Vadiyam (Magic Seasoning)

Seasoning curries and gravies is nothing less of an art. Right ingredients, right quantity and right frying enhances the flavor of the dish and a little over burnt or any ingredient added in larger quantity than usual can totally spoil the curry and make it bitter. I was introduced to Vadiyam by aunt and was totally bowled over by the magic it could do to my recipes. Especially palak-pappu, all dal dishes, thalimpus taste exceptionally delicious with just a tsp of the vadiyam. Hence, i made it a point to learn to make vadiyam on my own and after 3 years of summer training have learnt to make this well.... Summer because this recipe needs sunlight in abundance...... It can be stored in air tight containers and 1 ball used at a time, for a year.... till next summer..... Believe me, once you get hooked on to it, most of your dishes will seem incomplete without adding this. That is why i call this the MAGIC SEASONING!!

VADIYAM (MAGIC SEASONING):



Ingredients:
3 kgs onions
100 gms mustard
100 gms urad dal
50 gms jeera
10 gms fenugreek seeds
10 gms turmeric
2 handfuls of rock salt
10 gms asafoedita (hing)
6 bulbs of garlic
1 small bunch of curry leaves (stem the leaves and dry it)
200 gms castor oil


1. Finely chop onions and grind it coarsely adding salt to it.
2. Take the onion paste in a plastic basin and add mustard, urad dal, jeera, fenugreek seeds and turmeric to this and mix well. Cover the mouth of the basin with a clean cloth and keep aside.



3. Next morning, squeeze the onion mix well and dry it on a plastic sheet. Keep the drained liquid in the plastic basin itself, by the end of the day add the dried mix back to the liquid in the basin and mix well again.



4. Repeat the process the next day as well. By the end of 2-3 days, the whole mixture will be completely dry without any moisture left. On the third day, crush each garlic in two (keep the garlic skin on) and add it to the mixture. Also, add the dried curry leaves and hing. Mix everything well.



5. On the 4th day, Mix 150 gms castor oil to this and make balls out of the mixture. Dry it in the sun for 2 days.



6. After 2 days of drying the balls, break each ball a little add a little castor oil to every ball and round it up again and store in air tight container.

To use this seasoning, heat 1 tbsp oil, add 1 tsp of this seasoning and brown it (take care to see it does not turn black) and add 2 red chillies and add this to the curries.