Ingredients:

• 2.5 cups – dried or fresh curry leaves( also known as kariveppillai/ curry patta)
• 1/4 cup – split chick pea ( Chana dal)
• 1/4 cup – split black gram lentil ( udad dal)
• 30 – dry Red Chillies ( or according to taste)
• 1/8 tsp – Asafoetida / Hing (optional)
• salt to taste

Method:

1. Dry roast each of the lentils separately until it turns reddish.
2. Keep aside separately.
3. Dry roast the curry leaves until it turns a little brownish, you can hear a crackling sound when you stir, then keep aside.
4. Dry roast the red chillies until they turn color and keep aside.
5. Cool all the ingredients thoroughly before proceeding to powder them.
6. Powder the split chick pea until slightly coarse, then add split black gram lentil to it, and continue to powder until they look like bread crumbs.
7. Keep aside.
8. Powder the curry leaves into a fine powder and keep aside.
9. Powder the dry red chillies with a pinch of salt if required until reasonably fine and keep aside.
10. Now mix all these powdered ingredients together in a blender, add salt and asafoetida and powder until fine.
11. Store in an airtight container and use as required to spice up your rice, yogurt or curries.

Recipe courtesy of Usha