Karivepaku podi – spiced curry leaves powder recipe, how to make quick curry leaves rice. Curry leaves provide us numerous health benefits like boosting iron levels, controls blood sugar levels, aids in digestion and flushes toxins away from stomach. Folks with low iron levels will benefit from the regular use of curry leaves powder.
A tsp of this powder eaten with rice in the beginning of a meal is said to increase the appetite, digestion and absorption of nutrients in the food. I will try to make a detailed post on the health benefits of curry leaves sometime soon.
There may be different ways of making spiced curry leaves powder or curry leaves rice. I am sharing the method I make at home. I usually make this spicy curry leaves podi and stock up in a glass bottle. Use it whenever needed to make the karivepaku rice.
Curry leaves podi can also be served with lemon rice, upma, semiya upma, idli, Pongal etc. Adjust the amount of red chilies in the recipe to suit your taste.
This karivepaku podi is healthy, delicious and quick to make. It can be a quick fix to dinner as well when you do not have time to make a elaborate meal, just mix it with cooked rice along with oil and roasted peanuts or any other nuts.
This recipe is adapted from the vepudu karam recipe on the blog. You may also like the curry leaves chutney.
Step-by-step photos
How to make karivepaku podi or curry leaves powder
1. Always use mature fresh curry leaves that do not have infestations. Rinse them well under running water or in a large pot filled with water. You can also add a fistful of rock salt to the water and set aside for 10 mins. This helps to get rid of any pesticide residue. Repeat rinse until the leaves are clean.
2. Drain them in colander. When the water drains off completely. Spread them on a thick cotton cloth until the moisture dries up completely. I usually dry these leaves in the morning around 10 am and leave it on the dinning table until evening 4.
3. On a low flame dry roast dals for 2 mins, then add red chilies. Adjust the amount of red chilies to suit your taste. I used kashmiri red chilies. Roast until the dals turn golden and chilies turn crisp. Keep tossing in between to prevent burning.
4. Add cumin/ jeera. Switch off the stove. Add sesame seeds and desiccated coconut. The heat from the hot pan is enough to toast them. If you have dried coconut (copra) use that since it is higher in nutrition than desiccated coconut. You can also skip coconut and sesame seeds. Set these aside to cool.
5. To the same pan, add oil and heat it a bit.
6. Add the curry leaves and begin to saute.
7. On a low to medium flame, fry them until the leaves turn crisp. Add garlic to this and switch off the stove.
8. Cool all the ingredients completely. If you like to add tamarind, you can add a bit of it. I prefer fresh lemon juice for the rice rather than tamarind. Powder them all in a blender jar along with salt.
Store it in a air tight glass jar.
how to make curry leaves rice
method 1
1. Heat oil in a pan,allow mustard to crackle. Add urad dal and peanuts, fry until the peanuts turn golden. Then add 1 sprig curry leaves, red chili and hing. Saute all. Off the stove. Stir in the curry leaves powder as needed. Pour this to the cooled cooked rice. Sprinkle salt. You can also sprinkle some fresh lemon juice if you have not used tamarind. Mix well.
Method 2
1. Cook the rice and cool it completely.
2. Dry roast peanuts until they are toasted well. Remove off the skin and coarsely crush or pulse them in a blender jar.
3. Add curry leaves powder, salt, peanuts and oil.
4. Mix them all together. I prefer to use extra virgin olive oil and little fresh lemon juice. Since the oil is not heated in this method, all the nutritional and health qualities of extra virgin olive oil are retained. Add more or less podi to suit your taste.
Serve karivepaku podi rice with salad, kosambari or plain yogurt.
You can also check this collection of over 70 rice recipes suitable for quick dinner or lunch box.
Recipe
Karivepaku podi or curry leaves powder recipe
Karivepaku podi
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (1 cup = 240ml )
to make powder
- 1 tablespoon chana dal
- 1 tablespoon urad dal
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds powder
- 1 tablespoon dry coconut or desiccated coconut
- 3 to 4 Red chilies or as needed
- ¾ to 1 teaspoon cumin / jeera
- 1 to 3 Garlic
- 1 cup curry leaves tightly packed
- 1 tablespoon Oil as needed to fry the curry leaves
- salt as needed
to make curry leaves rice
- 1½ cups rice
- 2 to 2½ tablespoon curry leaves podi
- salt as needed
- ¼ cup peanuts or cashews as needed
- 1 to 2 tablespoons oil as needed
- 1 tablespoons lemon juice as needed (optional)
Instructions
- Clean and wash curry leaves in lot of water few times and dry them on a clean cotton cloth. You can even leave it for few hours to overnight.
- Dry roast chana dal and urad dal until golden. When they are half roasted, add red chilies and fry until golden.
- To the same pan, add cumin, coconut and sesame seeds. Switch off the stove and toss. Do not burn. Set aside to cool.
- To the same pan, add oil and heat. Fry curry leaves until they turn crisp. Cool them.
- Powder them together along with salt in a blender. Store them in an air tight glass jar and use as needed for idli, dosa, upma, oats or rice.
- To make curry leaves rice, cook 1 ½ cups rice and cool it completely. Add some roasted crushed peanuts, 2 to 2.5 tbsp curry leaves powder, little more salt and extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil or hot ghee.
- Mix the rice. Adjust the quantity of podi and oil as needed.
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
Notes
Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.
For best results follow my detailed step-by-step photo instructions and tips above the recipe card.
© Swasthi’s Recipes
Ruchi says
I am a north-indian who loves south-indian food! This was my first recipe that I tried from your website. It turned out great and am happy I found this website. Thank you for posting such easy yet very tasty recipes. Can’t wait to use my kadi patta podi !
swasthi says
Welcome Ruchi
Glad you liked it. Thank you!
Jyostna says
Hi Swasthi,
Thank you for the tasty recipes. I’ve tried many from your website and they turned out really well. However this didn’t. I don’t know what went wrong but the end result is green in color and tastes kinda raw-ly weird. I’ve fried till the leaves turned crisp but something clearly went wrong. Please help. Thank you!
swasthi says
Hi Jyostna
Glad to know! I am also wondering why. This is a recipe which I make every month. It has never happened to me. Just wondering if it is the kind of curry leaves. You can use it up for your stir fry veggies. Add 1 to 2 tsps of this powder after stir frying vegetables. Saute for a while so the raw smell goes away. Give the recipe another try.
Sirisha says
Hi! There is no mention of salt anywhere in the preparation of podi.
swasthi says
Thanks Sirisha
I updated it.
Venu Madhava Reddy says
1 have Cuury leaves powder of qty.3000 tonna
Sri latha says
Hello swasthi really very good recipe… But can u give a Little higher measures… For 250 gms measure…
swasthi says
Hi Sri Latha,
You can just scale it up and make
Priya S says
This is hands down one of the best Kariveppilai podis that I have had, the proportions turn out flavourful and very tasty on every attempt. Thanks a lot Swasthi!
swasthi says
Hi Priya,
You are welcome. Thank you so much! Glad you liked it!
Deep says
Hello Swasth,
Thanks for the wonderful recipe. I have two questions about this:
1. I only get curry leaf powder at my place. Will you be able to tell me quantity if I use curry leaf Powder in this recipe instead of dried curry leaves.
2.Can I skip coconut in this recipe
Thanks again.
Deep says
Hello Swasthi, Sorry, due to auto correct your name got spelled wrongly 🙁
swasthi says
No problem!
🙂
swasthi says
Hi Deep,
You are welcome. I have tried this recipe only with fresh curry leaves. Not sure how it is going to taste and smell with the ready made powder. You can skip the coconut. I have this suggestion: make the podi with the rest of the ingredients first and then try adding a few tbsps of curry leaves powder to the podi. Keep adding until you get the taste you desire.
The podi made with fresh curry leaves has a unique aroma. Not sure if that can be got with the readymade powder. I mean it may not taste the same. Hope this helps.
Deep says
Thanks a lot for your quick response Swasthi. I will try the way you mentioned with powder. Thanks.
Shirisha Yeligati says
Tried the recipe👍
swasthi says
Thanks Sirisha
Siddhi Gala says
Hi, i just wanted to know if tamarind can be added to the recipe. If yes, then what is the procedure?
swasthi says
It will reduce the shelf life. May be you can sun dry the tamarind for a while and add to the blender. I don’t add it
Lata says
After adding garlic, can this powder be stored at room temp for a month? What is the shelf life of this powder at room temp?
Thsnk you
swasthi says
Hi Lata
You can keep it for a month at room temperature. Make sure curry leaves are fried well. You can also fry garlic in the pan for 2 mins. As such garlic doesn’t reduce the shelf life.
Koundinya says
Followed the same process for this but the powder is sooo wet. Don’t know the reason.I think this this powder should be dry.Please tell the solution
swasthi says
Hello Koundinya,
Wet meaning moisture from the leaves or grease due to oil.
Did you fry the leaves till they turned crisp? If yes then I guess you have used lot of oil as i have not mentioned the quantity of oil to use.
1. If you think it is the oil, then Just dry roast some chana dal and urad dal, powder it well and add the curry leaves powder and pulse it a few times.
2. If you have not fried the leaves till crisp, then fry the powder on a low for a while until it dries up the moisture.
I am not sure if the second tip will work. Hope one of these works.
Susan says
Hi dear when serving with dosa do you add water or oil to this chutney powder. Or eat dry.
swasthi says
Hi Susan,
I sprinkle the powder directly on dosa while it is still on the tawa. Since it will be slightly moist, it will stick up to the dosa. Also when we fold it due to the steam it holds well. But the dosa must not be very thin like paper. Hope this helps
Kantha says
Nice and easy recipe it’s easy to prepare also, thanks to giving easy method recipes .
Amulya says
Made this . Turned out great. Thank you for the recipe 🙂
swasthi says
Welcome Amulya
Maria says
I have unknowingly added amount of salt twice.
Can u pls suggest me tips to subsidise the salt in curry leaves podi.
swasthi says
Hi Maria
Yes you can fix it very easily. Here are the tips
1. You can fry some peanuts or sesame seeds & dried coconut and powder them first. Then blend it again with this mixture. You may need to add some more chilies, jeera and garlic
2. Just make another batch of the same recipe without salt and mix it with the salty one.
Hope these help
rathika says
Hello maam hope u setld aftr the holidays…dn kno tat curry leaves wil increase the hb levels…i used to hav muringa keerai n liver for incresing it maam…i hav to prepare this specially fr me thrice in a wk,fed up..maam this sounds good as i cn prepare n store it fr days…simple easy yet healthier…thank u…
swasthi says
Hey Rathika,
Yes settled down well now. Hope your little one is doing good. Yes this is very easy, so do try and use regularly. You can also try with raw beetroot and orange / lemon juice 3 times a week. This helps a lot. Have a nice week end.