Curry leaves powder | Karivepaku podi | Curry leaves rice

By Swasthi on December 1, 2022, Comments, Jump to Recipe

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.

curry leaves powder rice

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.

Update: I have been dehydrating the curry leaves for this podi in the oven. It is so much easier and does not need oil too. Also you can store these dehydrated curry leaves for upto a month in a glass jar.

You can also powder the curry leaves alone without spices and sprinkle on your veggie stir fry dishes.

How to make 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.

roasting dal for curry leaves powder

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.

sesame coconut for curry leaves powder

5. To the same pan, add oil and heat it a bit. If you want you can also dehydrate the curry leaves in the oven. Check the recipe card below to get the instructions.

heating oil to make curry leaves powder

6. Add the curry leaves and begin to saute.

saute leaves for karivepaku podi

7. On a low to medium flame, fry them until the leaves turn crisp. Add garlic to this and switch off the stove.

addition of garlic for karivepaku podi

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.

powder ingredients to make curry leaves powder

Store it in a air tight glass jar.

store in glass jar curry leaves powder

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.

skinned roasted peanuts for curry leaves rice

3. Add curry leaves powder, salt, peanuts and oil.

peanuts, oil for curry leaves rice

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.

mixing curry leaves rice with karivepaku podi

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.

curry leaves rice

curry leaves powder

Recipe card

Curry leaves powder (Karivepaku podi)

Curry leaves powder can be used to prevent anemia in kids and women. It can be served with rice.
Pin Recipe Print Recipe

For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card

Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Servings3
AuthorSwasthi

Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )

to 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

  • 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.
  • On Stovetop: To the same pan, add oil and heat. Fry curry leaves until they turn crisp. Cool them.
  • In Oven: Spread the curry leaves on 2 trays and place them in the oven in the middle and lower levels of your oven. Turn on the oven at 60 C (140 F) for 10 to 12 mins. The leaves turn crisp. This method doesn't need oil. Adjust the time as needed and remove them in time as they burn faster. The lower tray takes a little longer. So move it to the middle rack after 10 mins.
  • 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.

Notes

Nutrition values are only for the curry leaves powder and not for the rice.

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.

NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)

Nutrition Facts
Curry leaves powder (Karivepaku podi)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 588 Calories from Fat 198
% Daily Value*
Fat 22g34%
Saturated Fat 2g13%
Sodium 12mg1%
Potassium 363mg10%
Carbohydrates 85g28%
Fiber 4g17%
Sugar 3g3%
Protein 10g20%
Vitamin A 570IU11%
Vitamin C 93.2mg113%
Calcium 70mg7%
Iron 2.9mg16%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Tried this recipe?Mention @SwasthisRecipes or tag #swasthisrecipes!

© Swasthi’s Recipes

About Swasthi

I’m Swasthi Shreekanth, the recipe developer, food photographer & food writer behind Swasthi’s Recipes. My aim is to help you cook great Indian food with my time-tested recipes. After 2 decades of experience in practical Indian cooking I started this blog to help people cook better & more often at home. Whether you are a novice or an experienced cook I am sure Swasthi’s Recipes will assist you to enhance your cooking skills.

Follow Swasthi’s Recipes

Recipe Rating




35 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

5 stars
I tried it today and it turned out very tasty. Thankyou so much.

5 stars
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 !

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!

Hi! There is no mention of salt anywhere in the preparation of podi.

1 have Cuury leaves powder of qty.3000 tonna

Hello swasthi really very good recipe… But can u give a Little higher measures… For 250 gms measure…

5 stars
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!

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.

Hello Swasthi, Sorry, due to auto correct your name got spelled wrongly 🙁

Thanks a lot for your quick response Swasthi. I will try the way you mentioned with powder. Thanks.

5 stars
Tried the recipe?

Hi, i just wanted to know if tamarind can be added to the recipe. If yes, then what is the procedure?

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

5 stars
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

Hi dear when serving with dosa do you add water or oil to this chutney powder. Or eat dry.

5 stars
Nice and easy recipe it’s easy to prepare also, thanks to giving easy method recipes .

5 stars
Made this . Turned out great. Thank you for the recipe 🙂

5 stars
I have unknowingly added amount of salt twice.
Can u pls suggest me tips to subsidise the salt in curry leaves podi.

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…