How to make coriander powder or dhania powder at home. i make all the spice powders that are largely used in Indian cooking like cumin powder, Amchur powder, Garam masala powder at home.
I have a fetish for making all things from scratch and that includes homemade masalas too. On readers request, I have also posted the method of making Pav bhaji masala, Sambar powder, Biryani masala and Bisi bele bath masala powder at home.
Home made spice powders Have a longer shelf life and also remain fresh. There is no additive or preservative added and they really bring out the flavors & aroma in the food.
When I was a kid, my mom would tell me that readymade coriander powder is adulterated with horse-dung. And this was so many years ago… Just imagine now what it would be. As a result my mother would make all the Indian spice powders at home from scratch.
I guess I have picked up this habit from her, to make everything from scratch… Natural and homemade… Like this Coriander powder… Made from freshly roasted coriander seeds.
I looked up online for Adulteration in coriander powder and was shocked to read that they add Saw dust, horse dung and even cow dung. it is not only coriander powder that is adulterated, but also red chili powder, turmeric, garam masala etc.
So did not your great grandmother and grandmother tell you that you better make your own spice blends, spreads, sauces, jams than buy them readymade????? 😉
Before you make any spice powder or a spice blend always buy good quality spices. For making the coriander powder, buy good quality and fresh coriander seeds. I don’t know about other countries, but in India one can actually whiff the spices before buying. So you take a handful of coriander seeds in your hands and sniff sniff…. if they do give a fresh coriandery aroma… Then they are good.
Store the coriander powder in an airtight container in a cool and dry place. It stays fresh for about 6 months. I have been using the one I made in october last year till now. It is just one the verge of getting over any time. So I had to make a fresh batch.
Coriander Powder
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups coriander seeds (sabut dhania) or you can take any amount you want
INSTRUCTIONS
- Pick the dhania to get rid of stones etc.
- Spread on a thali and dry in the sun for 1-2 days.
- The other method is roast the coriander in a pan till they become fragrant, crisp and browned.
- Do not burn them. Cool these.
- In a dry grinder, make a fine powder of the coriander seeds.
- Store coriander powder in an airtight container in a dry and cool place.
2 ways to make coriander powder or dhaniya powder
1: either keep the whole coriander in the sun for 1 or 2 days OR
2: roast the coriander in a pan till they light brown and crisp
3: for the ones kept in sunlight, you don’t need to cool them. But for the roasted ones, you have to cool them completely before grinding them. In a dry grinder or coffee grinder, grind the coriander to a smooth powder.
4: Store the freshly homemade aromatic ground coriander in an air-tight jar.
Thats it…. You have your own, Natural and flavorful coriander powder at home ready to be used in your Indian cooking.
hi
I have home made coriander powder at home since 4 months but I feel whether it is good for consumption as when I opened it the coriander smell was not there. how to know whether it is decayed?
the the freshness becomes less over a period of time for any ground spice. so the aroma becomes less. if it get spoiled, it will become powdery and also sometimes lumpy. insects are also seen. if there is no aroma at all, then i suggest to discard and make a fresh batch.
I want to grind dried termaric at home. Plz tell me how to grind termaric in fine powdered form. If possible , send recipe on email I’d . Thanks!
krishna, i would suggest to give the turmeric to a grinding mill outside. thats what we do. grinding turmeric at home is not easy.
Just like your mother & grand mother I do agree and therefore have learnt from my mother to make all dry masalas at home. Your site was very helpful for me to know that I’m still following the method correctly. Thanks a lot. And bye !
welcome zehra.
hi could you please post the recipe of Garam masala powder specially for Andhra curries
Thx
Chinni
i will be posting a general garam masala recipe soon. i think it can be used for andhra curries. but again andhra style garam masala would be different. so will try to post that too.
Thanks for this….I’m going to try making my own…..thanks a million….:)
thanks carol
Very informative. I’m attempting the same process with my mother-in-law’s (MIL) guidance. Its the first time i’m attempting to powder ‘haldi, mirchi, dhania and garam masala’ at home.
Totally clueless of how to pick up the right quality stuff I went to a local store and bought 1kg of coriander seeds costing Rs.110/-. When I got back my MIL said this is not the right kind as it has a mix of green and white seeds and that it is surely treated with chemicals because green usually means its not dried well and sprayed with lot chemicals to prevent it from catching fungus or it is chemically dyed. According to her if it is packed without drying well it will go bad unless you spray lot of chemicals.
Need your insight on this. How to get good quality stuff – coriander and other spices.
when i buy whole spices, i always buy organic ones. so in a way i am assured that they have not been treated with chemicals etc. and to my surprise the organic ones stay fresh for a long period of time than the market brought ones.
as a guideline when you buy spices, they should smell fragrant. if they are fragrant, they are good and fresh. the coriander seeds should look crisp and not soft. my suggestion would be to buy organic spices.
your method is very good alongwith pictures, till now I m using spices from market but now I will make them in home only.
thanks reena. always make the masala or spice powders at home. they are fresh, aromatic and have a longer shelf-life.
Dear Dassana,
Thanks for teaching a pictorial process of making dania powder at home. If possible, can u pls teach us how to make haldi, chilli and jeera powder at home so that we can stop using those adulterated ready made powder available in the market.
Thanks Sudeshna
thanks sudeshna. actually haldi, chili and jeera powder are easy to make at home. i have made haldi powder at home but did not take pics. have also made chili and jeera powder, but did not take pics. i will keep your request in mind.
This cookery site is marvellous. Every recipe gives marvellous results. Tks a million for all these wonderful recipes and goes without saying the pictures as well.
thanks deepa for the encouraging comments.
hi dassana
your post was a saver, i slighthy browned the the seeds,cooled and grinded it, oh waht a aroma in my kitchen
thanks dassana
thanks sunita.
Hey Dassana, even I make the coriander powder at home, I roast the coriander light brown and then after cooling grind them but not to smooth powder, coarsely grounded powder coz that’s how my in-laws prepare it but my mum uses your method of fine powder.
Really loved your clicks, so very natural:)!
Homemade powders are always more flavourful and aromatic….beautiful pics!!
yes sharmilee, they are…
I love the pics, they actually took me back to those old days when Mom made this the dhania powder at home. She also made a certain Chilli powder mix , along with dhania powder and haram masala in place of just the plain Red Chilli powder.
Shocked to hear about the stuff used for adulteration!