SuvaiArusuvai - Veg Recipes of India

This entry by Rajeshwari Ganesh introduces a simple yet flavorful spice powder that enhances the taste of various curry dishes and rasam. This traditional powder is perfect for Pathiya Samayal, supporting postpartum recovery with its digestible and soothing ingredients. Ingredients: 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1/2 teaspoon urad dal A pinch of hing (asafoetida) 1 teaspoon ghee Method: Fry Ingredients: Heat the ghee in a pan over medium heat. Add the pepper, urad dal, and hing. Fry the ingredients until the urad dal turns a golden brown color. Grind to Powder: Allow the fried ingredients to cool slightly. Transfer them to a mixer and grind to a fine powder. Usage: Add this flavorful powder to poriyal (stir-fried vegetables) or rasam. Enhance the dish further by adding fresh curry leaves and salt as needed. This versatile spice powder is an excellent addition to postpartum meals, helping with digestion and adding a rich flavor to everyday dishes. Pathiya Samayal Contest Entry by Rajeshwari Ganesh

Ingredients: Amchur - 3 tsp Salt - 1 tsp Black salt - 1 tsp Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp Ginger powder(sonth/sukku powder) - 1/2 tsp Black Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp Mint powder - 1/2 tsp Method: To a big bowl add all the powders and mix well.

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.

Our fellow blogger, Jayashree Kailas of Experiments in Kailas Kitchen . She is a wonderful blogger who have passed away on 12th of October due to P neumonia. Though I have not interacted with her much, I have always liked  and reffered to her blog posts, when it comes to cooking Kerala style recipes.  I make Paruppu podi and keep stock regularly as kids love it. But, this seems to be quite different.   Kollu Kalathu Podi . I have herd that eating Kollu (Horegram) helps in weight reduction and also in reducing cholestrol level.  Ingredients: Horsegram (Kollu) - 1 cup Bengal Gram Dal - 1/4 cup Urad Dal - 1/4 cup Peppercorns - 1/4 tsp (or 4 to 6 corns) Asafodeita - 1/2 inch piece Red Chillies - 4 to 6 nos Salt as required Method: Dry roast the dals one by one in a pan till they release a nice aroma. Add 1/4 tsp of gingely oil and fry asafodeita, red chillies, pepper corn. Allow it to cool and grind Horsegram first to a fine powder then grind all the other ingredients toge

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.

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.

Ingredients: Fresh Neem Flower - 3 cups Methi seeds - 1 1/2 cups Fried Bengal gram - 1/2 cup Method: Dry roast all the ingredients one by one and when warm grind them to a coarse powder. Having 1 tbsp of it early in the morning, and drink a glass of water. This will help in control diabetics.

Ingredients: Peanuts - 2 cups Cumin seeds - 2 tbsp Red chilly - 8 nos Dry coconut (Copra) - 1/2 Garlic cloves - 15 nos Gingely Oil - 1 tbsp Curry leaves - a few Salt to taste Method: Dry roast the peanuts. Remove the skin by rubbing them with hand. Add oil to the pan and add the remaining ingredients to it and fry till they become golden brown in colour. Spread in a plate and grind it along with ground nuts to a fine powder. This can be served with hot rice and ghee.

Ingredients: Fennel seeds - 2 cups Method: Dry roast fennel seeds in a low flame for about 5 mins or an aroma is released. Cool and grind it to a powder and store in air tight container. This stays good for about 3 months.

Fennel seeds powder are available in many stores, still it can be made at home and be stored upto 6 months. Ingredients: Fennel seeds - 1/2 kg (Green coloured ones) Method: Clean the fennel seeds from any stones or dust and spread on a paper and dry in sun for a day. Grind it to a fine powder in the mixer grinder. If it is still coarse sift it through a seive. Store it in air tight container.

Ingredients: Coconut - 1 ful Red Chillies - 16 to 20 Black gram dal - 2 tbsp Coriander seeds - 2 tbsp Turmeric powder - a pinch Method: Grate coconut finely. In a pan add all the ingredients and fry till they become golden brown in colour. Transfer to a plate and let it cool. Grind it to a fine powder. Store it in an air tight container. Can be stored for about a month. Used to prepare different type of Kerala dishes.

Ingredients: Coconut Grated - 1/4 cup Ground nut - 2 tbsp Sesame white seed - 1 tsp Khus Khus - 1 tbsp Turmeric powder - 1 tsp Curry leaves - a few Method: Dry roast all the ingredients one by one. Grind it together and store it in fridge. This holds good just for 2 to 3 days. But freshly ground masala gives a good aroma and taste. While adding it with dishes, it have to be mixed with required quantity of water to make a paste.

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.

Ingredients: Coriander seeds - 3/4 cup Bengal Gram - 1 cup Black Pepper - 1/2 cup Asafodeita - 1 inch piece Curry Leaves - 2 cups Method: Dry roast all the ingredients one by one till the aroma is released. Spread on a plate and let it cool. Grind it to a coarse powder. Store it in an air tight container. This powder can be stored and used for about 3 to 4 months to make Milagu Kuzhambu ( Spicy pepper gravy south Indian style )

Ingredients: Processed Channa Dal whole - 1 cup Rice - 1/2 cup Urad dal - 1/2 cup Whole wheat - 2 tbsp Cumin seed (Jeera)- 1 tbsp Red chilly - 4 nos Asafodeita - 1 tsp Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp Mustard seeds - 1 tsp Coriander seeds - 1 tsp Fenu greek seeds - 1/2 tsp Method: Roast Whole Bengal gram, rice, urad dal, wheat, jeera, red chilly, fenu greek and coriander seeds one by one without oil. Spread them on a plate and when cold dry it to a fine powder. If not fine, can be seived and then store it in a jar. Can be had with hot rice and ghee. (The rice that is to be prepared for this mixed powder should be extra soft and Kids friendly recipe.

Ingredients: Unripe Mango - 2 nos Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp Method: Peel the skin of mangoes. Scrap them to thin slices. Rub the slices with turmeric powder. Spread them on a sheet and dry them in sun for about a week or till the mango pieces becomes dry enough. Grind it to a fine powder and store it in airtight container and it can be used in dishes that ask for. Amchur is used in north Indian dishes to enhance the flavour. It is high in iron and so people suffering from anemia can use it regularly.

There are lots of homemade powders listed out in this website. They all can be easily made at home using the simple dry grinder (mixie), that one have in the kitchen. A little time taken to fry and grind these powders will definitely be of great help, while cooking and also will enhance the taste. As the quantity made is small, storage is easy and they dont go bad very easily. As the proverb says, the best way to reach a man's heart is through his stomach, these powders will definitely do that wonder as they give an enhanced taste to the cooking. Now a days, we have to add kids also to the proverb as they demand a lot more tastier foods. With just one powder, one can make different dishes. Like using Sambar powder , one can make sambar and also Vathalkuzhambu (though there is a separate Vathakuzhambu powder too). This can aslo be added to veggies like potato, lady's finger, brinjal etc while making them a bit fried, instead of plain chilly powder. Powders like Dhal Powde

Ingredients : Coriander seeds - 1 cup Gram Dal - 3/4th cup Urad dal - 1/2 cup Cinnamon - 2 inch piece Asafodeita - 1/2 tsp Red Chillies - 1 cup (24 to 30 nos) Grated Copra - 1/4 cup Method : Roast all the ingredients except copra. Dry roast the copra separately. Powder all the ingredients together and store it in an air tight container. This powder can be used to make Bisibela Huli or any kind of Karnataka type sambar recipes. This can be added to Vangi baath alon with Vaangi baath powder to enhance the taste and flavour. Can also be added to hot rice and ghee and have it as a mixed rice .

Ingredients: Bengal gram - 1/4 cup Thuvar Dal - 1/4 cup Urad Dal - 1/4 cup Sesame seeds - 1/4 cup Moong Dal - 1/4th cup Red chillies - 2 cups Salt - 1/4 cup Asafodeita - 1 inch piece Method: In a dry pan add the sesame seeds and fry till it splutters and becomes red. Fry bengal gram, thuvar dal and urad dal one by one. Fry all of them till they turn red. Reduce the flame and fry the moong dal till it becomes red. Fry the asafodeita then the red chillies. Ensure that it doesnot turn black. Let it cool and grind sesame seeds first and transfer it to a plate. Grind all the other ingredients together to a fine powder. In the end add the sesame seeds powder and grind it again so that all the ingredients mix well. Spread on a plate to cool. Store it in an air tight container.

Ingredients: Red chillies - 1/2 kg Crystal salt - 1/2 cup Tamarind - 1 big lemon size Coriander seeds - 2 1/2 cups Garlic - 1/4 kg Black Urad dal - 2 1/2 cups Cumin seeds - 1/4 cup Fenugreek seeds - 2 tsp Asafodeita - 1 inch piece Turmeric powder - 1/4 cup Curry leaves - 1 cup Oil - 1/4 cup Method: Spread the red chillies in a plate and leave it in sun for about 5 to 6 hours. In a dry pan fry the fenugreek seeds till it turns golden brown. (Fry it not more than a minute). Fry the black urad dal in a dry pan till it turns pink in colour. Fry the coriander seeds in low flame till it turns slightly brown in colour. Add the cumin seeds just before removing the coriander seeds from the pan. Fry the chillies in about 5 tbsp of oil till it turns slightly black. Add the asafodeita piece too along with the red chillies. Cut the tamarind into small pieces and add it to the oil and fry it too along with the red chillies. Peel the garlic and fry it in little oil till it becomes