Kandla Nijhowne
As a newly married novice, it took me good many years to figure out that when it comes to making any staple food taste good, we are very much in control of its final destiny, its flavour and taste. It's in our hands how we brighten it up with additional spices and cooking-technique. Southern foods rely greatly on their favourite karuveppilai podi. Make a jar of this magical blend and relish its powder power in countless vegetables, daals, rice and other dishes.
Karuveppilai podi
(Southern spice powder)
- 1 cup curry patta, washed and dried
- ¼ cup chana daal
- 2½ tbsp urad daal
- 1½ tbsp sabut dhaniya
- a lemon sized lump of de-seeded tamarind (pulled into small segments)
- 2½ tbsp oil
- 4-5 dried red chilies
- pinch of heeng
- 2½ level tbsp grated coconut (you can use desiccated)
- ½- ¾ tsp salt
Method
- Use a heavy, wide pan and dry-roast the curry patta till crunchy.
- Cool, tip into a blender and grind to a coarse powder. Let it sit waiting in the blender jug itself.
- Heat oil in the same pan and crackle the chana and urad daal and dhaniya seeds.
- When the daal grains look visibly browned, drop in the red chilis, coconut and tamarind.
- Roast further till the coconut changes colour and becomes fragrant.
- Switch off the heat, add heeng and salt and then tip into the blender jug with the previous powder.
- Grind to a rough texture-stage, then transfer into an airtight jar.
Note: Add a little to any daal once cooked for a magical lift. Steamed rice with a sprinkling of the power powder and a trickle of ghee also tastes divine.
(Nijhowne is a Chandigarh-based culinary expert)