Karuveppilai Podi | Easy Karuvepilai Podi for Idly/Dosa/Steamed Rice | Karivepila podi | Curry leaves powder recipe

I am a fan of this podi recipe of my mom's. It is slightly different from the normal recipes which use more of dal but my mom uses coriander seeds. They give a nice flavour as well as a slightly different taste to the podi. She is a fan of the coriander flavour so she uses more of them in her cooking :) I feel that coz of the coriander this podi tastes more yum with rice and I eat them with rice more than with idly/dosa. Where as Deepak feels this is more yum with idly and dosa and has it only with them. So you get the general feeling right? This recipe is a winner. We make some or the other excuse and finish them off soon ;)  And it is a nice way to include curry leaves in your diet too :) So let's see how this is made.. 

Preparation Time : 25 minutes

Cooking Time : 25 minutes

Recipe source : Ma

Makes : A 200 gm bottle

I Used:

Curry Leaves	-	1 cup
Urad Dal	-	1/8 cup
Coriander Seeds	-	1/8 cup
Red Chilly	-	2 nos
Jeera/Cumin Seeds	-	1 tbsp
Hing/Asafoetida Salt	- -	1 tsp As Needed

The Way:

1. Remove the curry leaves from the stalks and rinse them in water 2-3 times. Sometimes they may contain dirt or sand particles. Hence rinse them thoroughly

2. Then drain them well and spread them in a plate or a flat surface and allow them to dry properly. If there is moisture content the podi will not have a longer shelf life

3. When it is dried properly, take them in a pan/kadai and saute them on low flame till they become crisp and dry. Then keep them aside

4. Then take the coriander seeds and red chilly in the pan and saute. The coriander seeds should slightly change colour and become deep in colour. This would take about 3-4 minutes in low flame. Then remove them and keep aside

5. Next take the urad dal and keep roasting them also in low flame till it changes colour to golden. This would also take around 3-4 minutes. Once done remove and keep aside

6. Now take the cumin seeds and hing and saute on low flame. Once the cumin seeds start to splutter, remove them from flame as well

7. Now take everything in a blender/mixie jar. Add sufficient salt and grind to a coarse powder

8. Preserve them in an air tight container and keep away from moisture. Use a clean and dry spoon to take the podi every time so that the shelf life is not affected

Serve with gingelly (sesame) oil for your idly or dosa or even steamed rice!

Notes:

• Store in a clean and dry air tight container for longer shelf life
• Always use a clean dry spoon to take the podi from the bottle

Cheers,
Chitz

Karuvepilai Era Thokku - Curry leaf Prawn curry

Prawns cooked in coconut-curry leaf paste

Yes !!! It does look like am going overboard on prawns rite?? Well, I got hold of some fresh prawns and I guess I got a little excited.. We do not get much of fresh prawns here, rather  it's always the processed and packed ones. And the zest was more coz I get to peel and devein the prawns all by myself. Yes, now some of you might be thinking, 'Is it actually that great an accomplishment??' 

Nah.. must not be.. But all through my childhood I have watched my mom and grand mom and aunties do that.. And when they did that the general instruction for all the kids around was 'STAY AWAY'..But I was very intrigued and would watch them and ponder on how quick and swift and meticulous they were in that process.. A twist and a pull and a rinse.. And there goes the soft flesh to the pot. I should say that I was a little scared too.. 'Won't the sword like spines on the top of their heads hurt your fingers, if you were this fast????' 

Those were the wonderings of a small kid.. Now that I have mastered thy art myself, I do not see or wonder on the risk, rather enjoy it ;) And now back to the recipe, last week I saw a different Chettinad recipe on prawns in Asianet plus channel. I knew I should make it  and share it here. And my instincts were not wrong... Instant hit.. Deeps and I loved it...

Serves: 2 persons

I Took:

Preparation Time : 20 minutes

Cooking Time : 40 minutes

I Used:

Prawns	-	200 gm
Curry leaf	-	½ cup
Coconut	-	10 sprigs
Shallots	-	6-8 nos (sliced)
Tomato	-	1 no (medium sized - chopped)
Ginger-Garlic paste	-	2 tsp
Tamarind pulp	-	2 tbsp
Mustard	-	½ tsp
Fenugreek	-	¼ tsp
Fenugreek-Mustard powder	-	2 tsp
Coconut Milk	-	3 tbsp
Gingelly Oil	-	1 tbsp
Turmeric powder	-	½ tsp
Salt	-	As Needed

The Way:

1. Clean and wash the prawns 
2. Grind together coconut and curry leaves in a mixie by adding a little water. Keep the paste aside
3. Heat oil in a kadai. Add mustard and  fenugreek
4. When it splutters, add shallots and saute
5. As the shallots start to change colour, add tomatoes and saute till they become mushy 
6. Now add the coconut-curry leaf paste and saute 
7. When it starts losing water, add ginger-garlic paste and saute till the raw smell fades off
8. Add the tamarind pulp, salt and mix. Add the cleaned prawns and required amount of water to cook the prawn
9. When the prawns are almost done, add the fenugreek-mustard powder and the coconut milk
10. Cook till the prawns are done. Garnish with coriander leaves

Notes:

Dry roast equal amounts of mustard and fenugreek. Grind them in a mixer for the fenugreek-mustard powder

Cheers,

Chitz