Nalla Karapodi

                                    Breakfast Side Dishes

            Karapoodis are powdered lentils and spices that is mixed with oil and used as a dip with idlys (steamed rice cakes) and dosas (Indian crepes). Kara means spicy and poodi means powder. There are different varieties of these powders in southern India. Every household usually keeps at least two karapoodis in stock. It is a great substitute for chutneys.

            Some karapoodis can even be mixed with plain rice and ghee (clarified butter). Since these powders doesn’t have any moisture content they have a long shelf life.

            The karapoodi that I am making today is called Nala Karam. It is a spicy, tangy, and garlicy powder. It is a personal favorite of my family. This karapoodi doesn’t contain any lentils. The two important ingredients in this powder are coriander seeds and tamarind.

Ingredients:

Coriander seeds – ¾ cup

Cumin seeds – 2 tbsps.

Tamarind – 1/3 cup, packed

Garlic – 15 cloves

Dried red chili – 3 or to taste

Salt – to taste

Preheat oven to 175° F. Break the tamarind into small pieces and spread them on a baking sheet. Dehydrate this in the oven for one hour. Let cool. Slice garlic into thin rounds and spread it on a baking sheet. Dehydrate in the oven for 20-30 minutes. Let cool.

Heat a pan and dry roast the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and chilis separately until they are roasted. Let cool.

Add the spices to a blender and blend for thirty seconds. Now add the tamarind, garlic, and salt to the blender. Continue to blend until you get a slightly coarse powder. Store it in an air tight container.

To use it as a dip, melt a table spoon or two of ghee or margarine. Add about a table spoon of the karapoodi and mix well.

For a video version of this recipe visit:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXqNF-wG68c