Seasoning or Tempering for South Indian dishes

Readymade "tadka" for Sambar, Rasam etc

South India Tempering

Tempering or seasoning is part of any south Indian dish, be it sambar, rasam or chutney or salad or even raita. For that matter even puma! And most often, it  it is the same ingredients that are used to make this. Whenever there is a “difference”, it is largely in the oil that is used.

It makes sense to make a decent quantity of this, and keep handy.

When I had just started cooking, I used to buy the ready-made seasoning that the famed Ambika Appalam Store in Madras(now Chennai) used to sell. It was so, so convenient, and I was too much of a beginner to realize that I could have made that at home, and stocked it !

Here is how it is made:

Dry Red Chillies- a dozen, cut into pieces

Mustard seeds—Four tablespoons full

Urad dal- Eight tablespoons full

Aseoefiatida-  two pinches

Curry leaves—a large bunch, washed and dried

Methi seeds(optional)—one teaspoon

Vegetable oil/ghee/coconut oil- two teaspoons

Heat a frying pan, and add the oil/ghee.  Add the red chillies and mustard seeds. When the mustard begins to splutter, add the urad,methi  and the asoefiatida.When the dal turns golden, add the curry leaves. Turn them nicely, so that every grain and every leaf is glistening with oil. Switch off, cool, and store in an airtight container.

To temper rasam, ghee is used. But this can always be added on top of the rasam.

Coconut oil is used for “more kozhambu”, “avial” , and other coconut based dishes.

PS: As I live in an apartment and don't have the luxury of a "curry patta" tree nearby, I get a big bunch and dry them in the shade, take off the leaves and store them in a jar on the kitchen shelf, just like we store oregano and Italian herbs--only the leaves are whole in this case

PPS: I don't feel shy of just using this to garnish any North Indian dal, which is made of dehusked lentils.