Fresh Garlic podi for idli and dosai (Poondu podi )

Making of Garlic powder for idli and dosai (Poondu podi ) - Preparation time 15 mins
This podi will be on great demand when mom prepare vendhaya dosai. The dosa will smell awesome and tasty sooo good because of that we will keep on eating. The dosa will be thick and very soft.
When mom prepare vendaya dosa she will make sure to prepare poondu podi also.

 She used to make in the hand grinding stone in which she used to make idli flour. You know sometimes in last minute only she will prepare this poondu podi so after preparing & removing the podi she will keep the stone closed with a plate. When she prepares the dosai we will put the hot dosai with sesame oil in the middle part of the stone to remove the podi and also to coat the hot dosa with the spicy poondu podi and will enjoy eating.

At any cost we won't get that good old golden days back in life :-). Those tasty mom made food will be ever lasting. Okay now we will see how to make this very simple poondu podi. This is another healthy way to consume the fresh garlic

Ingredients:-
Garlic pods - 20
Red chili - 8 to 10 (Roast to dark brown with little sesame oil in low flame)
Salt - to taste

Preparation method:-
In a kadai roast the red chili and cool it. Using mixer grind this to fine powder and transfer to a air tight container.
In the mixer add the peeled and crushed garlic pods, the ground red chili powder according to spice level. 
The garlic will also be spicy so add the chili powder in little quantity along with required amount of salt. (You can always add chili powder even afterwards if you want more spice and mix).
Using whipper button grind the mixture(garlic, salt, red chili powder).
Garlic naturally contains oil so it will be sticky only. You have to open the mixer jar and mix the ingredients with a dry spoon to get the garlic mashed well.
This will be an aromatic and somewhat paste like podi. Goes very well with idly and dosai. Particularly with vendhaya dosai :-).

Making of Sesame seed rice powder (Ellu podi)

Making of Sesame rice powder (Ellu podi) - Preparation time 10 to 15 minutes
You can make this podi, refrigerate and use for few days. Make this health podi and serve to kids and family along with rice.

Ingredients:-
Sesame seed - 50 g (I used black sesame seed)
Red chili - 7
Salt - to taste

Preparation method:-
In a dry kadai add sesame seed and roast in medium flame. When sesame (ellu) starts spluttering transfer to a plate and leave it to cool.
Roast the chilli and add to roasted sesame seed along with required amount of salt.
When the roasted ingredients are cool grind to coarse powder and transfer to an air tight container.

Making of channa masala powder

Home made channa masala powder - Preparation time 10 to 15 mins
I love to share the recipes i made so that people who want to learn can search and find out what they need.  When we visit some place and if they make some dishes new or different i will ask them how they made this recipe. But some won't share the recipe clearly and say just you put these things and do that way. I will simply move on thinking that why not we try creating it and share. Nothing harm will come in sharing the food or recipe it is a credit for you if you share and others make them tasty. :-)

I like channa masala and battura, but we can eat them occasionally. My mom used to prepare channa masala by buying the channa masala powder from specific brand. I thought of making it in home, so I can make only amount needed. If i go to store i have to buy the minimum amount they sell. I did my searching and found out want ingredients should go in for this spice powder.

I adjusted the spice to my preference and added(also excluded) the spice which i don't want. This came out well. I prepared masala in small quantity used required amount and refrigerated the remaining spice powder.

Ingredients:-
Coriander seed - 1 cup
Cumin seed - 3/4 cup
Cloves - 10
Cinnamon - 2 inch strips 2
Ajwain - a pinch
Cardamom - 4 (optional. I don't like cardamom flavor in spicy dishes so i won't use)
Bay leaf - 1

Preparation method:-
Dry roast all the above ingredients separately till aroma comes from each spices.
Cool all the roasted spices and grind to fine powder.
Store it in an air tight container and refrigerate.
You can use this for few months (if the spices you used to prepare are good grade). Home made channa masala powder is ready.

Making of Kosthupodi

Making of Kosthupodi
For making of kosthu this podi is very important. This podi give kosthu the unique flavour, taste and texture. If small family you can make this podi and keep for a month. But for any occasion you freshly prepare and add this podi because the kosthu will taste very good.

Ingredients:-
Coriander seed (kothamalli vethai) - 4 tbsp
Red chili (Kaintha Milagai) - 4 or less
Pepper (Milagu) - 1/2 tsp
Bengal gram (kadalai parippu) - 1.5 tsp

Preparation method:-
In a low flame roast coriander, chili, pepper, bengal gram till color changes to brown and nice aroma comes.
Cool the roasted ingredients and ground to coarse powder.
Store in airtight container and use.

Kothamali puli (Coriander leaves with tamarind)

Kothamali puli (Coriander leaves with tamarind) - Preparation time 10 mins
Mom used to make when she buys fresh coriander leaves. This will be very spicy and sour. Goes well with curd rice. Can be refrigerated and used for week.

Ingredients:-
Coriander leaves - 1 bunch (Washed well , remove the yellow leaves, dry the water and chop finely)
Tamarind paste - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Sesame oil - 1tbsp
Roasted and powdered red chili  - 1 tsp

Preparation method:-
If you do this using ammi and kozhavi it will be very tasty but, i used mixer because i don't have ammi in my home.
To a kadai add oil and chopped coriander. Sortae for few mins (till the water content goes off) and leave to cool.
In a mixer add coriander leaves, tamarind, salt and red chili powder. NO WATER.
Grind this coarsely. It should not be fine powder. It will be dry and coarse.
You can feel the unique taste of tamarind and chili along with the coriander leave. It will be a good replacement for pickle and easy to make.

Curry leaves powder (Karuvepillai podi )

Curry leaves powder (Karuvepillai podi ) - Preparation time 15 mins
Mom used to make this podi when she get fresh curry leaves from market. After when she moved to native we have lots and lots of curry plants in backyard so she used to make this podi frequently and brings when she visits me and my brother. I once tried differently from her method it came out well. I suggested her she told this method is much more delicious and she stared following it. Hmm i am also able to satisfy elder people :-)

Ingredients:-
Curry leaves - one bunch or two handful
Urad dhal - 2 tbsp
Red chili - 10
Sesame oil - 1 tbsp
Salt - to taste

Preparation method:-
Clean the curry leaves using water and remove the water content buy spreading over dry cloth. Curry leaves should not be wet.
In a kadai (use iron kadai for all the roasting purpose which is health way of cooking) add few drops of oil and add 1/4 portion of curry leaves. Roast the leaves till they become bright green and crisp. Always use low or medium heat for cooking.
Remove the roasted leaves and keep separately. Using this method roast all the curry leaves.
To the same kadai add urad dhal and roast till golden brown(you can smell the nice aroma when the dhal is roasted). Remove the dhal and roast the red chili till it is crisp and dark red in colour.Leave the ingredients to cool down.
In a mixer grind the roasted red chili and remove a table spoon the red chili powder (because if the podi becomes very spicy it will be difficult to consume). Add the roasted urad dhal, curry leave and salt to mixer and ground to coarse powder (before to fine powder stage)
If you want the spice level little bit more now you add the removed red chili and use whipper button to mix the curry leaves podi well.

Vazhakai podi (Plantain dry podi for rice)

Vazhakai podi  (Plantain dry podi for rice) - Preparation time 15 mins
Mom used to make this podi when she make pulikuzhambu. The combination to this will be very good along with deep fried rice vadagam. Nothing stands before this combination. I wonder how our ancestors had made wonders in cooking. Each and every dish differs from other in any one way. One simple thogayal along with fried papad or a curd rice with pickle.....hmm

My friend kavitha's (one of the) favourite dish.

Ingredients:-
Plantain - 1 (Peel the skin, chop into small cubes and keep in water to avoid becoming brown)
Small onion - 15 (peeled and chopped)
Sesame oil (nalla ennai) - 2 tbsp
Urad dal - 2 tbsp
Toor dal - 2 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Water - to sprinkle
Red chili - 4 (remove the seeds if you don't want the dish to be hot)

Preparation method:-
Heat a kadai add toordal, urad dhal with little oil. When it is turning color add red chili along to dhal. When roasted transfer to a bowl to cool.

Now add the chopped plantain, small onion, sesame oil and fry for few mins. Sprinkle little water so the plantain will be cooked well.

In a mixer add roasted dhal, red chili and salt.

Grind to coarse powder, add roasted and cooked plantain. Use whipper button to ground and mix the plantain, small onion, urad dhal and chili.

If you prepare using ammi and kozhivi it will be excellent in taste.
Take this podi along with white rice and sesame oil. Taste good when you consume along with roasted papad and pulikuzhambu. 

Idli powder (Idli podi)

Idli powder (Idli podi) - Preparation time 15 to 20 mins
Mom used to make it in small quantity so that it will be fresh and crisp. The red chili used for making this podi should be red and crisp. I used to use broken urad dal which mom used to give. It will be fresh and split through the stone grinder which they have in our native place. When I went to work mom used to prepare all these podi and give to make my work easy. Thanks mom.

Ingredients:-
Urad dhal (Ulutham paruppu) - 1 cup
Hing or Asafoetida (Perungayam)  - 3/4 tsp
Red chili - 8 to 10 (Increase or decrease to your taste and spice)
Rock Salt - As required

Preparation method:-
In a tawa roast the urad dhal till a nice aroma comes. You have to roast in medium flame so that the dal will be roasted to golden brown without burning.
When urad dal is roasted add asafoetida, salt mix well and transfer to a bowl to cool down.

Roast the chili till it become dark red and crisp.
When all the roasted ingredients are cool add red chili in blender and ground to fine powder and keep in bowl.

Add the roasted urad dal along with the chili powder (if you think adding all the chili powder will be too spicy you can hold little bit which can be used later) salt, asafoetida and ground to slightly coarse powder (like small rava).

For idli/ dosa varieties this podi will go well when mixed with sesame oil and consumed.

Really you love it. Some will roast and add coriander seed/ sesame seed to this podi but i love my mom's version simple, superb and tasty.
Another way to consume idli which is cold is to mix the podi, sesame oil and idli well. Easy tiffin to get rid of evening hunger.
While travelling, dad will mix idli podi with more sesame make a paste and apply over all the the idli's and he used to pack this podi idli will be delicious when consumed in after noon or night or next day morning :-). You know when I traveled abroad I used to carry this idli/ pulisadam packet so that when i reach the place and hungry i used to share with friends and take it.

Rasam powder

Making of Rasam powder or podi
Mom used to freshly ground the rasam powder using ammi and kozhuvi (grinding stone made using rough granite) and make rasam. Now a days i am preparing and keeping for few weeks because i can't ground for one day in my mixer. 

Ingredients:-
Coriander seeds: - 1 cup
Cumin seed - 3/4 cup
Pepper - 1 tbsp
Red chili - 5 

Preparation method:-
Heat a tawa. Add coriander seed, cumin seed, pepper and red chili to tawa.

Roast in a medium or low flame till the cumin splutters and coriander change in colour. When roasted nice aroma comes.

Cool the roasted ingredients and grind to coarse powder (don't ground to powder because it will smell like medicine).

Only coarse and correctly roasted rasam powder will give very nice smell and taste to the rasam.

Store in a airtight container. Make rasam podi 15 days once so it will be fresh. If you want and can then prepare freshly when you want to make rasam.

Kothamalli vethai podi (Dry Coriander seed rice mix powder)

Kothamalli vethai podi (Dry Coriander rice mix powder) - Preparation time 20 mins
Mom's recipe. I love this podi. Even if she keeps sambar and dry curry for lunch I would like to have this podi along with sesame oil and sambar as side dish to this rice. I don't know this combination will be very tasty and goes well. You can also try tasting that way.

Ingredients:-
Dry coriander seeds - 1 cup
Red chili - 6 to 8 (to your taste)
Rock salt - as required

Preparation method:-
In a tawa dry roast the coriander seeds. Kindly do in the very low flame then only it will be roasted well and color of the coriander will change to deep brown. (Take care else it will get burnt if you cook in high flame and the podi won't smell good).
Roast the red chili till it is crisp and dark red.
Add salt and leave coriander and chili to cool. 
In a mixer grind the roasted ingredients to fine powder.
You can mix this podi with white rice and tsp of sesame oil. The taste will linger in your tongue.

Dal powder (Paruppu podi)

Dal powder (Paruppu podi) :- Preparation time 20 mins
Mom used to make this podi and store for long time. It will be spicy and tasty.

Ingredients:-
Toor dal - 1 cup
Pepper - 10
Red chili - 6 to 8 (to your spice level)
Salt - to taste

Preparation method:-
Roast red chili to crisp and keep aside. 
Roast toor dhal along with pepper in a low flame. When the dal turns golden brown and smells pleasant switch of the flame and cool it.
Add salt to the roasted ingredients (it removes water content in salt) and grind in a mixer to fine powder.
This go very well with white rice, ghee and roasted pappad.