Karu Vepalai (Curry leaf) Podi (Powder)

Introduction
Since I recently purchased a small dry grinder, I've been making my own spice powders whenever I have the time. These spice powders are great because (a) they don't spoil easily, and (b) they are excellent when mixed with cooked white rice and a little bit of oil/butter/ghee, so they're perfect a quick meal. The recipe below is for powdered curry leaves. I'll be posting some more podi recipes soon, and all of these recipes involve dry-roasting (or perhaps with a small amount of oil) lentils (one or more kinds) and whole red chillies, which are then ground together into a coarse or fine powder. Udad dal (split black gram lentil) is one of the main ingredients; -- it's also great for seasoning vegetables, FYI.

Ingredients:
Udad dal - 1/2 cup
Red chillies - 2
Asafoetida (hing) - 1/4 tsp or less
Curry leaves, dry - 1 to 3/2 cups (If you buy them fresh, destalk the leaves and set in a dry place for at least a few hours. Ideally you want them to crumble when touched)
Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt - to taste

Time: about 15 min total
Servings: makes about 1 cup.

Method:
Heat the oil in a thick-bottomed vessel. Test the heat by adding a small amount of udad dal. The moment it starts to sizzle, add all the dal and stir continuously to coat throughout; keep stirring until the udad dal starts to turn golden brown. Scoop the dal out of the vessel into a bowl. To the same vessel, add the red chillies and asafoetida and stir until the red chillies start turning black (you'll probably start coughing and sneezing at this point, so be careful not to overcook!). Mix the red chillies + asafoetida with the udad dal, curry leaves and salt. Grind in small portions to fine or coarse powder. Test salt by mixing one spoon of the powder with some rice (1/4 c?).

To serve, mix 2 tbsp into 1 cup of white rice with sesame oil or ghee. Increase quantity if desired. Enjoy with side veggies or chips/papad.

Author: Shrinkingsodacan
Source: Mom's recipe