Kuzhambu Podi / South Indian Gravies Powder

Kuzhambu Podi is a ready mix powder use to prepare all types of kulambu varieties / South Indian gravies and we can prepare even North Indian gravies too with this powder since it has all basic ingredients like coriander, red chilly, urad dhal, and fenugreek.  Kulambu podi is prepared in different methods but we (sourashtra people) use to prepare this in such a way to suit our taste and needs.
We use to  prepare it in large quantity and store for more than 6 months or a year. It stays good for a long time since we fry all the ingredients and dry it in sunshade well, which increases the life shelf of the powder. The aroma of the powder stays good when it is stored in an air tight container.

I remember my childhood days where my mom makes this powder. It takes her a half day job to fry all the ingredients and she will be in full sweat and suffering from leg pain, while leaving the kitchen. Then the next two days, she will be looking for a really hot sun, and dry all the fried ingredients in sunshade for two days. Then she would take those heavy buckets to the machines where she usually grind the powder and bring it back. Really it’s a tiresome job when prepared in large quantity for big families. Am able to understand her effort only when i entered into the kitchen to  prepare all this variety. Really, Mom is great, who does all this job and never shown her pain in her face!
Here I have given measurements to prepare for large quantity but amateur cooks try first in small quantities. Once you stick to the taste of this powder, you will keep trying it frequently in your kitchen. For me, not even a day can set without this powder. It’s a must in my kitchen shelf.

Ingredients:

Coriander Seeds	2 kg
Dry Red Chilly	1/2 kg
Black Gram / Ulutham Paruppu / Ulundhu	1 and 1/4 kg
Whole Turmeric / Virali Manjal	1/4 kg
Fenugreek	50 gms
Idly Rice	300 gms

Cooking Instructions:
Heat a deep fry pan and dry roast the coriander seeds dividing it in four equal batches. Fry the coriander seeds until it changes in color slightly and becomes crunchy and a nice aroma comes out of it. Keep stirring it without leaving your hands, else the seeds at the bottom of the pan will burn and turn black. Once a batch of coriander  is well fried, keep it aside in a large plate to cool down and start with the next batch of the coriander seeds. Next fry the red chilly without removing the stem similarly in 3 or 4 batches, until you see some black spots on the chilly and the chilly doubles in its size when it is well fried and keep it aside in the same plate. Then fry the black gram in three batches until it slightly changes in red color and a good aroma rises out of it.

Then dry roast the idli rice in two batches until it changes slightly red in color and crisp and then keep it aside in the plate. Then dry roast whole turmeric just for one or two minutes and keep it aside in the plate. At last, fry the fenugreek seeds till it turns golden brown in color and keep aside. Frying process is over!

Now discard the stems of the chilly and mix all the ingredients and dry it under sunshade (good hot)  for 2 days. Once all the items are dried well and has become crisp, take it to the mill and grind it to fine powder. Once you return from mill, let the grinded powder to cool down in a large plate ( else the powder will turn slightly black in color due to heat) and then shift to air tight containers. Sourashtra people famous Aromatic Kolambu Podi ( Ounti Bhurko, how we call) is ready !