Every cuisine will have certain spices that have an important role to play in enhancing the flavour of the dishes. In Indian Cuisine, the basic spice powders are Red Chilli Powder, Coriander Powder, Turmeric Powder and Cumin Powder. Today I’m going to share my mom’s recipe for Homemade Red chilli powder, a perfect blend of various spices, which can set the taste buds and tummy on fire;-).
Most people are attracted to Indian food for two reasons- Lots of flavour and heat. I generally incline towards spicy, sizzling hot versions of recipes, thanks to my super spice tolerance taste buds
. Variation in spices makes the recipes distinct from one another. Did you ever notice that I never mentioned the use of coriander or cumin powder in my recipes? That’s because my homemade red chilli powder has all the required spices in it. This simple post is due since long, but better late than never;-). I can assure you that even if you had tried my recipes with regular red chilli powder, it still would have tasted great :P. Do you agree with me?
I still remember how my grandmother used to pack this homemade red chilli powder for us whenever we visit her during summer holidays. And now my mom does the same during my visit to India. Yes, this is one powder, which I definitely make it a point to bring to Germany. I feel that the homemade powders give the perfect flavour and colour to our dishes and there is a huge difference in taste. The secret behind this simple recipe is just the ratio of the ingredients. Every household has their own way of preparing fresh powders. It’s an easy blend to make yourself, with the added advantage that you can tailor the mix to your own tastes. Once made, it can be preserved for long time, if kept in a dry place.
Do you make your own red chilli powder, and if so, how does this recipe compare?
What Ingredients do we need?
Let’s see how to prepare Homemade Red Chilli Powder:
- Remove the stems of dry red chillies.
- Dry all the ingredients under sunlight for two days or till the red chillies gets really crisp.
- Grind to a fine powder in a grinding mill/flour mill. When using small quantities, you can grind in a spice blender.
- Do not store the red chilli powder when it is hot.
- When the powder is cooled down, store in an airtight container
- Remove small quantities to a smaller container and use.
- This will help you retain the flavour of the red chilli powder for longer period.
- It can be stored for almost a year when used with care.
Note: I couldn’t find turmeric roots at the local Indian store, so just took a shot with turmeric powder instead.
Homemade Red Chilli Powder
Ingredients
- 1 kilogram dry red chillies
- ¼ Kilogram turmeric roots
- ¼ kilogram Coriander seeds
- 50 grams fenugreek seeds
- 50 grams cumin seeds
Instructions
- Remove stems of dry red chillies.
- Dry all the ingredients under sunlight for two days.
- Grind to a fine powder in a grinding mill/flour mill. When using small quantities, you can grind it in a spice blender at home.
- Do not store the red chilli powder when it is hot.
- When the powder is cooled down, store in an airtight container.
- Remove small quantities to a smaller container and use.
- This will help you retain the flavour of the red chilli powder for longer period.
- It can be stored for almost a year when used with care.
Notes
Combine 1 teaspoon of red chilli powder with
-½ teaspoon coriander powder
-¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
-A pinch of cumin powder and fenugreek powder (Optional but this is what gives that extra kick of flavour to the curry)
I always add extra turmeric powder in my dishes, though my red chilli powder has turmeric in it, since it is healthy and gives colour to the dishes.
Avoid using wet hands while using the red chilli powder, the shelf life will decrease and fungus may form.
All the ingredients should dry well in the sun before grinding.
Crush a few garlic pods to small quantities the powder while using to enhance the flavour the the curries.
Store the powder in an air tight container.
Happy Cooking 🙂
Cheers!!
Padma.
