Curry powder doesn’t have to be complicated to make at home. This one has just 5 ingredients and tastes fabulous in coconut milk based curries. Coriander seeds, cumin and fennel are the basic flavors in this curry powder. Dried red chilies add heat and turmeric gives it color. All you do it toast everything in a pan and then grind. Very easy to make at home!

Look at any store bought curry powder, and you’ll see that coriander is one of the main ingredients. It adds an earthiness, and an unmistakable Indian flavor to curry powder. The cumin in this recipe adds a toasty, smokiness. And fennel seeds brighten up the curry powder.

The ratio of coriander:cumin:fennel is 2:1:1. In other words, if you use 2 tablespoons of coriander seeds, you will need 1 tablespoon of cumin seeds and 1 tablespoon of fennel seeds.

Homemade Curry Powder Recipe

Yields about 5 tablespoons

Ingredients
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
2 or more dried red chilies, broken up into small pieces.
½ teaspoon ground turmeric

Method

1. Place coriander, cumin, fennel seeds and broken up red chilies (discard stems) in a medium pan. Use a pan large enough so that the spices are spread in a thin layer.
2. Toast the spices on medium-low  heat, shaking the pan often, till the spices turn color and get fragrant,  about 12 minutes.
3. Cool the roasted spices. Then using a spice grinder, grind into a fine powder. Add in the turmeric and blend once more till everything is combined.
4. Store in an airtight container for 2 months

Basic Curry Recipe Using Homemade Curry Powder

Serves about 4

Ingredients
Choose 2-3 of the following: 1 medium onion diced, 4 cloves of garlic minced, 1 large tomato diced, 2 teaspoons minced ginger.
1 recipe curry powder (5 tablespoons), see above for recipe
4-5 cups vegetables (Zucchini, mushrooms, cauliflower, broccoli, carrot, spinach, potato, sweet potato, winter squash etc)
1-2 cups water
1 cup coconut milk

Method
Sauté your choice of onion/garlic/ginger/tomato in oil. Add the curry powder and stir for 30 seconds.

Add vegetables, salt and water and cook till vegetables are tender. (Keep in mind that different vegetables cook in different times, so you will have to add the quicker cooking vegetables later).

Stir in coconut milk, bring back to a boil. Turn off heat as soon as the curry boils.

Serve hot with rice, quinoa, roti or bread.

This is a basic formula; vary the recipe to your liking.

For a pumpkin and spinach curry recipe using this curry powder, see this post.

A tandoor is an Indian clay oven. Marinated meat, cottage cheese (paneer) or vegetables are skewered and cooked in the oven. The result is smoky, charred skewers of tandoori yumminess.

Make sure you soak the skewers before grilling, otherwise they will burn on the grill. If you dont have a grill, you can place the skewers in the oven and broil them till brown and slightly charred. Then flip the skewers and broil the other side.

The tandoori marinade recipe I give you is very versatile, you can use it for paneer, tofu, potatoes, even seitan.

I like to blanch the broccoli and cauliflower before marinating. This reduces grilling time and also makes it easier to thread the skewer into the broccoli and cauliflower.

We usually eat these grilled kebabs with either brown rice, rotis or pita bread and some raita. Here are some recipes on Veggie Belly that will make great accompaniments to these kebabs:

Walnut raisin rice

My grandmother’s multicolored raita

Tamarind Jelly

Tandoori Grilled Broccoli and Cauliflower Kebabs Recipe

serves about 2 as an entree

4 bamboo skewers (about 10 inches long)

1 small head of broccoli
1/2 small head of cauliflower
1 small red onion, cut into 4 wedges
1 large tomato, cut into 4 wedges

for marinade
3 tablespoons chickpea or garbanzo flour (besan)
1/2 cup yogurt
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
1 tablespoon garlic paste
1 tablespoon ginger paste
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder
Salt

Soak bamboo skewers in water for atleast 30 minutes, to prevent them from burning on the grill.

Cut the broccoli and cauliflower into large florets. You should have 6 florets (about 2 cups) each of broccoli and cauliflower.

Bring water to boil in a medium pot. Add plenty of salt. Add the broccoli and cauliflower florets. Bring back to a boil. Cook for 20 seconds. Then turn off heat and drain the broccoli and cauliflower. Rinse under very cold water to stop the cooking. If the tap water is not cold enough, dunk the broccoli and cauliflower in a bowl filled with water and ice cubes, then drain. Pat dry with a towel. Make sure the vegetables arent wet, if they are they will dilute the marinade.

Whisk all marinade ingredients together in a bowl. Add the broccoli, cauliflower, tomato and onion pieces to the marinade. Mix gently so the marinade coats all the vegetables. Cover and refridgerate for about 30 minutes.

Heat an out door grill to 400f. Skewer the broccoli, cauliflower, onion and tomato pieces. Place on grill and cook till one side of the vegetables is slightly charred, about 1 minute. Then using tongs, flip the skewers and cook the other side. If you dont have a grill, broil the skewers in the oven.

Whoever invented moong vadis is a genius. These little ‘drops’ or nuggets of dried lentils cooked in a curry, are filling and tasty. Also called Mangodi in parts of India, moong wadis are extremely versatile, you can use them in curries, soups or mashed up in chili. Because the lentils are ground up and dried, they have a great meaty texture when cooked. Moong wadis or mangodis are superb soy-free meat substitutes. 

How to use Moong Wadis

- Always shallow fry or deep fry wadis till golden before using
- Add to tomato based curries along with any vegetable you like (potato is traditional)
- Add fried moong wadis to yogurt based curries like kadhi or mor kulambu
- In the winter months I add extra water to this recipe and turn it into curried lentil drop soup. I serve the soup with a dollop of sour cream or greek yogurt
- Use fried moong wadis in vegetarian and vegan chili recipes instead of immitation soy based ‘meats’

How moong wadis are made: Moong dal and spices are soaked and ground into a paste. Little drops of this lentil dough are then piped onto a baking sheet or other surface and sun-dried for 2-3 days or untill hard. You can store these in an airtight container for several months. See this post for a recipe. I dont bother making moong wadis, I just buy them at the Indian store.

Lentil Drop Curry or Moong Wadi/Moong Vadi/Mangodi Recipe

serves about 6

4 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups moong wadi from the Indian store

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 red or green chilli chopped, optional
1/8 teaspoon asafoetida
1 small onion, finely chooped
1/2 tablespoon garlic paste
1/2 tablespoon ginger paste
1/4 cup tomato puree or 2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder, optional
Juice of 1/2 a lime or according to taste, optional

Heat 4 tbsp vegetable oil in a medium pot. Add the moong wadis to the oil. Fry on medium heat till the wadis are golden brown. Remove the wadis from the pot using a spoon and set aside. In the same pot, heat 1 tbsp oil.  Add cumin seeds and let them sizzle about 20 seconds or till fragrant. Then add chilli if using and cook another 15 seconds. Add asafoetida.

Immediately add chopped onion and cook till onions are soft, about 2-3 minutes. Then add garlic and ginger pastes. Cook, stirring for another 2 minutes. Pour in the tomato puree, add coriander powder, turmeric and red chilli powder if using. Let the gravy simmer for about 2 minutes. Then add the fried moong wadi along with 5 cups of water.

Bring the curry to a boil. Then lower heat, place a lid on the pot and let it simmer for about 20 minutes or till the moong wadis have plumped up and dont taste raw anymore. Taste the curry and add lime juice according to taste. If the gravy is too thick, add more water.

Serve hot with rice, bread, rotis or tortillas.