SAMBHAR MASALA POWDER

Hello everyone

Those who belong to south India would definitely know the place of sambhar in their platter but the other people , not only from other parts of India but from different parts of world are fan of this delectable side dish to idli, dosas or uttapam. But some times it becomes difficult to replicate that restaurant type or authentic South Indian taste to our sambhar. The option left with us is go for readymade masala powders . But most of us don't find it so good to use store bought masalas , may be due to hygiene reason or due to intolerance to some specific spices. So what to do, do we have to compromise with taste always? 

No, not at all... Today I have a tried and tested sambhar masala powder recipe I am making and using for years and it never disappointed me. It's recipe is given below, hope you will enjoy every bit of it and will never go for store bought one after trying this. Do try and let me know how's it turned out for you.

SAMBHAR MASALA POWDER 

Yield: 1 cup+

Time : 20 mins

Ingredients 

1 tbsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp black pepper corns

1 tbsp fenugreek seeds

10 tbsp coriander seeds 

1 tbsp Chana dal ( split gram lentil)

2 tsp toor dal (pegion pea lentil) 

2 tsp urad dal ( split black lentil)

20- 25 dried red chilies, long 

1/4 cup dry desiccated coconut 

1 tbsp turmeric powder 

2 tsp asafetida ( heeng)

Handful of curry leaves

Method: 

Dry roast or use little oil to roast curry leaves, till crisp and keep aside. Now add all ingredients till dry red chilies in a pan and dry roast on low flame till nice aromatic . 

Now add rest of ingredients in it and roast for another 2-3 mins and switch off the flame. Let it cool completely then grind to fine powder and store in an air tight jar. 

Your aromatic home made sambhar masala powder is ready to be used.

I used round chilies as had only those but long one will give better result. You can increase or decrease chilies as per your taste, instead use green chilies while making sambhar to balance it. 

In addition to sambhar preparation,You can use this powder to enhance taste of your dry veggies also , instead of garam masala ,sprinkle little bit of this masala on your veggies ,when cooked, and mix well. It will give totally new flavor to your routine side dishes.

You can keep this spice mix in fridge for 5-6 months and on your counter for 1-2 month. Better to keep it in fridge to ensure its long life, if you are not regular sambhar eater. Always use dry spoon to scoop out masala. 

So prepare this perfect blend of aromatic spices and enjoy your South Indian delicacies with the same authentic flavour. Hope you will like this simple yet flavourful spice recipe . Please pour your valuable comments and suggestions here, they meant a lot.

Happy cooking.... 

EGGLESS SPARKLING SPRINKLES FOR CAKES AND COOKIES

Hello everyone

Today I have a very easy but interesting decoratives recipe for cakes and cookies. Who don't like cakes, cupcakes or cookies decorated with sparkling glittery sprinkles. Specially kids love to relish on decorated stuffs more than naked ones. But in market these decoratives are too expensive and generally available with eggs. So why not give it a try at home also, with easy available ingredients, eggless and in minimum time and effort. Today I am sharing glittery sparkling colored sugar sprinkles recipe, many more are coming in further days. Till then try and enjoy these super easy and attractive sprinkles at home and win your kids heart. Hope you all will definitely give it a try. 

Stepwise recipe is given below, do try and let me know how it turned out for you.

EGGLESS SPARKLING SPRINKLES FOR CAKES AND COOKIES

Yield: 2+ tbsp 

Time: 10 mins

Ingredients:

2 heaped tbsp fine granulated sugar

1/4 tsp edible liquid color ( your choice)

2 drops vanilla essence ( completely optional, I skipped)

Method:

Mix sugar, colour and essence well. 

Spread in thin layer on a baking tray lined with butter paper .

Now bake in a preheated oven at 180 degree C for 10 mins.

Now break all the lumps formed in sugar with oven mitt when it's still warm. Or you can also use rolling pin to separate sugar granules. But use light hands to avoid powdering your sprinkles. Once cooled , keep it in airtight containers.  I made six colors red, blue, green, yellow ,orange and purple by mixing red and blue colors. Your glittery sparkling sprinkles are ready to use. 

You can use any color of your choice or can also mix and match different colors to get different shades of your choice.

Try to use fine granules sugar, neither powdered ones nor too big granules, to get nice glittery texture.

Avoid adding too much of color, it may make lots of lumps and also ruin taste of sprinkles.

You can prepare these in bulk and store properly to use later whenever needed.

Now decorate your sweet treats with these sparkling beauties and see the eyes of your munchkins glittering with happiness. 

You can also use these on your puddings, ice creams or others sweet dishes to add extra attraction and crunchiness.

Hope you all will love this eggless sprinkle recipe and please pour your valuable comments and suggestions here, they meant a lot.

Happy cooking....