Ginger Paste

Ingredients:

Ginger - 100 gms

Method:

Grind chopped ginger in a blender, if it is not a fine paste then add 1 or 2 spoons of water and blend again. 

Instant Garam Masala paste

Ingredients:
Ginger - 1 inch
Black Pepper - 1 tbsp
Cinnamon - 1 inch piece
Cumin - 3 tsp
Coriander seeds - 3 tsp
Nutmeg powder - 1/2 tsp
Cloves - 2

Method:
Dry fry all the ingredients in a pan. Grind them together along with ginger and 2 tbsp of water to a fine paste. This can be used in Kormas and pulavs. Making it fresh and adding to the food will enhace the taste.

Clove Powder

Ingredients:
Cloves - 50 gms

Method:
Sun dry cloves for about a day till they become well dried. Grind it to a fine powder using coffee grinder or food processor. Store it in an airtight container.

Medicinal uses of clove powder:
    When one have tooth ache, a pinch of clove powder can be sprinkled on to the regular tooth paste and brushed.

Clove powder can be used to make tea masala too.

How to make Black Pepper Powder at home

Ingredients:
Black Pepper - 100

Method:
Spread pepper in hot sun for an hour and dry roast it just for a few mins. Grind in a dry grinder till it becomes fine powder.

Store it in air tight container.

Food Enhancers

There are certain items, that as an individual or in a combination enhance the taste of the food very much.

Coffee Syrup

Fenu Greek Powder

Cinnamon Powder

Coriander Powder

Cumin Seeds Powder

Sesame Seeds Powder

Mustard Powder

Black Pepper Powder

Clove Powder

Dry Ginger Powder

Nutmeg Powder

Fennel Seeds Powder

Roasted Fennel Seeds Powder

Dried Ginger Powder

Dry Ginger Powder is also known as Sukku podi, Soonth powder, Sunth powder is powder made from Dried Ginger. The process of drying ginger have to be done very carefully. Fresh ginger have to be soaked in water overnight and the skin is to be peeled off the next morning. Then the ginger is spread on mats and dried in sun for about a week while turning sides quite often. Dried ginger looks pale white in colour. It have to be completely white in colour and quite hard. Dried ginger is ground to get fine powder. If the powder is not fine, then it have be passed through seive to get fine off white powder. This have a stong aroma and a pungent flavour.

Dried ginger powder is a part of spices and masalas that is used to make gravies, curries and is also added in some soups, milk, coffee and lots more.

Nutmeg Powder

Nutmeg - one of the wonder spices used to make dishes like pies, or to juicers is normally used only in powder form. The large whole nutmegs are to be chosen. These weigh about 7 to 8 gms. It is not quite possible to make groundbut powder at home. It is better to purchase the nutmeg powder readily available in the market. One have to check for the airtight container and also for the date of manufacturing before purchasing. If it is quite close to expiration date, it is better not to purchase it. It have to be stored in airtight containers, away from heat, sunlight or even the stove. Exposing it to heat can lead to staling of the powder. Ground nutmeg will have a pungent, spicy smell and will be fluffy in texture.

Cumin Seeds Powder

Ingredients:
Cumin seeds - 100 gms

Method:
Dry roast cumin seeds till the seeds release a nice aroma. Grind it to a fine powder. Store it in an airtight container.

Can be used in butter milk or in any dish that require cumin seeds powder.

How to make mustard powder at home?

Ingredients:
Mustard - 100 gms
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp

Method:
Grind mustard in a dry grinder along with turmeric powder. Store in air tight container.

This can be used to make pickles, added to food to give flavour.

Sesame seeds Powder recipe

Sesame Powder can be prepared at home by following a simple process. It helps in enhancing the different South Indian and North Indian dishes. 

Ingredients:

White Sesame seeds - 100 gms

Method:

Dry roast sesame seeds till it emits the fried smell. Let it cool and grind it to a fine powder. Store it in an airtight container. This can be stored in fridge to be used for about 2 months.

This can be used in south Indian dishes like Vatha Kuzhambus, Araichu Vitta Kuzhambus and north Indian dishes which ask for sesame in gravies.

Dhaniya Powder|Coriander Powder

Many gravies ask for Dhaniya Powder and it is very easy to be made at home. 


Ingredients:

Fresh Coriander seeds without any holes

Method:

Remove husk and dust from the seeds. Sun dry the seeds for about an hour. Grind it to a fine powder. Seive it and grind the coarse left over again. Seive again and store it in airtight container. 

How to make Cinnamon Powder at home?

Cinnamon is available in the market, in both rolled bark form or in powdered form. As Cinnamon powder tends to loose its flavour very easily, it is better to powder it at home in small quantities and store them.

How to grind cinnamon powder?
Break cinnamon to small pieces. Roast whole cinnamon in a dry pan. When cold grind it to a fine powder. Use small mixie jar to grind it. But it is better to grind it in a mortar or a pestle.

Cinnamon powder is used in marinades, stews, soups, cakes etc.

Fenu Greek Powder - A powder recipe to enhance the taste of Sambar

In generally Fenugreek is added to the Sambar Powder itself but if it is not added to it a separate powder can be prepared to enhance the taste of Sambar, especially those sambars that are made specifically as side dishes. Like Instant Sambar.

How to make (Vendaya) Fenugreek Powder?
Take 1/2 cup of fenugreek or say 50 gms and fry it in dry pan till they turn brown. Care should be taken not to blacken it. Remove from flame and when cold, grind it to a fine powder and store it in an airtight container.

How to use it in Sambar?
After all the procedures of sambar making are over, just before removing from flame, add 1/2 spoon of this fenugreek powder and stir well.

Recipe for Coffee Syrup

South Indians without coffee is something unimaginable. This is definitely a sort of mixture of 2 or 3 recipes that I have seen in the net. When my brother came to know that Cold Coffee he wanted me to add this coffee syrup recipe. This can be used to make coffee milkshake, or used as topping in ice creams.

Before making this syrup it is better to check out the capacity of the coffee maker or coffee filter and the quantity of syrup one wants to make.

Ingredients:
Filter Coffee Powder - 24 tbspns
Hot Water - 2 cups
Sugar - 12 tbsp

How to make coffee syrup:
In a coffee filter or coffee maker, add enough spoons of coffee powder and add hot water to it. When the decoction is ready remove and keep it separately. To the coffee powder add 1/2 of the original amount of water. You will get a second decoction. Again add the same quantity of coffee powder and add the second decoction first and half of the first strong decoction to the coffee powder. The resultant decoction will be extra strong and thick. Use the same decoction and prepare decoction one more time with fresh coffee powder. There will be a triple strength coffee powder.

For the total amount of decoction add half the quantity of sugar. For example if there is 2 cups of decoction, 1 cup of sugar is to be added. Stir constantly till the sugar is dissolved. The sugar is to be added to the hot decoction and to be ensured that it dissolves completely. Store the syrup in airtight jar and refrigerate it.

Pickle Powder to make different kinds of South Indian pickles

  A combination of spices can be mixed and ground together to make the Pickle Masala Powder which can be stored and used any time to make South Indian Pickles.

Ingredients:
Fenugreek - 1/2 kg or 1/2 cup
Mustard seeds - 1 kg or 1 cup
Turmeric powder - 100 gms or 2 tbsp
Red Chillies - 2 kg or 2 cups

Method:
Spread all the ingredients in hot sun for about a day so that all the moisture goes off. (Alternatively, if the quantity is less the ingredients can be either roasted in a dry pan, or can be heated in microwave).

Large quantity can be ground in a flour mill. Small quantity can be ground in a mixer grinder to a fine powder. Store it an airtight container. This can be used for about 6 to 9 months.