What you need to make Rasam powder
- 1/4 kilo Lal Mirch (Red chillies)
- 1/2 kilo dhania (coriander seeds)
- 100 gms Jeera (cumin seeds)
- 100 gms Kali Mirch (black pepper)
- 300 gms Methi (Fenugreek seeds)
- 50 gms Rai (Mustard seeds)
- 10 strands Kadi Patha (Curry leaves)
- 10 gms Hing (Asofoetida) (For those in India a medium sized SSP HIng box)
- 1 tsp Ghee (use the spoon you eat with)
The guntur variety is roundish and imparts a rich red colour to the powder
The byadgi variety is less spicy, hence you would have to use 1/2 kilo if you choose this.
Preparation for making Rasam powder
- Wash curry leaves and dry thoroughly in the sun. It should not have any moisture on it.
- Clean the red chillies. Its upto you whether you want to remove the cap.
- Place a heavy bottomed vessel(kadai) on the stove (switched on).
- Keep the flame low.
- Switch on the exhaust fans please :)
- Put the coriander seeds into the kadai. To this also add the curry leaves. Roast both together constantly stirring. Take care that it does not burn. Roast till it turns a little brown.
- Pour this out to a big container. (You will keep adding the rest of the ingredients after preparing them to this same container).
- Now its the turn of the red chillies. Put the red chillies into the kadai. I am sure we wouldn't keep giant kadais at home hence you wil have to roast the chillies in parts. Roast the red chillies till they are warm to the touch. Its also necessary that you keep turning the chillies around in the kadai so that they are all evenly warm
- Pour this out to the same big container as mentioned before.
- (You could roast the chillies in the end also because the air does get swamped with "chilliness" and you will end up sneezing and watery eyed.)
- Put the cumin seeds into the kadai. Keep moving it around while it crackles. Stop when it changes colour a little bit.
- Pour this out to the same big container as mentioned before.
- Please note that that the kadai would get pretty hot over time and ingredients could burn if you are not watching.
- Now for the black pepper. Take 1/2 tsp of ghee and put it into the kadai. To this add the black pepper and roast for a veyr little while. It will crackle and spurt a lot so you will have to keep a lid handy to cover it. Ofcourse leave a little place for your spoon to enter and stir :) (Tough job)
- Pour this out to the same big container as mentioned before.
- Take 1/2 tsp of ghee and put it into the kadai. Put the fenugreek seeds into this. Roast till it becomes a brown.
- Pour this out to the same big container as mentioned before.
- Now put mustard seeds and asafoetida into the kadai and roast a little.
- Pour this out to the same big container as mentioned before.
Method to make powder
- Allow the contents of the big container to cool down to room temperature.
- Now either you could use a Mixer/Grinder which you have at home or you could take it to your friendly neighboruhood rice mill and grind all the contents together. It should be ground to a fine powder
- You will have with you around 1 and 1/2 to 2 kilos of Rasam powder which could last from 8 months to a year for you depending on usage.
- Please keep this powder in an air tight container at all times.
- My advice would be to pour out little quantities into a smaller box and use this daily instead of opening the big air tight box everyday.
- If you do not want to end up with this humonguos quantity of powder just reduce the quantity of ingredients proportionally.
- The main ingredient being the red chilli, if you reduce it by half for example then you will have to reduce all the other ingredients also by half.
- And yes, the key to making your rasam less spicy is not in the ingredients of the powder but in the quantity you dunk into your rasam itself ;)
you can roast the red chillies with a teaspoon of oil. this will take away the "ghatu"(chilliness) of the chillies.
ReplyDeletehey mangala, thanks for he tip!
ReplyDelete