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    Home » Kitchen Essentials » Seasoning | Tempering | Tadka | Thalipu

    Seasoning | Tempering | Tadka | Thalipu

    Posted on March 6, 2013 · Last Updated on August 29, 2020 · By Srividhya G · Leave a Comment

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    Here is a small non-recipe post about seasoning or tempering or tadka (Hindi) or thalipu (Tamil). Pretty much all the recipes require tempering and without that the dish is not complete at all. When I started cooking, this is what my mom taught me and I am sharing the same here. Basically this post is all about what kind of tempering/tadka/thalipu I use for each and every recipe.

    Here is my Anjarai Petti / Spice Box / Grocery Box. Pretty much all the house hold carries this box and here is mine and that is what I have in it,
    AnjaraiPetti
     
    Mustard Seeds / Rai / Kadugu
    MustardSeeds
    Fenugreek Seeds / Methi / Vendiyam
    FenugreekSeeds
    Pepper / Milagu
    Pepper
    Channa Dal / Kadalai Paruppu
    ChannaDal
    Urad Dal / Ulutham Paruppu
    UradDal
    Cumin Seeds / Jeera / Jeerakam
    CuminSeeds

    Turmeric Powder / Manjal Podi / Haldi
    TurmericPowder

    I do add curry leaves (Kadi Pattha) while doing the tempering for kootu, occasionally for sambar and rasam. I pretty much add hing/heeng/asafoetida in all my recipes, at least ¼ tsp or ⅛ tsp. As asafoetida helps in digestion, I make sure I add them in all my recipes. Like hing, I pretty much add turmeric in all my dishes not only for color but also for its medicinal purpose.

    Here is the tempering that I follow for each and every category,
    Rasam:
    For rasam, I use mustard seeds, jeera and hing. If you temper it with ghee, it adds more taste/flavor. But if you are calorie conscious go with regular oil.  As soon as jeera splutters reduce the heat and add it to the rasam.Sambar:
    For sambhar I use mustard seeds, methi (fenugreek) and hing. I dont prefer jeera for sambar. Adding too much of methi seeds adds bitter taste so I usually add at the max 2 tsps but adjust depending upon the quantity.
    Vathal Kuzhambu:
    For vathal kuzhambu, I use mustard seeds, urad dal, channa dal and methi seeds for tempering or mustard seeds, red chillies and toor dal along with hing.
    Kootu:
    For kootu, you can just temper with mustard seeds, jeera and hing like in rasam or with mustard seeds, urad dal and channa dal.  I dont add all 4 together. I usually go with either one combination. And when you add curry leaves while tempering (especially) for kootu it adds more flavor.
    Ven Pongal:
    For ven pongal, I use jeera and pepper corns and usually i temper it with ghee.

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    Filed Under: Kitchen Essentials Tagged With: kitchen basics, seasoning, south indian seasoning, tadka, tempering, thalipu, tips

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