Masala Karam/ Spicy Masala stuffing (powder)

This is a powder I learned from my Mother-in law and loved it instantly. I use it in quite a few of my recipes like: stuffed eggplant, stuffed Ivy gourd (Dondakaya), stuffed Karela (Bitter gourd) or even just to sprinkle it on top of curries like potatoes, okra and others. I find this to be very easy and simple because it doesn't require any form of roasting and you can make it anytime and store it for later use. Also, keep in mind that this powder is meant to be pretty spicy!

Ingredients:

Coriander seeds - 2 cups
Dry coconut powder - 3/4 cup
Garlic cloves - 8
Red chilli powder - 3-4 tsps (based on how spicy your powder is)
Salt - to taste

Procedure:

1. All you have to do is put all the above ingredients in a blender and grind them into a powder. The powder will be somewhat coarse so, don't wait for it to become very fine.
2. No need to roast any of the ingredients :)
3. Just store the powder and you can use it for any of the recipes mentioned above.

Variation: if you are planning to use this powder instantly for one time use, reduce the quantity accordingly and add onions to the mixture before blending it. But in this case, it will be a paste and you should make sure it cooks well along with the vegetables. It's equally delicious and brings great flavor and aroma.

చారు పొడి/CHAARU PODI/RASAM POWDER

INGREDIENTS:

Split pigeon Peas/ Toor dal 1tbs
Coriander seeds/dhaniya 1 cup
Pepper corn/ black pepper 1/4 cup
Cumin seeds/jeera 1tbs
Asafoetida 1tbs

METHOD:

1. Dry roast dals separately.(lightly)
2. Dry roast coriander seeds, pepper and cumin seeds.(lightly)
3.Finally add heeng and turn off the heat.
4. Keep aside and let them cool.
5. Grind all ingredients together and make powder.

You can use this powder in charu/rasam.

Kobbari Podi / Coconut powder

INGREDIENTS:

1.Dry Coconut.................(2 halves) cut into pieces or 1 cup grated.

2.Red Chilly........................25 or 30

3.Coriander Seeds..............3 tbl sp.

4.Split Bengal Gram...........3 tbl sp.

5.Cumin ................................1 tbl sp.

6.Asafoetida..........................1 t sp.

7.Salt.

METHOD:

1.Cut or grate coconut in small pieces or powder. If available can buy the ready dry coconut powder.

2.Roast this, with out getting burnt.

3.Roast red chilly also. and do the same with coriander, split Bengal gram, cumin.

4.All together get it cool and along with salt and Asafoetida, grained it.

5.Take out from the grinder mix well and store it in Jar. Since coconut is used it may not stay for long. That should be taken care off.

6.It is delicious eating with rice adding ghee. Another use is to add to the veg. It will give taste as well, some texture to the curry. 

నువ్వుల పొడి: Nuvvula podi- Sesame seeds powder

INGREDIENTS:

Sesame seeds.....................1/2 cup

Peanuts /ground nuts...............1/4 cup

Dry Red Chillies............................6 to 8.

Salt........................................as per taste.

Cumin Seeds........................1 tsp.

METHOD:

1.Roast ground nuts, sesame seeds separately.

2.Also roast Chilly and cumin.

3.All these together make powder with salt.

4.Store it.

5.This is tasty eating with rice and ghee. When no mood to cook just make rice, have with it.

6.Since sesame has calcium, it is good to adopt in our food. olden days sesame oil was used for cooking. With new medical studies we left many things, what all our ancestors were using.

పులుసు పొడి: Pulusu Podi- Powder for Andhra Soup-stew

Preparation time: Half an hour. 

Ingredients:

8 to 10 Dry Red Chillies

3 Tbsp Split Bengal Gram

1 Tsp Split Pigeon Peas

1 Tsp Rice

2 Tsp Fenugreek Seeds

2 Tbsp Coriander Seeds

Few Black Pepper corns

2 Tbsp Dry Coconut Powder
1 Tsp Cumin Seeds

1 small stick Cinnamon

Few Curry Leaves

Method: 

1. Dry roast all the above ingredients, one after the other.

2. Powder it in the mixer.

3. Add little salt and store it.

4. This powder can be used to prepare pulusu or pappu pulusu.  

పుట్నాల పప్పు పొడి / Putnala pappu Podi/ Roasted Chickpeas powder

Ingredients:

Dalia/Roasted chickpeas /Putnaala pappu/ veyinchina senaga Pappu - 1/2 cup
Red Chillies/ Endu Mirapakayalu - 4 (adjust as per taste)
Cumin Seeds/ Jeela karra -1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Pinch of Heeng

Method :

1. Dry Roast Red chillies for a minute.
2. Grind Dalia, Red chillies, cumin seeds, heeng and salt without adding water into a nice powder.
3. Store the powder in a airtight container.

Mix with hot rice with a dollop of ghee and enjoy.
Sprinkle some dalia powder while making curries to make them taste more delicious and aromatic.

చట్ని పొడి / Chutney podi/ Chutney powder

Ingredients
chanadal/senagapappu 2cups (rice cooker measure cup)
uraddal/minapappu 11/2 tbsp
Tamarind 1 small marble size or 1/2tbsp Amchur

Thiragamatha
Daniyalu/coriander seeds 2tbsp
Avalu/ mustard seeds 1tsp
Red chillys 15
dry coconut powder 11/2 cups
Heeng 1tsp
sugar or jaggery 1tsp
salt for taste

Preparation
Dry roast chanadal and uraddal separately. Let it cool.
Heat one tbsp oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, then chillys and then coriander seeds
Roast them until brown and add heeng and turn off heat.
Now add coconut powder and stir it.
Grind dals first and keep aside.
Grind the rest of the ingredients along with salt and tamarind
Add ground dals to this mixture and mix well.


This powder goes with all alpaharams/snacks and rice also.

Curry Powder /కూర పొడి

Ingredients

1 cup chanadal/senagapappu

3/4 cup uraddal/minapappu
1 tbsp dhaniya/dhaniyalu
1/2 cup dry coconut (grated)
15 red chillies

Preparation/thayarucheyatam

Dry roast all the above ingredients except coconut in a pan.
Add coconut just before turning off the heat and stir well and let them cool.
Grind all the ingredients and make coarse powder.

Instead of chilly powder you can use this powder/podi in many curries/kuralu/sabji.
Store this in a container and add it to your curries for nice flavor and taste.

కంది పొడి: Kandi podi- Pigeon peas powder

Preparation time : 20 mins

Ingredients

1 cup Toordaal/kandhipappu
1/2 cup chanadal/ pachishenagapappu
1/4 cup uraddal/ menapappu
1/4 cup moongdal/pesarapappu
salt to taste
chilly powder
hing/inguva
cumin seeds/jeelakarra

Preparation
Dry roast all the above dal ingredients.
Grind them adding hing and cumin seeds and make coarse powder.
Add salt, chilly powder and mix well.

This podi tastes great with rice, combination of mango pickle(avakaya) or Raw tamarind chutney (chinthakaaya pachhadi) and ghee.

టమాట పెసర పప్పు పులుసు: Tamata Pesara Pappu Pulusu- Tomato & Yellow moong bean soup stew

One of my all time favorites back in India.


Preparation time : 10 mins, Cooking time : 20 minutes.

Ingredients -
(1 cup holds - 240 ml)

Pesarapappu/Moong Dal - 1/2 cup.
Water - 1 1/2 cup
Tomatoes - 4.
Tamarind - lemon size.
Salt - to taste.
Chillies - 1/2
Pulusu Podi - 11/2 tsp.

Tiragamata
Senagapappu - 1 tsp
Aavalu - 1 tsp
Mentulu - 1 tsp.
Inguva - a little more than a pinch
Karvepaku - one strand.(Optional)


Method.

1.Pressure cook the moong dal with tomatoes for 3 - 4 whistles.
2.Soak tamarind in water, for 15 minutes, and make the extract
2.a or , with some water microwave tamarind for 30 - 45 seconds / until soft and take the extract.
3. Once the pressure is low, to the moong dal , add tamarind extract, salt, chillies and pulusu podi and allow it to boil for 5 - 10 minutes.
4. In the tiragamata baanali , add a little oil, when hot, add senagapappu, mentulu, aavalu and inguva, once aavalu splits, add the tiragamata into pulusu.

Pulusu Podi

Makes pulusu for 3 - 4 times.
Ingredients

Endu Merapakayalu - 4 - 6
Dhaniyalu - 1/2 cup.
Jeelakarra - 1 tsp.
Senagapappu - 3 tsp
Minapappu - 3 tsp.
Mentulu - 1 tsp.
Endu Kobbari - 1 - 2 tsp.(Optional).

Dry roast all the above ingredients and make a powder once it cools.


Variation : Vankaya, Bendakaya, Ullipaya, Are pretty tasty in this pulusu.

Other Cuisines : Idey, with kokum & Jaggery will become gujarati dal of course without pulusu podi, and With all vegetables(Carrots, celery, capsicum, etc.) and vegetable broth instead of water will make it a hearty lentil soup :).

Trivia : My grandmother , always made pulusu podi fresh. This pulusu does not need biyyapindi as moong dal thickens pretty quick. The main ingredient of pulusu podi is dhaniyalu, love it when it's fresh. The podi is a slight mix of sambar and chaaru podi.