Narrated by Pankajam Sarathy to Latha Sarathy
Cooking powder is a recipe I learned from my mother- in- law. It had been in their family for generations. I really don’t know where the name came from. We all just called it Cooking Powder.
After my marriage at age 16 I started learning recipes with my mother-in-law side by side in our kichen. At that time we lived in Madurai. The apartment was very small. It had a hall, a kichen and a veranda. We slept in the hall, while my in-laws slept in the veranda. We were in that apartment for 3 years. Our rent was 12 rupees and at that time Akila’s grandfather made 60 rupees. With that we ran the whole household. We walked everywhere. The whole 3 years I was in Madurai I never rode on a bus.
The kitchen did not have a gas stove. The stove was made from dried mud. It was sacked high and underneath there was an opening. In the opening we put a piece of dried cow dung. On top of the dung we put a little kerosene and set it to burn. On the top of the mud stove we created 3 small flat mounds where we set the cooking pots.
I remember that to get water we had to go to a well in the middle of the compound. There was a small bucket tied with a rope. I had to drop the bucket down into bring up the water. Then I had to climb up 15 steps to get to our flat. We had to do this to get water for cooking, washing, for everything
Now, here in the U.S., I make it for Akila. She really likes it. But I always make enough to take with me when I go to India. Nobody makes it there anymore, no one has the time.
Recipe
- 10 teaspoons tamarind paste/amchur powder
- 10 teaspoons sambar powder
- 4 teaspoons tumeric powder
- 10 teaspoons salt
- 4 teaspoons hing
- 4 teaspoons asfoetedia
- 4 teaspoons mustard seeds
- 3 full curry leaves
- 1/2 cup coriander seeds
- 1/2 cup black sesame seeds
- 1/2 cup channa dhal
Step 1: Dry roast the black sesame seeds in a skillet for 1-2 minutes, until you hear the seeds pop. Put the seeds in a coffee grinder and grind to a powder. Remember to always grind the sesame seeds separately because the sesame seeds will give off a small amount of oil.
Step 2: Add the curry leaves, coriander seeds and channa dhal to the skillet. Dry roast for 1-2 minutes. Grind in coffee grinder to a powder and add to sesame seed powder.
Step 3: Place the tamarind paste, sambar powder, tumeric powder and salt in a mixing bowl. Add 2-3 tablespoons water and knead until the mixture forms a tight, cohesive ball. Cover the bowl with aluminum foil or a lid and store in a cool, dark place. Inside a pantry or cabinet works well. Store for 2 days to remove raw smell.
After 2 days of storing spread the mixture on a baking sheet and leave in the sun or where there is sunlight for 2 days. Mix it regularly so that there are no lumps. Once it is fully dried out, put in blender or coffee grinder to grind to a fine powder. Then add in the sesame powder mixture and blend well by hand.
Dry roast the mustard seeds and add to mixture. Add the aseofoedia and mix well.
Uses of Cooking Powder
-Substitute for sambar powder when making sambar
-Mix with rice and hot oil for a tamarind rice dish. This can be packed in aluminum foil for traveling. The rice mixture will keep for 2-3 days without refrigeration.
-Cooking powder is great to take while traveling. All you need for a meal is rice and a little oil