Thursday, March 1, 2012

Roasted Coriander powder

This week has been a really hectic one with so many happenings and so much work to do at home. The week started normal and then I found out that ,using the blog feed someone is copying the entire content from Collaborative Curry and publishing in their site.That means this post will also appear on the site of those shameless creatures as soon as I post here ! There was a huge discussion going on in my Facebook page.I do not want to give those people any more unwanted publicity. So I am not giving a link here on this page,but the name of that site is "desifoodbuzz" which clearly shows they couldn't even create a site name themselves and copied that too ! If you would like to know more about it,ask me. I can send a message.


Coriander Powder- roasted



It is not that I do not have anything in my drafts,but none of them has decent pictures.So I had to settle for this one,something I wanted to share with you for so long. When I started learning to cook, I didn't know much about the difference in using roasted coriander powder or the raw powder in cooking Kerala dishes. But I knew that whenever I add the coriander powder from Kerala,the curries tasted wonderful.

Coriander Seeds

I was under the impression that everyone roast coriander before they grind.Correct me here,if I am wrong.When my kids were smaller I always bought all the spice powders from grocery store or I bring a big pack with me whenever I visit Kerala. But after coming to US,the frequency of Kerala visits got minimal and the Indian grocery stores that sell spice powders from brands in Kerala rare. So I decided to make my own masala powders and spice powders,my own. I know most of you might be doing the same,but this post is for the newbies and for those who do not know the difference between roasted and non-roasted coriander powder.

Coriander Powder- roasted

As I told you, I use roasted coriander powder for making signature dishes from Kerala,especially all the non vegetarian dishes and those recipes that calls for roasted coconut. I have tried making chicken curry,black channa curry etc. with the usual coriander powder whenever I ran out of roasted powder, but believe me, even after adding double the quantity I didn't get the flavor I get from adding roasted one.So if you are from Kerala, and shifted to some other place and use ready made coriander powder in your dishes and wondering why your chicken curry or kadala curry doesn't taste the same,here is the answer : use roasted coriander powder ! The difference is as much as the color difference you see here.

Coriander

This doesn't mean that I do not use raw coriander or raw coriander powder. I use them in plenty in the North Indian dishes I make. I use coarsely crushed coriander in samosas and parathas.Before I say goodbye,I would like to discuss a couple of health benefits of coriander.Coriander is good for your stomach and if you have gastritis,just chew on a few coriander seeds or boil some water with coriander seeds in it and drink. This is a common practice in Kerala,we drink boiled water with several different spices. The scope of that subject is enough for another post,so I will tell you more about that some other time. Coriander seeds has the ability to reduce LDL cholesterol,it has lot of dietary fibers, it has vitamin C and is a good source of many essential minerals. You can read more here. In Ayurveda, chewing these seeds is recommended for,getting rid of bad breath.

Disclaimer: The health/medicinal benefits I discussed here is based on my knowledge from the practices we do at home.Follow at your own risk !

Ingredients:

Coriander seeds

Method:

1.Dry roast coriander seeds in a thick bottom pan on medium low heat,for about 10 minutes or until seed color changes slightly and a nice aroma comes.
2.Spread it on a thick sheet of paper and let it cool down. Grind using your dry grinder/coffee grinder when it is still warm when you touch.
3.When powder cools down to room temperature,store it in an air tight container.

37 comments:

  1. I rarely use roasted dhania seeds(U know that I'm from north :) )whenever I need for any particular dish I roast a little bit & grind it. Next time I'll try roasted kind with some chicken curry.Never bought ready made dhania powder they are so fine & no smell at all, love to grind my own.

    Sorry to hear about someone stealing your posts, but have they stopped now after U found? it's a shame how people can do this.

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  2. A beautiful post with beautiful clicks. Namitha, I loved the way you introduced this post..I'm glad they have refrained from anymore stealing from You...

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  3. Coriander shots looks lovely. Namitha, some of my posts have been popping up on the site you mentioned here. do they not link up to your site? It has been hectic and I have not been able to check that site out thoroughly.

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    1. Yes,they do give links but what if they also show the full posts. I saw your posts there,but didn't write to you because those were not full.With one click they were showing the entire post from here and Harini's (tongue ticklers)blog and many other's too on their site.

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  4. Gorgeous pictures Namitha! I can almost smell that roasted coriander :) I too bring back spices from my mom or mom in law who roast and grind them at home. Will have to start doing this soon myself since our next trip home seems quite a long way away :( Glad that saga with the content theft is over.

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  5. perfect daniya powder and thenks for sharing.

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  6. Beautiful post dear,loving the clicks..will have to this,home made is the best.

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  7. Love this post Nami..even I wanted to do this one for long time, happy to see ur post with beautiful pictures. Hope your problem is solved now with the copy cats.

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  8. Awesome clicks and nice post...Sorry to here about the stealing..Hope its sorted out now..

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  9. Interesting post. I never roast coriander but now I am quite intrigued, will have to try it. Love all the pictures, the one in the cheratta thavi.. oh my gosh! Will have to buy these when I am in Kerala.. which will be soon.

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  10. cool love the coriander powder...
    love the clicks... I will try it my chicken curries...

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  11. Glad that ordeal has ended for u Namitha! You are so right about the roasted powder, makes such a difference. I usually roast and grind the seeds myself, but have a store bought pack in the freezer just in case I run out.

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  12. very cool hubby says he does it :-) and so sorry about folks stealing your content that means your good hugs

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  13. nice aroma powder....beautiful pic!

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  14. Lovely post Namitha, I too use roasted coriander powder mostly and when I ran out of them I roast the raw dhania powder and use it. Awesome clicks :-)

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  15. Glad that your problem is solved !! Pictures look so good !! Homemade powders always bring in the extra flavor !!

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  16. So glad you kicked their ass! I totally agree with you, the roasted and raw powders have such different characteristics. I also use both, as the recipe demands. I absolutely hate the store bought coriander powder, it has no flavor and tastes like sand. Now I always buy coriander seeds and grind my own coriander powder from time to time. The flavor of freshly ground coriander is unbeatable!

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  17. I'm intrigued by the spice water you mentioned and I'm waiting for that post.....

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  18. That is a spice I love. I bet that when it's roasted it has more depth in flavor.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  19. Wow homemade is always best...pretty pics. I havent written to them will do it rightaway else will keep forgetting :)

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  20. awesome powder..basic for anything

    Aarthi
    http://www.yummytummyaarthi.com/

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  21. there is nothing more worse than some loser stealing all your hard work.

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  22. i never knew that roasted coriander pwd even existed, good know this is so educative :)) sorry about jerks stealing, they need few butt kicks!

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  23. those are some gorgeous pictures. i've never used roasted coriander powder, unless i am raosted whole spices, grinding them and using them in a particular dish!

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  24. i try never to use coriander seeds. coriander seeds or powder tend to spoil the curry faster, especially in hotter conditions. i have heard of the health benefits but....

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  25. I cannot imagine cooking without this aromatic coriander powder da. Wonderful prep.

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  26. k i had absolutely no clue..i used to add the coriander powder directly :)

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  27. I use coriander all the time and its best, roasted :) Love the photos and instructions.

    Thanks for visiting my blog!

    Kiran @ KiranTarun.com

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  28. I feel terrible about someone stealing your content. As long as we're on internet business there will be always someone who care less about copyright and just take our hard work away. I believe in Carma and I hope he/she will be punished somehow.

    I love coriander but never tried cooking with roasted one. This is beautiful photography Namitha!

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  29. Namitha, the photos are beautiful! I use roasted as well as unroasted powders depending on the dish. My mom tells me that in olden days, people would let coriander dry in the sun rather than roast it. Roasting started much later even in the South, and the less we roast it the better it is for health.

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    1. Coming from you, that compliment is an award for me :-) I really admire your blog and the pictures you take. Yes, roasted is unhealthy and I can't agree more with your mom

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  30. nothing like home made powder! I had no clue that the colors would be so different. I usually roast and then grind.

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  31. Hi Namitha. Linking to this page in my recent post. Hope you don't mind :)

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  32. Love the clicks !! Am shocked that someone is publishing your post in their name - how upsetting !! Hope u sort out the issue and things return back to happy blogging !! All the very best :) lots of hugs !! U girls work o hard and deserve better !!

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