Saturday, August 28, 2010

Back to Basics : Cumin-Coconut Powder

Pin It Now! One thing that sits on my shelf almost always is the cumin-coconut powder - jeera khobra powder. I never knew about this magical ingredient until I moved to this land and craved some authentic maharashtrian food. This is the  ingredient that gives a homey flavour to curries and the khichdis. When my mom added it to khichdi its aroma spread throughout the house and we knew what we were having for dinner that night.

 She made this jeera khobra powder fresh in her beloved mortar-pestle each time she required it. The crushing of seeds by this method released their fragrant oils. I do not own a mortar-pestle though,so I make it in my indian mixie. To save time I make about a cup of it every time and store it in the rack. A tsp of the blend is just enough for most recipes.

What you need is :
1C dry shredded coconut
2tbsp cumin

 How to :-
 Grind both into a fine powder and use as required.Optionally you can lightly roast them and then grind. That would increase shelf-life even further.

Goes to Back to Basics event hosted this month at Served with Love. Visit the round-ups for useful tips and how-tos to make your life in kitchen easier and faster.

1 comment:

Sailaja Damodaran said...

Sounds easy.can you tell for what all dishes this podi is used?