with you.

Archana, first you have to pat dry them gently in the paper towel. it should be 99% dried by the paper towel. may be you can put one towel at top and another at the bottom and leave it overnight. the pan drying is just to get rid of the slight moisture. hope its clear.

hey Bee, Music works only in IE, it does not work in Firefox. I am working on it.

Sra, ya pudina podi is my own invention. since my hubby does not like it and I like it, I found a way to eat it:)

Ya bharathy, I am trying to meet all ends. Tough though

Lucky you Sia!!

thanks dear all for your lovely comments!

Mishmash ! said...

Hey...nice to have you back..:) so you were on a vacation..? Btw, not all the south indian kitchens work on these variety of powders...in kerala kitchens mostly it;s the basic powders only....rasam powder et al is a new generation entry in our regions...I wonder how you manage to make so much of stuff with a kid ! :)

Shn

Shivapriya said...

Your are right sharmi, my mom and mil makes their own powders. I make curry powder but not mint. My MIL makes both but separately.

Sharmi said...

hey Shn, no I had guests at home so got real busy. so wanted a real break from hectic schedule.

Shivapriya, they are two separate powders.

Padma said...

Curry leaves powder is always my favorite one, be it with rice, dosas or idli's. But I have to try your mint powder! Great recipe

Dee said...

they are the best comfort foods for me! some hot rice and the powders with a dollop of ghee.... Wow!! I can trade any other food for these!

WokandSpoon said...

Hi Sharmi. Thanks for sharing the powder recipes! I usually buy powder if I need it...but now I'll be able to make it!

Rachna said...

hey this is new to me, lemme try the curry leaves powder, I have a curry leaves tree in my yard so i'll make in bulk... thank u for this traditional home recipe...

Anonymous said...

Love curry leaves powder.

Kajal said...

Creative idea. First time see this type of powder. Thanks for sharing.:)

marriedtoadesi.com said...

Awesome recipes! I love karivepilai podi sadham. It is so good with ghee! Real comfort food.

Glad you are making this at home!! I will try it one of these days.

Kanchana

Shubha Ravikoti said...

hey wts that express cooking event? iam not aware of it.. where should i send the recipe...please guide...

Shubha Ravikoti said...

thanx sharmi i will send it..:)

Shubha Ravikoti said...

hey thanx sharmi i sent my entry..:) thanx to u.. its the first entry i ever sent...thanx dear.

Shikha said...

hey pls let me know where I can buy Pudina Powder in Hyderabad and in which brand is it available?