It is always better to have kuzhambu podi in your kitchen. You don't have to worry about other spice powders when you have this. Homemade curry powder gives nice taste and flavor to your curry or gravy. It can be done easily and used in non-veg, veg curry recipes, poriyal, stir fry, etc...

Ingredients

• 25-28 Red Chili 
• 1/2 cup Coriander seeds
• 3 tbsp Cumin seeds
• 1 tbsp Pepper corns
• 1 tbsp Rice

Procedure

~ Dry roast all ingredients separately in low medium heat.

~ Let it cool for 15-30 minutes.

~ When it is cool, take it in a blender and powder it to a fine powder.

~ Store it in airtight container. Shelf life is 6-9 months. 

• You can double the recipe, if you want.

• You can reduce or increase red chili according to your spice level.

                 Coconut milk and coconut paste are easy to prepare at home. You can use shredded coconut or cut piece coconut. Coconut milk can be refrigerated for about 2 days. 

Ingredients

• Coconut
• Water

Procedure

~ To form Coconut paste, Grind 1 cup coconut with 2/3 cup water .

~ To collect Coconut Milk, Grind 1 cup coconut with 1 cup water and strain it. (1st batch milk)

~ Few recipes may require 2nd batch milk and 3rd batch milk . In that case, take the remains in the strainer into the blender and add 1 cup water to it. Grind it and strain again. You can notice the milk is not as thick as 1st batch milk.

~ Repeat the previous step for 3rd batch milk.

Only 1st batch milk is extracted and used mostly. Depending upon the recipe,  2nd batch milk and 3rd batch milk are extracted.