Coriander seeds powder is an essential spice in culinary cultures all over the world. If you have bought or used any curry powder, the chances are that one of the main ingredients in there was coriander powder. In the Indian version of curry powder – called Garam Masala or Kitchen King Masala – coriander powder makes up about half of the total volume.
Coriander powder is also used individually in many curry recipes to add an earthy aroma and a mild citrusy flavor. But the thing is, if you are using store-bought coriander powder that has been packed too long ago, you will not get much aroma or flavor from it.
There are also the issues of purity and the grinding process used by the manufacturer. In short, you can’t control anything if you are buying ready-made coriander powder. You have to make it yourself.
Don’t worry because this is one of the easiest things that you can do in your kitchen.
Preparation
- Buy a small quantity of high quality coriander seeds. Go organic if you can. The quantity that you buy would depend on how much coriander powder you can use within a month. If you cook curries regularly, you can buy maybe 100gm. If not, buy just 50gm.
- Sift through the seeds to find and discard any impurities or any bad looking seeds.
How To Grind Coriander Seeds At Home
- Heat a pan over the stove, and reduce heat to the lowest.
- Add dry seeds to the pan.
- Keep tossing the seeds around while you heat them for a total of about two minutes.
- After that, or when the seeds change color a bit and start releasing their aroma, turn off the stove.
- Transfer the seeds to a plate and let them fully cool down.
- When cool, put the seeds in a spice grinder, or the grinder jar that came with your mixer-grinder.
- Grind to a fine powder.
- Store the powder in an airtight glass or plastic container.
Use In Moderate Quantity
Coriander seeds are good for health, and if you search online, you will read articles that list several health benefits of consuming coriander seeds. There are also a few articles that list the possible side effects of their consumption.
This is what you need to know. When used in a small quantity to add flavor to a curry, coriander seeds powder will not harm you. Half a teaspoon added to a curry made for 2-4 servings is ok. Just don’t overdo it.
I write this because people actually overdo it in India when it comes to using coriander powder in a curry. I once saw a friend from an East Indian state using five teaspoons of coriander powder in a curry that he was cooking just for the two of us. According to him, it would give thickness to the gravy.
My concern is that eating that much of a single spice daily can and is likely to result in some adverse side effects. Now we wouldn’t want that, would we?
Happy cooking.
Read more of my Spice Rack articles.