A spoonful of Curry powder…

Will go a long way in any Indian curry.

The preparations of these curry powders changes for every 100 KM you travel in India, and highly depends on where you want to use them – in a dry curry or a gravy curry. Also, the ingredients and method of making the curry powder is heavily influenced from the local staple of a given location. Like for example, peanuts are an important ingredient in most Telugu curries, whereas its Coconut if you go to the Konkan area. Well, I can talk with authority about these two regions , thanks to Mother-in-law and Mom respectively! :-)

This curry powder has a small history and is from my Mom-in-law’s kitchen… my mother-in-law makes some kick-ass curries especially with Eggplants and Bittergourd and she uses a different curry powder for them both. The husband just loves these two curries and either dish is a part of the main course lunch in our house on a regular weekend. Making your own curry powder and then a curry with it has always seemed to be a bit of a daunting task for me, but when I see her cook this, it feels very easy… but then, that ease comes with years of cooking, doesn’t it?

This powder is one of the easiest and simplest of all the curry powders I’ve seen so far, and is one of the most used too. This will keep well for atleast a week in an airtight container, or you can freeze this in a ziplock bag to preserve the aromas for long-term use.  This can be used when you want to make a brinjal/eggplant, okra or a regular beans curry. Let one cup of any of these vegetables steam a bit in a Tbsp of any cooking oil, and pour 2 Tbsp of this powder on it and mix it well for a delicious, aromatic curry which can be eaten with white rice or roti(or any other Indian bread or Tortilla) also.

South Indian Curry Powder

Ingredients
Urad Dal – 2 Tbsp
Chana Dal – 2 Tbsp
Coriander seeds – 1 Tbsp
Cumin seeds – 1 Tbsp
Peanuts – 1/3 C
Red Chillies – 4-5

Instructions
Dry roast all the ingredients till they turn golden brown and fill your kitchen with a their aromas.
Grind them coarse in a mixer-grinder.
Store in an airtight container for upto a week.