The best basic chaaru/ rasam podi ever

This is a risky claim to make in a country full of people with their own variants for podis or masala powders that get added to this-or-that-dish, making it unique and entirely their own. So much of what we call kai-manam, which is quite literally the aroma of the hand (of the cook), or kai gunam (the virtue of the hand) starts with an understanding of spice-and-flavor combinations. But then the idea of kai manam denies any claims to universalism, even denies the primacy of the powders in imparting flavor, and rests all final touches in the hands of the cook–as though to say that a powder will only get you so far.

True enough. But then the right powder can get you quite far indeed, and this one might just get you farther. It’s really just a straightforward rasam powder, all the more potent since it’s made fresh, not aged per force on store shelves for God-knows-how-long before it comes to sit in your own kitchen cupboards for God-knows-how-much-longer. If rasam is the culinary expression of a theory of essences, and if rasam as a dish needs certain props all delicately balanced to allow one essential taste shine through, then the freshness of the podi is critical, and this is the powder that makes the rest easy.

No doubt, each region, each community, and each family has its variants and its own essentials. Some of these are just routine spice additions and temperings: Odias use jeera-lanka (jeera+red chilli powder); in Tamil country, mustard seeds and urad dal are so common in seasoning that they’re sold ready-mixed; and I imagine Bengali households have panch phoron as a staple whole-spice mix always good to go. The rest is each household’s preference, habit, economic status and culinary outlook. Garam masala wasn’t to be found in my mother’s kitchen while I was growing up, and neither were pav bhaji masala or chola masala–and what goes into any of these is not necessarily standard. These days, I always have a biriyani masala on hand now, and it always has kalpasi. There’s usually a chutney podi somewhere around, for when chutneys run out or something is needed to pep up hot rice; the ones I love best have coconut, coriander, and a bit of jaggery. Our sambar powders have two variants, with coconut and without–and no, we do not, not, not use these for rasams (I see that substitution a lot these days, and clearly find it a violation). Chandra Padmanabhan’s Mysore rasam powder has long been a household favorite for that specific rasam preparation.

Add to that list now my mother-in-law’s charu podi, which I use both for the classic and slightly more dal-thickened Andhra chaarus as well as for lighter rasams. I don’t have much more to say about it except that my rasams have been nothing short of magical ever since I started using this.

There’s no concept of a one-size fits all in Indian cookery, is what I’m getting at in the end. And yet, a good, basic rasam podi like this one comes awfully close for this entire genre of dishes grouped under the rubric of “rasam.”

Enough talk now — here’s how you make this.

The best chaaru/rasam podi ever

The essential spice mix to have on hand to make a wide range of rasams

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Ingredients

  

• 5 cups dhania or coriander seeds 250g [1 cup=50g]
• 1 heaped cup milagu or black pepper 100g
• 1 cup jeera 75g
• ½ cup methi or fenugreek seeds 50g
• 1 tablespoon toor dal 20g
• 1 small bundle of fresh curry leaves
• 8 handfuls dry red chilles 200g [1 handful is approximately 25g]
• 1 tablespoon mustard seeds 10g
• a little ghee or sesame oil to roast curry leaves and red chillies
• 2 teaspoons salt

Instructions

 

• Lightly roast all ingredients (except mustard seeds and salt) one by one until fragrant, setting each aside to cool as you go.
• When roasting the curry leaves and red chillies, add a few drops of ghee or sesame oil. Make sure you roast the curry leaves until crisp and completely dry.
• Now add all the roasted spices back into the pan, add the mustard seeds and salt, mix and allow to cool completely
• Grind in batches in a spice blender
• Bottle and store.
• This powder keeps well in sealed jars for several months. Refrigerate or freeze for upto a year.

Notes

This recipe makes approximately 5 200g bottles of rasam powder. It’s easily halved as follows:

• 2 ½ cups dhania or coriander seeds (125g) [1 cup=50g]
• ½ cup milagu or black pepper (50g)
• ½ cup jeera (40g)
• ½ cup methi or fenugreek seeds (25g)
• 1 teaspoon toor dal (10g)
• ½ a small bundle of fresh curry leaves
• 4 handfuls dry red chilles (100g) [1 handful is approximately 25g]
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds (5g)
• 1 teaspoon salt