Sambar Powder

                   Sambar Powder has been prepared at my mom in law's house for the past 40 years.During that period,at my mother's house, we used to grind the red Chilly and the other ingredients for Sambar in the rectangle stone called Ammi using the pestle called Kuzhavi.No Sambar Powder or any other Masala Powders were sold across the counters.

                    The Sambar Powder and our Sambar is relished by many of our friends and relatives.The entire credit goes to my mother in law. Even in my mother's family now, no more grinding either in the stone or mixer. They follow my mom in law's combination and grind in the flour mill.

                   My mom in her late Eighties, living independently does not buy Sambar Powder from the shop.She says that, once if she grinds, she can use it for the whole year.

                    We dry all the ingredients in the hot sun for 2 days and grind in the machine.Those who are living in apartments can dry roast all the ingredients slightly one by one, spread in a tray for some time and then grind in the machine.

Sambar Powder

Ingredients :

Red Chilly    1/4 Kg. - 8 cups
Coriander Seed   200 grams -  2 cups

Zeeragam  1/2 cup  100 grams
Toor Dhal  1/2 cup    100 grams.
Channa Dhal   1/2 cup    100 grams.
Urad Dhal     1/2   100 grams 
Fenugreek    1/4 cup    50 grams.
Virali Manjal - Turmeric Sticks   50 grams  -  10 pieces 
Pepper     3 tbsp.

Method :

1. Dry all the ingredients in the hot sun for 2 days. The red Chilly must be crisp and must break, if bent. Any variety, long or short can be used.

2. If it is the rainy season and people living in apartments can slightly dry roast the ingredients one by one till they become hot. No need to wait till an aroma comes. Cool in a newspaper or tray and grind in the machine.

The Manjal has to be crushed using a Mortar and pestle. Otherwise in some machines, they refuse to grind whole Turmeric.I do not add Virali Manjal.I add Turmeric Powder only while preparing Sambar.

Similarly some people add pieces of solid Hing while grinding the powder. I add Hing Powder only to Sambar.

My mother in law does not add Pepper for the Sambar Powder. Pepper is added only for the Pulikuzhambu Powder May be as we have separate powders for Sambar and Pulikuzhambu, she might not have added Pepper.

Now as everyone is running short of time, I feel it is better to add some Pepper and use the same powder for Sambar and Karakuzhambu.

 My mom living in Chennai, seeing her neighbours add Pepper, she also
adds little bit of Pepper to the Sambar Powder. 

But I am totally against adding Pattai and Sombu in the sambar powder as I feel that it totally changes the taste of Sambar.



Note :

I always prefer to grind in the machine because after grinding in the mixer and sieving also, the powder will never be fine as ground in the machine.

So even if we take the trouble of going to the machine once, we can store it for 6 months to one year. 

If stored in airtight glass bottles, it is safe even for a year and there is no chance of the aroma, missing in the Sambar. I never dump my fridge with all these things.

The same powder can be used for Pulikuzhambu and Karakuhambu also.




     

                          

                           

Cardamom Powder

                 Cardamoms fried fresh in the Ghee, powdered in a mortar or mixer and added to any sweet is really perfect.But sometimes the quantity, being less, crushing 2 or 3 Cardamoms are not that easy.At such times the powder is very handy.

                 Within, just 5 to 10 minutes, sugar, Ghee, Cardamom powder and some base in the shelf, a sweet can be prepared as we are always on our heels.


                 This powder can be also mixed with the tea powder, if we have the habit of adding Cardamom with the tea.For the past 20 years, I mix Cardamom Powder with the tea leaves or powder to be used within the month. Back from work, no trouble of crushing the Cardamom in the mortar which must be dry.

                 Just by mixing milk with water and adding sugar and the tea powder, simmering the flame, the tea is ready as soon as we return after a wash.

Cardamom Powder

Ingredients :

Cardamom     20
Sugar    2 tbsp.

Method :

The Cardamom, the small mixer jar and the lid must be dry. If not, dry in the sun. Powder finely and store in an airtight container to be used within 2 months for the aroma.

Using later than that is harmless but the aroma may be missing.

Some people grind for 30 seconds, then the Cardamoms are only partially crushed and the outer skin may be seen separate. They mix only that with the tea leaves. The rest is powdered finely and stored for the sweets.

Kara Groundnut Podi

      This Kara Groundnut Podi gives us a change from the Regular Paruppu Podi.

      This goes very well when mixed with plain rice and Ghee.

Kara Groundnut Podi

Ingredients :

Roasted and husk removed Groundnut   2 cups.
Roasted Vellai Ellu ( White Sesame ) 2 tbsp.
Red Chillies   6
Garlic ( optional )   6  pods.
Salt

Method :

Powder all the ingredients in a mixer to a fine powder. Take care that the powder has no moisture as Groundnut is oil based. So powder, switching off for a few seconds in between.

Paruppu Podi / Powder

                               This Paruppu Podi is the version of my mother in law.This is very ideal with lots of protein and advised to be used from kids to adults.

Paruppu Podi

Ingredients :

Toor Dhal   1/2 cup
Channa Dhal / Kadali Paruppu  1/2 cup
Pasi Paruppu / Moong Dhal 1/2 cup
Pottu Kadalai / Roasted Channa Dhal  1/2 cup
Red Chillies        4
Salt

Method :

1. Roast all the ingredients one by one in a Kadai till an aroma comes. Pottu
    Kadalai is to roasted only for a few seconds.

2. Powder together in a mixer with salt to the desired consistency. Garlic can also be added.

Note :

I always use less chillies as the powder can be used for all ages. More Chillies can also be added. Black Pepper can also be used instead of Chillies.Along with the chillies , little Pepper can be added for flavour.

Chutney Powder

        This Chutney Powder, made out of Pottu Kadalai ( Roasted Channa Dhal ) is very handy, when we are short of time.This can also be used as a thickening agent. It can be mixed with little water, made into a paste and added to any gravy which is watery.It tastes better than Rice Flour as a thickening agent.It is also easier and quicker than Kadalai Mavu or Arisi Mavu which used for thickening take a few minutes to get cooked.

Chutney Powder

Ingredients :

Pottu Kadalai    1 cup
Red Chillies    2 - 4
Garlic Pods ( optional )   4
Salt.

Method :

1. All the ingredients  must be crisp and dry. Keep them in the sunlight for
    2 hours.Or else slightly dry roast them in a Kadai. Let them cool.

2. Finely powder all the dry ingredients with the salt in a mixer.Store in an 
    airtight container.This can be kept in the shelf and used. If garlic is not 
    added, it can be used for many months. With Garlic, it is better to be used 
    within two months. The multi purpose Powder is ready for use.

Uzhunda Mavu / Urad Dhal Powder

                             With the Uzhunda  Mavu  and Rice Flour at home, different variety of Murukkus can be made at home in small quantities within 30 minutes.
Urad Dhal supplied through PDS can also be used, if available.

                          As the Urad Dhal is to be powdered, any type of white Urad dhal, whole or split can be used.

                         I always powder 1 Kg. of Urad dhal and it comes almost for 6 - 8 months. This can be stored even outside the fridge in an airtight container for a year.

Urad Dhal flour

Ingredient :

Urad dhal  1 Kg.

Method :

1. Heat a heavy bottomed Kadai, preferably Calcutta Chatti ( a kind of Aluminium ) and dry roast 1 kilo of Urad Dhal till an aroma starts coming out. Do not  over roast as done for Idli Powder.

2. Mild roasting for an aroma is enough. My mother in law says that over roasting the Urad Dhal may lead to the breaking of the Murukkus.

3. After it cools, grind in the flour mill, sieve and store in an airtight container.

 

Idli Podi / Powder II

                                           This is the version of my mom whose choice is white Urad Dhal and she doesn't use oil for roasting the Dhal. She is very particular about the Ketti Perungayam.( Hing in the form of solid or cubes.)

Idli Powder

Ingredients :

Red chilly   10 - 15
White Urad Dhal   1/2 cup
Channa Dhal / Kadalai Paruppu  3/4 cup
Oil, Salt, Curry leaves, Hing
Garlic ( optional )   8 pods

Method :

1. Heat the Kadai and dry roast the Urad dhal till it becomes golden brown,
    giving an aroma. The Urad Dhal can be whole or split. Set aside.

2. Heat the same Kadai and dry roast the Channa Dhal till it turns brown. In the
    end add the Hing. Cool.

3. Heat 2 tsp. of oil in the same Kadai and roast the red chilly with the Curry
   leaves well. Cool. Any Chilly, long or short can be used. My choice is the long
   variety as the short one is full of seeds. 

4. Powder the Dhals first. Set aside. Powder the Chilly, add the salt and Garlic in
   the end.

5. To the powdered chilly, add the powdered dhal. Grind all together for 2 - 3
   mins. to the desired texture. My mom likes only fine Idli Podi.

Idli Podi / Powder I

                     Idli Powder I is the version of my mother in law. She is very particular about the black urad dhal. This powder is very much relished by my children and spouse.

                  The name may be Idli powder but it goes very well with Idli, Dosai,
Uppuma etc, for the best taste it has to be mixed only with the Gingelly oil at the time of eating.

Idli Podi

Ingredients :

Red  chilly  10 - 15
Black Urad Dhal / Karuppu Uzhundam Paruppu  3/4 cup
Channa Dhal  / kadalai paruppu  1/2 cup
Salt, Oil, Hing, Curry leaves.
Garlic ( optional )   5 - 10 pods.

Method :

1. Add 2 tsp. of oil in a kadai and roast the Urad dhal till the colour changes,
   giving an aroma. Add Hing in the end. Set aside.For the best flavour, solid
   Hing is better than the powder. My mother in law uses more oil for frying
   but it has its own taste. The mixer also never gets stuck up as many believe
   because of using more oil.

2. Heat again 2 tsp. of oil and roast the Channa dhal in the same way. Set
    aside.

3. Heat 2 tsp. of oil and roast the red chilly and a handful of curry leaves. Let it 
    cool.

4. Powder the Dhal. Transfer to a tray. Then powder the red chilly and the curry
   leaves. Add the salt and the garlic. Powder. My mother in law always adds salt
   only in the end. 

5. To the powdered chilly, add the powdered dhal and grind everything together
    for 1 or 2 minutes to the desired texture. My mother in law makes the
    powder little coarse. The tasty Idli Powder is ready.



 

Roasted Rice Flour

                            Roasted Rice Flour is very handy for preparing Puttu, Idiappam, Kozhukattai etc.I always have atleast 4 cups of roasted rice flour at home. This roasted rice flour is now available at all stores. For people who have time and above that who can manage to shell out time and those are little economical, this flour can be prepared at home easliy.

                              By soaking 5 cups( 1 Kg. ) of rice, drying and grinding the semi dried rice in the grinding mill, we can get 10 cups of wet flour.The wet flour should be roasted immediately within an hour after bringing from the mill.

Roasted Rice Flour

Ingredients :

Wet Rice Flour   10 cups.
( Refer to my post Home Made Rice Flour )

Method :

1. Heat a thick bottomed Kadai and dry roast 3 or 4 cups. of flour at a time depending on
   the size of your Kadai.I use a heavy Aluminium Kadai called Calcutta Chatti.Though it
   is called by the name Calcutta, it is available even in small towns and small shops that
   sell stainless steel and Aluminium utensils.

2. Keep on stirring continuously till the soft texture of the flour becomes little coarse like
    fine sand or Kola Mavu.It takes nearly 5 mins. and we can easily identify that coarse
    texture. Tranfer to a big tray or paper. Repeat again with the wet flour.10 cups of rice
    flour can be roasted in 3 or 4 times.Small lumps may be there. Do not worry.

3. The roasted flour must be sieved using a fine seiving plate.This sieving can be done
    leisurely after roasting.Powder the residue lumps in a mixer using the big jar. Sieve
    again. Only a little residue may be left.That can be mixed with Kola Mavu, Adai Mavu,
    Rice Uppuma Mavu etc. according to your mind set.

4.By roasting 10 cups of flour, we can get 5 cups of roasted flour.The simple calculation
   is by soaking 5 cups of rice, we can get 5 cups of dried or roasted flour.

Note :

I always soak 10 cups ( 2 Kgs. ) of rice, dry and get the semi dried rice finely powdered in the machine.We can get 20 cups of wet flour from the mill.

 One half of the flour ( 10 cups ), I dry on a big tray or newspaper inside the room for 4 or 5 days.Then I sieve it.I can get 5 cups of dried rice flour after 4 or 5 days.This I call Home Made Rice Flour. This can be stored for 3-4 months.

The other half ( 10 cups ), I roast as soon as possible after bringing from the machine.We can get 5 cups of roasted rice flour.
 

Home Made Rice Flour

            Rice Flour is an indispensable ingredient for almost all the snacks.Even for some snacks, made of Besan Flour, we add Rice Flour for crispness. It is also added for making Bajji, Bonda batter.This is the main ingredient for Susium.

           This flour can be made easily at home, provided there is a Grinding Mill, nearby, with a Grinding Machine exclusively for grinding wet rice.

           We need not go in for costly raw rice that we use for cooking.It is good to go for Mavu Pacharisi as the cost is less and the quantity of flour would be more.Even the rice supplied through PDS is good for making flour.

          Many people have a stigma, attached with the PDS rice, lookig down on it, calling it " Ration Rice " as it is given free. Even, our long time maid at our home town, who is very astute otherwise, used to scorn this. May be it is false pride or something psychological.

         Actually is is not free to be picked from somewhere. The Government is paying subsidy and supplying it to the people, free of cost with the intention of helping the needy.

Home Made Rice Flour

Ingredients :

Raw rice / Mavu Pacharisi   1 Kg. ( 5 cups) /  2 Kg.(   10 cups )

Method :

1. Wash and soak the rice for 2 hrs.

2. Drain the water completely and dry by spreading loose on a piece of cloth
    in shade, that is inside the room on a floor.If it is dried near the doorway or
    windows, the rice dries fast.

3. After 45 -  60 mins. if you hold the rice in the palms, it should neither be wet
    nor dry.

4. Take it to the machine and grind it fine in the machine for grinding wet rice.

5. Back home, spread on a newspaper for 3 to 4 days.

6. Seive the flour using a fine seive. Store in a container. This can be used for 3
    to 4 months.

Note :

The difficult part is space to dry the flour for 3 to 4 days in small apartments.
The fan also cannot be used in that room as the flour may get scattered.
I always soak 2 Kg. as we can save the labour.

Taste Maker Powder

                      Taste Maker powder is a name founded by me as this homemade powder enhances the taste of many Rice Varieties, Sambar, Pitlais etc.

                     The method of preparing this powder is a great contribution to me from my mother in law.She used to add this powder to Puliodharai in the end.In those days chillies were ground daily in the Ammi for Sambar and Kuzhambus.No Sambar Powder was sold in the shops.Not even plain Chilly powder.Everything has to be prepared at home. My mother prepared a somewhat similar powder by roasting the ingredients and powdering them in the Ural.She added it to Sambar in the end.

                    The present generation cannot imagine even a petty shop without the Masala Powders.After a few decades, Ammi, Attukal, Ural and Thiruvai can be found only in small regional museums like the one in Waynad.

                    This powder gives a very good taste when added finally to Puliodharai, Cabbage Rice, Mangai Sadham, Thengai Sadham etc.

                    This powder enriches the taste of Sambar very much.A very rich Bisbela can be cooked within 30 mins. with this powder.Pitlais can be made fast with this powder.

                    

Ingredients :

Coriander seeds  2 cups
Red chillies   8
Channa dhal / Kadalai Paruppu   2 tbsp.
Fenugreek  2 tsp.
Hing   1/2 tsp.

Method :

1 Heat a thick bottomed Tawa and dry roast all ingredients except Hing and Fenugreek.


2.Add them a little later and stir continuously till the Coriander starts turning red giving
   an aroma. Let them cool.

3. Powder them finely in a mixer and store in an airtight container