Masala Karam

Masala Karam is a type of spice powder what we use  to make curries highly aromatic. Normally we use plain red chili powder to make curries spicy. Instead of using only red chilli powder you can use  this masala karam  in any curry. As usual this recipe is from my mother, She used to grind whole dry red chillies yearly once in a large quantity and then mix this masala  in small amounts to keep the masala karam flavor fresh. If you want to grind other ingredients with dry red chillies , then fry the other ingredients and mix with dry red chillies and grind it in a flour mill. Amma use to do this for my sister but some how I don't like that idea. I always like freshly ground masalas in my cooking so I make this in small amounts for every two months. There are a couple of recipes for this masala karam, each family had their own recipe with a small difference of using ingredients.  If you want to make it in a large amount then here is the recipe.
INGREDIENTS: ----
Dry red chilies --- 1 kg
Coriander seeds   ----  250 gms
Cumin seeds  --- 50 gms
Fenugreek seeds  --- 10 gms
Garlic cloves  ----  100 gms
Salt  --- 50 gms
METHOD:----
1. Remove the stem fro dry red chillies and sun dry for a day.
2. Dry roast all other ingredients one by one exept salt,on a low heat in a fry pan till you get a nice aroma.
3. Add all fried ingredients to dry red chillies and grind in to a fine powder in a flour mill.
4. Add salt to this masala karam mix well.
5. Store this masala karam in a air tight container.

FOR SMALL AMOUNT:--

INGREDIENTS:--
Red chilli powder   ----  2 cups
Coriander seeds  ---- 1/2 cup
Cumin seeds   --- 1 tab sp
Fenugreek seeds  --- 1/2 tea sp
Garlic cloves  ---  1 bulb
Salt ----  1 tab sp
METHOD:--
1. dry roast coriander seeds, cumin seeds and fenugreek seeds one by one in a low heat, till nice aroma comes out.
2. Remove from heat and let it cool and grind in to a fine powder in a blender or mixee.
3. Now add garlic cloves to the masala  and grind for a while.
4. Add this masala mixture to red chilli powderand salt mix well to combine every thing well.
Store this masala karam in a air tight container.
You can increase and decrease the amount of coriander seeds according to your taste.
This is my first post for Blogging Marathon 29th edition under  Spice Powders For Cooking theme let's check other BM members recipes here