Karivepilai Podi

My favourite leaf transformed into a spice powder. Watch out! Karuvepalai podi(or curry leaf spice powder) has a tendency to vanish miraculously before your very eyes. Sprinkle this heavenly spiced powder on rice, or use it to temper your vegetables or smear over a sandwich. Yum!

Ingredients 4 cups curry leaves(Karuvepalai) Salt to taste

Spice Mix 1/4 tsp fresh tamarind 1/2 tsp mustard seeds 2 tbsp coconut oil 3 dry red chillies 1 tsp urad dal Pinch hing

Serves 4-6 Pots n pans Food processor Wok or fry pan

Method
• Separate curry leaves from stem. Discard stem, wash leaves and pat dry on towel.

• Heat oil in wok. Add mustard seeds. When they splutter add urad dal, then red chillies broken in halves. Add hing when urad & red chilies are lightly roasted.

• Immediately add curry leaves. Stir a few times till any water sticking to leaves evaporates.

roasting curry leaves

• Let cool. SOS Cooling is a very important step for your spice powder, otherwise if you’re hasty, and decide to work with hot curry leaves; you may end up with a steamed flavour that we’re trying to avoid. We are aiming for a nice roasted fragrance & taste.

• When cool, grind in food processor with fresh tamarind and salt till leaves become a coarse powder.

Health benefits
Curry leaves are very,very, very good for you.

They taste great and are good for you-they make your skin glow, your hair, long, strong and lustrous, your skin, and your internal organs, pretty much all parts of your body, internal & external will thank you when you start incorporating curry leaves in your diet.

I believe curry leaves are so delicious & so good that every city, every state & every country & every continent should encourage their citizens to grow curry leaves in their homes. 🙂

I brought home a curry leaf plant inspired by my friend’s tree that has grown a few feet tall in her living room. If someone tries telling you that curry leaf plants can’t grow anywhere other than India, please show them this post. My friend lives close by in temperatures which can easily reach -40 degrees C with the wind chill. If curry leaf can grow to a tree in this sub arctic temperature indoors, I believe anything is possible, don’t’ you??

I love curry leaves so much, I put them in my food, I make this awesome Podi and I even use it in my hair treatment every Saturday-will share that tip another time. Though it’s hard to keep away from eating my hair on those days, this leaf is that fragrant!!

Karuvepalai Podi is quintessentially Tamil Brahmin…recipes are passed on from generation to generation so I’m sure there are many recipes from many kitchens…I remember my mother-in-law going to her backyard to pluck leaves to make this Podi.. And another time she made a Karuvepalai Podi sandwich for her flight back to India.

I made a simple potato curry to pair karuvepalai podi mixed with steamed rice and a spot of ghee!

I kept this recipe simple with just a dash of spice. Typically you would have noticed I suggest a leaf or two to temper your food, however in this post, curry leaf takes center stage. A bunch of curry leaves just cost me 99 cents & I used 2 bunches for this recipe.

I was surprised how 4 cups of packed curry leaves, filled just a small jar in the final stage..

I know you’ll want to guard this Podi rather carefully, but if you’re like me now you know you could easily make another batch..Happy making your podi.. and if you have any questions feel free to write to me.

— soul of spice —

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