LEMON POPPY SEED/KHUS KHUS SALAD DRESSING

 This creamy Lemon Poppy Seed/Khus Khus salad dressing is perfect for a veggie loaded salad you would want to have as lunch or dinner. This dressing is a great way to spruce up your salad.

This salad dressing is a low carb version. 

What I like in a home made dressing is that you get to customize everything from the spice, salt and sugar. And this salad doesn't take any time at all. It is just a add everything to blender and blitz kind of dressing. This salad dressing comes together in just about 5 minutes. It stays well in the refrigerator upto 10 days and can be used as and when required.

While you are here check out other sauces and masalas like --  Homemmade Schezwan sauce, Biryani masala, Sambar powder, Rasam powder, Homemade Pesto and more...

Here is the recipe of Lemon Poppy seed dressing-

PREP TIME: 5 Mins                                  COOK TIME: 2 Mins

TOTAL TIME: 7 Mins                                COURSE:  DIP AND SAUCES 

CUISINE: WORLD FOOD                        QUANTITY: 100 GM APPROX

AUTHOR: Rajni Ram

    Ingredients:

    Poppy Seeds 1 tbsp (white/black)

    Apple Cider Vinegar(ACV) 2 tbsp

    Olive Oil 6 tbsp

    Sugar powder/icing sugar 1 tbsp

    Dijon Mustard 1 tsp

    Salt 1/4 tsp

    Lemon juice 2 tbsp

    Garlic cloves 4 crushed

    Directions:

1. In a blender pour the ACV, Olive oil, Lemon juice, salt, sugar powder, crushed garlic cloves, Dijon mustard, and blend at high speed for 30 seconds. Stop and blend again for 30 seconds.

2. Now add the Poppy seeds and give another pulse for 30 seconds. The dressing is ready to use now. Store in a bottle and refrigerate.This can also be used as sauce for burgers and other breads. 

    NOTES:

1. I could not find black poppy seeds her, otherwise they would have provided a great contrast. Anyway this doesn't affect the taste or flavour in anyway.

2. If you prefer a sweeter dressing, add one more tablespoon of sugar powder.

THENGAI MOLAGAPODI( COCONUT GUN POWDER)

 Molagapodi or south Indian Gun Powder as it is referred to is an everyday accompaniment in every southindian household. It also goes by the name Idli Podi or Dosai Molagapodi.

In my house we make this powder every other week. In this recipe I am adding coconut to the gun powder/ molagapodi and this gives a very nice flavour and texture to the powder.

Usually making Thengai Molagapodi is a ritual for me after the Navarathri celebrations, as a lot of coconuts get accumulated at home, owing to visits to friends and family for accepting the Vethalai Paaku or Haldi Kumkum. So many coconuts cannot be consumed at a time, but ofcourse grating them and storing in the freezer is an option, but I prefer making the Thengai Molagapodi instead as then I don't have to make a chutney everyday 😃.

The procedure of making it is very simple. Therefore I am giving the stepwise recipe directly.

While you are here please check out my other Podi and sauce  recipes like Rasam Powder, Sambar Powder, Karuvepilai Podi/ Curry leaves powder, Homemade Schezwan Sauce, Homemade Pesto and more...

Here is the recipe  

  PREP TIME: 15 MINS                                COOK TIME:15 MINS

TOTAL TIME: 30 MINS                              COURSE:ACCOMPANIMENT 

CUISINE:INDIAN                                         QUANTITY: 500 gms Approx

AUTHOR: RAJNI RAM

Ingredients:

Coconut 3 whole grated

Urad dal 2 cups 

Chana dal 1/2 cup

Salt as required

Asafoetida 1 tsp

Dry red chillies whole 150 gm

Oil 1 tbsp for frying the dals

STEPWISE RECIPE FOLLOWS:

1. In a Kadai/ pan heat oil. Put the Urad dal and Chana dal and start roasting on low flame . Add Asafoetida 5 mins into the roasting process.

2. Roast the dals until they turn light brown in colour. Keep the flame low while roasting and keep stirring so that the dals fry evenly. Transfer to a plate and cool.

3. Now put the dry red chillies after removing the stems and roast on low fire for a minute. Put of flame let them stand in the hot kadai for few minutes. Cool completely. 

4. Now put the grated coconut in the kadai and start roasting it. If you prefer do it in batches. The coconut should not burn or else the taste of the  powder will be ruined. Keep roasting until it turns light brown. Transfer to a plate and cool completely. Once cooled pick out any big pieces of coconut gratings you may find.

5. Now in your dry grinding jar put the dals and the chillies and grind to a fine powder. Do it in batches if you prefer. As you keep grinding keep transferring the ground powder to a big bowl. Now add the required salt and the grated coconut and start mixing with a spatula/ spoon. If you find the powder is a little coarse for you preference after mixing in the coconut, then just blitz it once again. The spicy and yummy Thengai Molagapodi is ready. Serve with Idli, Dosa, Kuzhi Paniyaaram, Rava Dosa, Adai and more. 

NOTES:

1. Patience while roasting the dals and the coconut will yield best results.

2. Salt and spice can be adjusted as required. The spice can be a little more as the sweetness of the coconut subdues the spice.

3. Choose coconuts that are mature and will have a thick inside. The tender ones which are light brown will not have the texture required for this recipe and you will also have to roast it for long as the moisture content will be high.

 If you tried this recipe and liked it, please let us know in the comment box. I would love to hear from you. If you would like to receive our future posts on your mail, please leave your mail Id so that we can post it to you.

KARUVEPILAI PODI/CURRY LEAVES POWDER(FOR RICE)

Karuvepilai or curry leaf plant is an aromatic plant the leaves of which are used in seasoning dishes. Most south Indian dishes have Curry leaves as their common tempering element. Apart from imparting their aroma to a dish they also add a huge amount of flavour. These leaves have many medicinal properties like- high calcium content, rich in Iron, aids in digestion, improves vision, rich in Vitamin A, and many more such benefits. 

In our house, we make this powder with fresh curry leaves and other spices that can be mixed with hot rice and ghee, or it can be added to rice tempered with peanuts and spices and made into Karuvepilai Sadam or Curry leaves rice. 

Karuvepilai powder can be stored in an airtight container for 3 months and more. 

While you are here please check out my other spice powder and sauce recipes like Sambar Powder, Rasam Powder, Sechzwan sauce, Pesto sauce and more...

Here is the recipe of Karuvepilai powder for you-

PREP TIME: 5Mins                        COOK TIME: 15Mins

TOTAL TIME: 20 Mins             COURSE: PODI/SPICE POWDER  

CUISINE: SOUTH INDIAN           QUANTITY: 100 GM APPROX

AUTHOR: Rajni Ram

Ingredients:

Curry leaves 2 cups(stalks removed) washed and pat dried

Coriander seeds/Dhania 2 tbsp

Chana dal/ Gram 1 tbsp

Urad dal 1/2 tbsp

Jeera/ Cumin seeds 1 tsp

Dry red chillies 5 big ones

Tamarind lemon sized ball

Salt to taste.

Asafoetida 1 tsp

Oil for frying spices 1 tbsp

Directions:

In a Kadai heat the oil and add the chana dal and urad dal and fry until they turn golden brown. Now add the coriander seeds and Cumin and continue to fry. When the coriander turns aromatic add the dry red chillies and continue to fry. Now add the tamarind followed by asafoetida and fry until the tamarind turn a little crisp, about 30 seconds. Finally, add the washed and pat dried curry leaves and saute for about a minute. Switch off the flame and cool all the roasted ingredients. On cooling, transfer them to the dry mixer jar and grind to a fine powder. Add salt and give another spin the mixture. The Karuvepilai powder is ready for storing. Enjoy with hot rice and ghee. One ball of rice with this powder helps maintain iron levels, good for hair growth and has many more benefits.

STEPWISE RECIPE FOLLOWS:

1. Assemble all ingredients.

2. Heat oil in a Kadai and add the urad dal and chana dal and fry until they turn light brown.

3. Add the coriander seeds and cumin seeds and continue to fry until the coriander seeds turn aromatic.

4. Now add the dry red chillies, tamarind, followed by the asafoetida and continue frying until the tamarind turns a little crisp.

5. Now add the washed and dried curry leaves and saute for a few minutes and put off the stove. Cool the roasted ingredients.

6. Put all of them in a dry grinder jar and grind to a fine powder. Add salt as required and the Kruvepilai powder is ready to store.

NOTES:

1. The curry leaves must be separated from the stalks, washed and pat dried.

2. Salt can be added while grinding or after grinding.

3. Store ina dry container.

4. More dry red chillies can be added for more spiciness.

Karuvepilai Rice made from the Karuvepilai Podi

To make Karuvepilai Rice- In a Kadai heat oil. When hot add peanuts and fry until light brown. Now add mustard seeds 1 tsp, chana dal 1 tsp, Urad dal 1 tsp, followed by broken dry red chillies and aasafoetida.  Fry until the dals turn light brown. Add Cooked rice made from 1 cup rice, followed by 2 to 3 tbsp of Karuvepilai Podi. Check and adjust salt. The yummy and healthy Karuvepilai Rice is ready. Enjoy. Bon Appetit.

If you tried this recipe and liked it please comment below. We would love to hear from you.

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RASAM POWDER

Rasam South India’s most popular food often served with rice, had as a soup or beverage, or also served as a welcome drink in some restaurants, is one most the simple preparations. Comes to the rescue when one has a Cold as the pepper in the Rasam powder gives relief from the symptoms.

Talking about rasam powder, it is, in fact, the one that gives the Rasam its flavour. In South India, every household has its own recipe of the Rasam powder which is passed on sometimes from generation to generation. Just 5 everyday ingredients make this powder so rich in flavour and it is the proportion of these ingredients that matters the most. 

I am sharing with you my version of the Rasam powder and can assure you that it makes a really good pot of Rasam. While you are here please check out my recipes of Pineapple Rasam and Vetrilai/Betel Leaf Rasam. I will shortly add different variations of the Rasam too for which this powder is the same. 

Here is the recipe  of Rasam Powder--

PREP TIME: 5Mins                                      COOK TIME: 25Mins

TOTAL TIME: 30 Mins                                COURSE:  MAIN 

CUISINE: SOUTH INDIAN                        QUANTITY: 250 GM APPROX

AUTHOR: Rajni Ram

Ingredients:

Dhania seeds/Coriander seeds 1 cup ( approx 150-200gm)

Jeera/Cumin seeds 1 tbsp 

Peppercorns 1 -1.5 tbsp

Tuvar dal 1 tbsp

Dry Red chillies 10

Asafoetida 2 tsp

Curry leaves 3 sprigs( leaves separated)

Directions:

Dry roast the Dhania, Tuvar dal and Jeera separately in a karahi until light brown.

Dry roast the peppercorns until a few start popping. Dry roast the dry red chillies until they become crisp, take care not to burn them. Cool all roasted ingredients and transfer to a blender. Add the asafoetida to this and grind them to a fine powder. The curry leaves must be washed and dried and should have no moisture. After roasting all other ingredients put off the flame and put washed and dried curry leaves into the Kadai and roast it for a few minutes. Add this to the ground powder. Cool the powder and bottle it in an airtight container. This quantity yields about 200 to 250 gms of powder.

NOTES:

I am not giving step by step photos for this recipe as the steps are quite easy to follow.

1. Wash and dry the curry leaves quiet in advance as they should not retain any moisture.

2. Dry roasting to be done on low flame only and keep stirring constantly so that there is even roasting.

SCHEZWAN SAUCE(HOMEMADE)

Schezwan Sauce the high on flavour sauce which gives many dishes like Schezwan Rice, Schezwan Noodles, Schezwan Stir-fried vegetables etc; their distinct flavour. I was happy making Schezwa rice with the store-bought sauce until I chanced upon this recipe while surfing browsing the internet. It seemed so easy and I wondered at its simplicity and high flavour. I learnt to make it so that I could make the Schezwan rice and other such recipes mentioned above with it. The outcome was so so good that I'm not buying store-bought sauce again.  It is so simple and most of them are simple home ingredients.  Chinese Five spice was mentioned and I wondered what it would be. I checked out that too and so I made the 5 spice powder at home too. It is made with everyday masalas we use at home. So here first I will take you through the process of the  Chinese Five-spice powder followed by the Schezwan sauce.

While you are here please check out my other spice powders like Sambar Powder.

I am posting the step by step process directly without the initial directions that I usually give. I have adapted the recipe from "feasting at home"https://www.feastingathome.com/szechuan-sauce/ as per the Indian Palate and substituted with locally available items.

PREP TIME: 5 MINS (30Mins SOAK)      COOK TIME: 5 Mins

TOTAL TIME: 40 Mins                                COURSE:  SAUCE

CUISINE: WORLD FOOD                        QUANTITY: 100 GM APPROX

AUTHOR: Rajni Ram

STEP1 Chinese Five Spice Powder- Assemble 6 Star Anise pods, 1 stick Cinnamon(3-inch piece), 2 tbsp Fennel seeds, 1.5 tsp cloves(whole), 3 tsp regular Peppercorns. Put them in a mixed at and grind to a fine powder. Store in an airtight jar. (can be used in all Indian Subjis, so make more😉).

STEP2: SCHEZWAN SAUCE INGREDIENTS:

Black pepper powder 1/2 tsp

Soy sauce 1/4 cup

Honey 3 tbsp (or) substitute with brown sugar

Sesame oil 1 tbsp

White Vinegar 1 tbsp

Garlic cloves 8 to 10 Indian (or) 3 Chinese pods

Ginger paste 2 tsp

Chilli Paste 1 tbsp

Chinese 5 spice 1/2 tsp

Directions for chilli paste:

Soak Indian Red chillies in warm water for 30 minutes and grind to a paste without adding water at first and adding up to 2 tsp water later.

Directions for the Sauce:

 In a bowl add all ingredients and nicely mix for a minute using a whisk until all ingredients are well combined. The sauce is ready. Bottle it up and store in the refrigerator. Use when required.

NOTE:

This quantity makes about 1 cup of Schezwan Sauce.

Do not forget to Store in the refrigerator.

If you tried this recipe and liked it please comment below, would love to hear from you. Also, like and share the link.

SAMBAR POWDER

Sambar,  South India’s most popular food often served with rice and also as an accompaniment for Dosa, Idli, Paniyaram, Pongal and many such recipes. What gives the Sambar its flavour and taste? But of course the Sambar Powder. Every South Indian household has its own proportions of the ingredients for the Sambar Powder. The main ingredients being the same, there may be some differences based on the region. 

This recipe of Sambar powder can also be used to make Vatha Kozhambu a traditional South Indian preparation. You can check out the recipe of Vatha Kozhambu here. 

Sambar powder is used to make Rasam too in some households, but I strongly recommend not to use Sambar powder for Rasam, as though most ingredients are same the addition of pepper gives the Rasam powder a different taste and flavour altogether. I will post the Rasam powder recipe soon. 

This recipe yields about 250 gm of powder, which can be stored in an airtight container as used when required.

Here is the recipe for Sambar Powder which makes delicious and flavourful Sambar.

PREP TIME: 5Mins                                      COOK TIME: 25Mins

TOTAL TIME: 30 Mins                                COURSE:  MAIN 

CUISINE: SOUTH INDIAN                        QUANTITY: 250 GM APPROX

AUTHOR: Rajni Ram

Ingredients:

Coriander seeds/ Dhania seeds 2 cups

Urad dal 3/4 cup

Chana dal 1/2 cup

Tuvar dal 1/4 cup

Fenugreek seeds/ Methi seeds 1 tbsp

Dry red chillies 150 GM

Turmeric powder 1 tbsp

Red chilli powder 1 cup

Directions: 

Each ingredient except turmeric powder and red chilli powder should be fried in a karahi separately to golden brown colour. Dry roast, no need of oil. The red chillies should turn crisp. Cool all of them after frying and grind them to a fine powder. Now add the turmeric powder and red chilli powder to the ground powder and mix well. Store in an airtight container. 

2 tbsp of this powder will make Sambar to serve 5 people. The powder will last 6 months or more when stored in a cool dry place. 

During peak summer you can also keep all ingredients except turmeric and red chilli powder directly in the hot sun for 2 hours and grind when still crisp.

NOTE:

I am not giving step by step photos for this recipe as it is quite easy to follow. Each ingredient to be slow-roasted in a Kadai separately, or to be kept in the sun, each in a separate flat plate so that they are even heated.

If you tried making Sambar with this proportion of Sambar powder please comment below. I would love to hear from you.