CURRY LEAVES CHUTNEY POWDER

After a busy day out, aren’t there times when we look for a great escape from the kitchen. Come, let’s make today’s twilight light n bright?

Arre, I see you running to the superstore, why…when we can find those green bunches in our own home store! Be it lack of time or lazy to cook, these leaves of curry will never let us fret or fume in a fury… so says a leaf from our Cuisine Kingdom.

Curry leaf, a rich herb with excellent nutritional value and a key ingredient in countless varieties of dishes is more often than not discarded while eating.  So, here comes a wholesome recipe, Curry Leaves Chutney Powder that can be sneaked into most types of dishes….giving that added “zing” to make the dishes delicious, nutritious and full of flavour.

Coming in handy when in a hurry…this spicy hero sits smart by the side of idlis, dosas and steaming hot rice. And ha, don’t hesitate to sandwich this spread between slices of bread!

Dish type: Spice Powder

Time required: 20 min approx

Quantity:  200 gms approx.

Ingredients

Curry leaves                    1 big bunch (washed and dried indoors)

Roasted channa dal         100 gms

Pepper corns                   2 tbsps

Jeera                               3 tbsps

Red chillies                      2 nos.

Dry coconut grated         ½ coconut (measure after grating - 100 gms)

Salt to taste                     1 tsp approx.

Directions

Roast (without oil) curry leaves, pepper corns, jeera and red chillies separately over low flame in a pan. A drop of oil can be used for roasting red chilies only. After each ingredient is roasted keep transferring to a plate. Let them cool thoroughly at room temparature.

Roasted channa dal (Hurigadale in kannada) and grated dry coconut need not be roasted. When you are done with roasting all other ingredients, turn off the flame. Heat that still remains in the pan after switching off the flame is enough to warm up grated dry coconut and roasted channa dal.

Now grind grated dry coconut first to coarse powder form. Add other ingredients and powder them coarsely. Store in an absolutely dry air tight container.

Tete - a - Tete:

Curry leaves have to be washed and dried thoroughly (keeping it indoors) before roasting them.

Seasoning for this powder is optional.

Curry Leaves Chutney Powder is especially good for health during winter season.

While preparing any masala powder, it is always advisable to dry fry ingredients separately due to variance in size, thickness and texture of ingredients.

Healthy Tip:

Dry fry washed and dried (indoors) curry leaves with jeera seeds, powder it and have a tsp of this powder first thing in the morning and/or just before going to bed. This helps regulate bowel function. Ps: This tip is not a medical prescription from me but mere sharing of a leaf from my life experience!

Recipe shared by octagenarian Smt. Meena Lakshminarayana, an expert cook and aunt in law of my dear friend Arati Rangaswamy

Also view in this blog:

Garlic Chutney Powder
Miligayi Powder (Spice Powder for Idli/Dosa)
Pepper Rasam Powder
Vangibath Powder
Menthyada Hittu (Fenugreek Powder)
Sambar Powder
Rasam Powder
Puliyogare Powder