Indian Spices

Spices and aromatics are the very heart of Indian cooking. They have been used since ancient times.

Here is a list of commonly used Indian Spices

Asafoetida (Hing)

Bay leaves

Cardamom (Elaichi)

Chilies (Mirchi)

Chili powder

Cilantro (Hara Dhaniya)

Cinnamon (Dalchni)

Cloves (Luong)

Cokum

Coriander seeds (Dhaniya)

Cumin (Jeera)

Curry leaves (Kari putha or Neem)

Curry Powder

Fennel (Soonf)

Fenugreek (Kasuri Methi)

Garam Masala

Garlic (Lassan)

Ginger (Adrak)

Mint (Pudina)

Mustard seeds (Rai)

Peppercorns (Kali Mirchi)

Tamarind (Amli)

Turmeric (Haldi)

Simple and Easy Cooking Tips

Sharpen the blender blades

Grind some salt in blender or mixer well to make the blades sharp.

Add more flavor to kheer

Wash the rice, drain excess water and then fry the rice in butter for 1-2 mins on medium flame. Then add the milk. Frying the rice in butter adds flavor to the kheer

To get golden color for dosa

To get golden color for dosa just add some rice (cooked) while you are grinding.

To make your Biryani very Tasty

Separately fry the onions in the oil until crispy golden brown. Add these onions to your prepared biryani, tightly cover the lid and keep it on the stove on a lowest minimum flame for about 5-10 mins. Then for sure you will taste the tasty and different biryani....

Making curd faster

If you want curd to settle fast after adding little curd to the milk you just put a green chilly which is coated with salt

How to Make Ragi Pakoda Recipe

Ingredients:

• Ragi Flour – 1 cup
• Onion – 1 cup (Chopped)
• Green Chilies – 5 (chopped)
• Few Curry leaves
• Salt as per requirement
• Oil to fry

Ragi Pakoda Saiyum Murai:

Mix ragi flour, chopped onions, green chillies, curry leaves, salt & water in a bowl together to obtain a solid state mixture. This mixture should not be too much solid but it should be little less drier than the chapathi or poori batter.

Heat oil in a pan

Drop the small portions of ragi mixture to oil and deep fry it (till it become crispy). Repeat the procedure for the remaining mixture

Now serve the hot Ragi Pakoda

Chukku Kappi - Karupatti Kappi - Dry Ginger Coffee

Ingredients:

For Chukku Powder:

• Dry Ginger Powder / Chukku Podi- 1/2 cup
  
• Coriander Seeds / Malli - 2 tblspn
• Cumin Seeds / Jeerakam - 1 tsp
• Peppercorns - 1 tsp
• Panakarkandu / Rock Candy - 3 tblspn (Optional)

For One Serving Coffee:

• Water - 1 cup
• Chukku powder - 1 tsp
• Karupatti / Palm Jaggery - 1 tblspn or to taste

How to prepare Chukku Coffee? (Chukku Kappi saiyum murai)

Take all the ingredients given in the list of chukku podi in a blender. Make this into a fine powder. Store this in a air tight container.

Now make the kapi, take water in a sauce pan. Add chukku podi and karuppati in it. Mix well.

Simmer this for 2 to 3 mins.

Now strain this and discard the solids.

Pour into a glass. Serve hot.

How to prepare Kara Kuzhi Paniyaram

Kara Paniyaram Ingredients

• Idly Rice – 1 cup
• Urad Dal – ¼ cup
• Fengreek Seeds – 1 table spoon
• Onion – 1 (chopped)
• Red Chilies – 5 (Chopped)
• Cumin seeds (Jeera) – 1 table spoon
• Salt as per requirement
• Curry leaves - 1 string
• Few coriander leaves

Kara Kuzhi Paniyaram Saiyum Murai:

Kuli Pniyara Batter (Flour/Mavu)

Place urad dal and fenugreek in a cup and soak them in the water for about 4 to 5 hours

Similarly soak rice separately in the water for the same duration

After the due time, filter the water and grind the rice to make a smooth rice paste

Similarly grind the urad dal and fenugreek to make a smooth paste

After grinding, mix both the pastes together with required amount of salt

Keep them aside for 10 to 12 hours. The batter will be raised twice the quantity, so make sure the container has enough space.

Paniyaram Saiyum Murai:

Heat oil in a pan add chopped onion, red chillies, curry leaves

Fry it for 2 minutes with low flame

Add this mixture with batter. Add chopped corinader leaves, cumin seeds. Mix them well

Heat the paniyaram pan and apply half teaspoon of oil in each kuzhi (hole). Fill in the batter into each hole and add oil in drops into the sides of each kuzhi (hole).

Turn when the sides turn golden brown

Now the hot kara paniyaram is ready to serve with Coconut chutney or Onion Chutney.

Pasi Payaru Masiyal (Mashed Green Gram Gravy)

Ingredients:

• Pasi Payaru – ½ cup
• Sambar oinion – 10 (chopped)
• Garlic – 3 cloves
• Cumin Seeds – 1 tsp
• Coriander Seeds – 1 tsp
• Green Chilies – 3 (chopped lengthwise)
• Mustard Seeds – ¼ tsp
• Oil
• Curry Leaves
• Turmeric powder
• Salt as per requirement

Pasi Payaru Masiyal Saiyum Murai (How to make Pasi Payaru Masiyal)

Pressure cook the whole green gram with garlic, a pinch of turmeric powder (with 2 cups of water) for 5-6 whistles (the lentil should be cooked well)

After the full release of the vapor, drain half amount of water (You can use this water to prepare Rasam)

Meanwhile, crush cumin seeds and coriander seeds coarsely

In a aluminum vessel heat 3 table spoon of oil, add mustard seeds when it pops up add chopped onion, curry leaves, green chillies and fry it for some time and add crushed cumin + coriander seeds. Fry it for a minute in a medium flame

Add the cooked green gram and required amount of salt

Cook it for 5-10 minutes. Remove from stove

Now smash the mixture into coarse paste using egg beater.(normally wooden hand mixer is used in villages to crush the horse gram)

Now Pasi Payaru Masial is ready to serve!!!

Vendhaya Sadham/Rice - Fenugreek Rice – Paati Samayal

Ingredients:

• Rice – 1 cup
• Fenugreek Seeds – 3 tsp
• Sambar Onion – 15 (remove the skin and keep it in full size)
• Tomato – 1 (chopped)
• Garlic – 4
• Chili Powder – 1 tsp
• Red Chilly – 2 nos
• Mustard Seeds – ¼ tsp
• Turmeric Poweder – ¼ tsp
• Cumin Seeds – 1tsp
• Water – 3 cups
• Curry leaves
• Oil
• Salt as per the requirement

For Grinding:

• Coconut – ¼ (medium sized) grated
• Cardamom - 1 nos
• Clove - 2 nos
• Cinnamon stick - 4 (small)
• Caraway (sommbu) - 1/4 tsp

How to make Vendhaya Sadham (Rice)?

Wash 1 Cup of rice in water. Now soak rice for 10 mins and filter the water and keep them aside

Meanwhile, in a small pan fry cardamom, clove, cinnamon stick and caraway in low flame (The raw smell should be disappear)

Add this to grated coconut, and grind this as a smooth paste

Crush cumin seeds and garlic together

In a pressure cooker fry fenugreek in 5 tsp of oil in medium flame. Then add mustard seeds, when it pops up, add onion, curry leaves, red chillies and fry them for 1 minute, then add chopped tomato and again fry it for 1 minute.

Add grated coconut mix with 3 cups of water, turmeric power, crushed cumin seed + garlic mixture, chili powder, salt

Now add the rice. Close the cooker and wait till it whistles 3

After the full release of the vapor, open it up and add 1 teaspoon ghee if necessary

Now the Venthaya Sadham is Ready!!!

Serving Tips:

It can be served with ghee and curd. And it goes well with pickles, coconut chutney and raitha
(thayir pachadi)

Gramathu Kodhumai Kachayam - Wheat Kachayam

Ingredients:

• Wheat - 1 cup
• Banana – 3
• Cardamom Pods – 5 (Peeled)
• Jaggery Poweder – 1 cup
• Oil

Preparation Method – Kodhumai Kachayam Saiyum Murai

Add some amount of water with wheat and make it thick paste. Allow to soak for 1 hour

In a mixer grinder add 3 tsp of jaggery powder with cardamom pods; grind it to make fine powder

In a bowl, add bananas (mashed), wheat paste, Jaggery powder and cardamom powder

Mix them with the help of your hand (Add some water)

The batter (mixture) should be like Dosa batter in consistency (Not too watery)

Heat oil in a wide pan

Take some portion of mixture in a spoon and drop them carefully into the oil

Deep fry them till it turn golden brown color under medium flame (You can smell a good odour)

Repeat the procedure for the remaining mixture

Now you can serve the Hot and Sweet Kachayam. (You can store this kachayam upto 10-15 days)

Note: Instead of jaggery you can use sugar. You can also add maida to this mixture

Instant Tomato Rasam Recipe - Easy South Indian Tomato Rasam

Rasam is an integral part of South Indian meals. It is a soup made from Tamarind pulp and various spices. Rasam helps in digestion and it is good for cold and fever.

Ingredients:

• Tamarind – Lemon size
  
• Ripe tomatoes - 1
• Whole black pepper - 1 tsp
• Cumin seeds/jeera - 1 tsp
• Garlic – 3 to 4
• Curry leaves - few
• Oil - 1 tsp
• Mustard seeds -1 tsp
• Dry Chili - 1
• Curry leaves - few
• Coriander leaves - finely chopped
• Salt

 Preparation Method

Soak the Tamarind in hot water for 5 minutes.

Dry grind pepper, jeera, and garlic and keep them aside.

Now extract the juice from the tamarind as much as possible. Then add the ripe tomato to the pulp and squeeze well.

Then add the pepper-jeera mixture to the juice.

Add enough salt to taste.

Then in a pan heat the oil, once the oil is heated add mustard seeds & Dry chili, when it splutters, add curry leaves and pour the rasam juice to it and keep in flame till the mixture come to boil.

Once it starts to boil remove from flams and add coriander leaves for garnishing.

Note: Boiled Dal water can also be used to make rasam to equal the sour taste. To the tamarind juice the dal water can be added by limiting the usage of normal water.