SuvaiArusuvai - Veg Recipes of India

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: 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.

*  Garam Masala Powder * Tandoori Masala Powder * Chaat Masala Powder * Chettinad Masala Powder * Punjabi Garam Masala Powder * Mughalai Garam Masala * Malvani Masala Powder  (Goda Masala/ Bottle Masala) * Bafat Masala * Panch Pooran Masala * Amchur Powder * Dhaniya (Coriander seeds) Powder * Cumin seeds powder * Fennel seeds powder * Roasted Fennel seeds powder * Kongunadu Masala powder * Cochin Masala Powder

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.

The Panch Pooran Masala is the one that gives the unique flavour and taste to most of the Bengali dishes. As the name suggests, the masala is made up of 5 distinguished ingredients. The normal combination is equal proportion of all the ingredients. As this masala is tend to loose is flavour and fragrance very fast, making smaller quantities whenever needed is better. In general, Panch Pooran masala is added to the oil directly before adding vegetables or lentils to release the fragrance throughly. Ingredients: Nigella seeds (Kalonji/Karum Jeeragam) - 1/4 cup Black Mustard Seeds - 1/4 cup Fenu greek seeds (Methi) - 1/4 cup Fennel (Perum Jeeragam) - 1/4 cup Cumin seeds - 1/4 cup Method: Dry roast all the ingredients in a pan and when cold grind it to a very fine powder. Store it in an airtight container. Can be used to make Bengali dishes.

This masala is also known as Goda Masala or Bottle Masala . Used in many of the Malvani, Konkani and Maharashtrian dishes. Ingredients: Red Chillies - 1/2 kg or 50 nos Coriander seeds - 1/4 kg Black Pepper - 1/2 cup Cloves - 1/4 cup Fennel seeds - 1 cup Cumin seeds - 1/4 cup Shah Jeera - 1/4 cup Ilaichi - 20 to 25 nos (preferrably black ones) Cinnamon Sticks - 25 gms Star Anise - 5 nos Mustard seeds - 1/4 cup Turmeric powder - 1/4 cup Whole Asafodeita - 2 inch piece Nag Kesar - 25 gms Dhagad Phool - 10 gms Nutmeg - 2 nos Method: In a pan add 1/2 tbsp of oil and fry asafodeita and red chillies. When the aroma is released remove from pan and let it cool. Fry the coriander seeds in the same greased pan till the aroma is released. Spread that too separately. Add another 1 tbsp of oil and fry all the other ingredients except nutmeg one by one. When cool grind them to a fine powder. Store it in an air tight container. This quantity will do good for about 5 to 6 month

Ingredients: Coriander seeds - 100 gms Method: Roast Coriander seeds in a dry pan till the aroma is released. Let it cool and grind it to a fine powder. Can be used in all the dishes that ask for this powder, especially in the north Indian gravies. Store it in an air tight container. Note: As the powder looses its flavour and fragrance very easily, it is better to grind smaller quantites whenever needed.

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.

Ingredients: Cinnamon - 5 1 inch pieces Black cardamom - 15 gms Black Pepper - 3 tbsp Cloves - 8 to 10 nos Oil - 2 tsp Method: Heat oil in a pan and roast all the ingredients adding them together. Roast them very lightly. Let it cool. Grind it all to a fine powder and store it in an airtight container. This garam masala can be used in Mughalai dishes whichever asks for Garam Masala in it.

Many of the Punjabi dishes gets its flavour as this Punjabi Garam Masala is added to it. Find here how to make it. Ingredients: Dhania - 1/4 cup Jeera - 1 cup Pepper - 1/2 cup Cardamom - 6 to 8 Fennel seeds - 1/4 cup Clove - 4 nos Cinnamon - 2 inch piece Black Cumin Seeds - 1 tbsp Bay Leaves - 2 nos Dried Ginger Powder - 1 tbsp Nutmeg - 3 nos Method: Fry all the ingredients except ginger powder in a dry pan for a while till they are warm. Grind it together with ginger powder. Store it in an airtight container.

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. 

A hot and tangy masala powder that gives an immense taste to the Manglorean recipes. The chilly used in this Bafat Masala is mainly Kashmiri Red Chillies that gives a deep red colour to the recipe. To give more colour, more chillies are used. Though this Bafat Masala Powder is used mainly to make fish or meat recipes, it gives an intense taste to the vegetarian dishes also. Ingredients: Red Chillies - (Kashmiri Chillies to give the colour) 500 gms Red Chillies - 100 gms Coriander seeds - 1/3 cup Cumin - 1/4 cup Cloves - 4 nos Cinnamon - 1 inch piece Pepper - 2 tbsp Turmeric Powder - 1 tbsp Method : In a heavy bottom pan add a tbsp of oil and add both the type of chillies and roast it for 2 to 3 mins. (adding oil helps in reducing the strong stench produced by frying the chillies). Remove and spread on a flat plate. Add all other ingredients in another dry pan except turmeric powder and roast for about 5 mins till the aromatic smell is produced. Remove and let it cool. Gri

Ingredients:  Grated Coconut - 1/4 cup Red Chillies - 4 nos Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp Ginger - 1/4 inch piece Garlic - 2 pods Cinnamon - 1 inch piece Cardamom - 1 no Cloves - 15 nos Black Kalpaasi (stone flower) - 1 inch Anise seed -1 no. Black pepper - 2 tbsp Curry Leaves - 1/4 cup Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp Method: In 1 tsp of oil shallow fry the coconut, red chilly, coriander seeds, ginger, garlic, cinnamon, cardamoms, cloves, kalpasi bark, anise seeds, pepper corns, curry leaves. Grind it to a thick, fine paste along with turmeric powder.

Ingredients Black Pepper corns - 1 tbsp Cloves - 1 tsp Cardamoms - 6 nos Bay Leaves - 5 nos Cinnamon Stick - 3 inch piece Nutmeg - 1/2  Cumin Seeds - 2 tbsps Method: Spread all the ingredients in a flat plate and keep it in sun for about an hour. Grind it to a fine powder. Seive it to remove any husks/fibres and store it in airtight container (it can also be freezed). Note: The ingredients can be roasted in a khadai and cooled and ground. (The powder can be ground in this way, if the quantity is less).