Coriander Powder Recipe : How to Make Dhania Powder at Home

Get Daily Dose of Delicious Recipes… Subscribe Now!

The coriander powder is also known as Dhania powder. It is very easy and simple to prepare at home. You just need the coriander seeds and a grinder. The homemade Dhania Powder is highly fragrant and coriander seeds become aromatic on being roasted. If you do not roast them, the shelf life of the powder would reduce. Even the powder would be as aromatic as it has to be. So roasting of the coriander seeds is very important for homemade coriander powder.

There are two methods by which you can roast the coriander seeds. You can prepare coriander powder by sun drying the seeds or by roasting them. The roasting method is easy, quick and also gives nice aroma. Do not worry even if you are preparing the coriander powder at home for the first time. Infect, you would realize that why it is better to use coriander powder prepared at home rather store bought.  Indeed, it is aromatic and flavourful but it is also healthy, hygienic and economical than readymade. Also, there is no additive or preservative added.

The homemade coriander powder can be prepared with minimal effort and just one ingredient. Yes, it is that very simple. No need for extra ingredients, just get the fresh coriander seeds and roast them. The freshness of the powder made at home would stay for a longer time and powder remains edible for many days. If you are hesitant to make the powder, then you can begin to try with just ¼ cup of coriander seeds. The quality of the coriander powder is highly reliable on the type and quality of coriander seeds. Also, it is very important to clean the seeds before roasting.

Remarks:

• You can skip the roasting part, but in this case, you must keep them under sunlight for 3 days.
• Once they are dried enough to grind under sunlight, you can grind them to make coriander powder.
• If you are keeping coriander seeds in the sun, then do not wait for them to cool before grinding.
• The final consistency must be a smooth fine powder.
• Once grinded, you can sieve the coriander powder.
• If you find any coarse particles, then you can grind again.
• You can, refrigerate the rest and remaining coriander powder for later use.
• For the coriander powder to stay edible for about 6 months, store it in an air-tight container. It stays fresh when kept in a cool and dry place.
• For the longer shelf life, store the coriander powder in an airtight container. When you want to take the powder from jar, use clean and dry spoon.
• For the best quality of the coriander powder, the quality of coriander seed is very important. The coriander seeds must be clean without any dust or stones.

Serving:

• The coriander powder is added in various South Indian Cuisines.
• You can add the coriander powder in various types of Rasam.
• Even all the different Indian vegetable preparations need the addition of coriander powder.
• This coriander powder also goes with the roasted potatoes or the garlic bread.
• You can sprinkle a bit of coriander powder in various Indian Salads like tasty Kachumber Salad.
• You can even add in many of the Indian soup and vegetable stew like Sambar.
• All the Indian gravies like Fried mix Vegetable call for the Coriander Powder.
• Coriander powder is an essential condiment in snacks like Mirchi Vada.
• It is also very important ingredient in the barbecue
• Coriander powder is widely used in all type of Indian preparations.
• You can add ground coriander to pancake and waffles mixes.
• Few of the popular Indian dishes where coriander powder is added are:
  • Delicious Paneer Tikka Masala
  • Creamy Paneer Butter Masala
  • Tangy Tomato Biryani

It is enough if you sprinkle just a pinch of coriander powder in your dishes. It would infuse its characteristic flavour even with 1 pinch. For the serving of 3 to 4 person, you must add ½ tsp. or 1 tsp. of coriander powder.

Quick Tip:

• Just slight brown the coriander seeds. Cool and grind them to spread the strong aroma in your kitchen.
• Before you start making powder, make sure the coriander seeds are fresh. They should be free from dust and stones.
• You can keep the coriander seeds in to sun if you are livening in hot climate.
• When you dry the coriander seeds in the sun, you don’t not have to wait for them to cool before grinding.
• You can either roast the sun-dried coriander seeds or skip roasting them.
• While roasting the coriander seeds, take care that you do not over roast them.
• Then coriander powder would taste bitter if you have over roasted the seeds.
• If you over roast the seeds, they would become hard to grind.

What is Coriander?

It is the round and papery seeds of the cilantro plant. It is bit tan and has a warm flavours. It is mildly spicy with little sweet scent. It has the lemony zest with a whiff of caraway. Coriander is among the most common spices in Indian cuisine. Powdered form of coriander is majorly used than the whole coriander seeds.

How to know if the coriander powder is decayed?

Usually the homemade coriander powder last for about more than 4 to 6 months. But at times, for some weather reasons because of any factors, the powder may not be good for consumption after certain months. You must be wondering how to know if the coriander powder is decayed.

For any of the ground spice, its freshness would becomes less over a period of time. And with freshness, its aroma would also become less. So whenever you would open the jar or the container of the coriander powder, there would no smell of coriander.

Also, if the coriander powder gets spoiled, then it will become powdery. If the powder becomes lumpy, then also it is said to be spoilt. You can also find insects or worm in the spoiled coriander powder.

In this case, you can say that the coriander powder is decayed and cannot be used. If there is no aroma from the container of the coriander powder, then you must discard that powder and make fresh.

How to get good quality Coriander Powder from Market?

If you do not want to make coriander powder at home, then you can also purchase it from the market. In this case, you must take care about the freshness and the quality of the ready-made coriander powder. Also, always buy from the trusted grocer and well-known brand.  To avoid contamination, check if the packet is sealed properly. Also, see the manufacturing and expiry date before buying the coriander powder from the market.

How to get best Coriander Seeds for making Coriander Powder?

The coriander can be bought as whole seed or in the powdered form. But, it is better to buy the whole coriander seeds instead of purchasing the coriander powder from the market. The market bought coriander powder would lose its fragrance and flavour fast.

Whenever you whole spices, it is always preferable to buy the organic spices. This way you are at least assured that there is no addition of chemicals or preservatives in them. Also, the coriander powder prepared from the organic coriander seeds would stay fresh for a very long time.

In grocery stores, you would find various options for the selection of spices, but only the most fragrant spices are worth buying. If you can then whiff the coriander before buying. They are good if they do give a fresh coriander aroma. The coriander seeds are tiny. They are light in colour and round. These kinds of seeds make the dusky brown powder.

Before buying the coriander seeds, check these points:

• The coriander seeds must be fragrant.
• They should be fresh and smell good.
• They should be crisp and firm.
• You must not feel softness.
• The organic seeds are best.
• They must have pleasant colour.
• They should not look dull.
• They must not be parched.

Whenever you buy coriander seeds, you must toast them lightly before grinding. The roasting or the toasting of the seeds helps to bring out the hidden oil aromas and flavours.

What can be substituted for Whole Coriander Seeds?

You can substitute the pre-ground coriander instead of whole coriander seeds. But then, you must use less proportion of the pre-ground coriander for making coriander powder.

How to store the Coriander Powder?

You must store the coriander in the container with the closed lid or an air tight container. You can also store the coriander powder in an opaque container which is tightly sealed.

You can keep the container in the kitchen cupboard or the drawer. Store the coriander powder in a cool place with darkness and dry temperature.

Do not ever re-heat the coriander powder before using it anytime. You must not bring the coriander powder to the air as the dust and dirt may get into it. Re-heating them or keeping in light will also spoil the taste of the coriander powder.

To prevent the coriander powder from spoiling, you can place a small chunk of asafoetida in the container. With this trick, you can store the coriander powder for about 5 to 6 months.

How long does it take to roast coriander seeds?

It takes around 10 to 15 minutes to roast the coriander seeds on the pan over the stove. But if you want to sundry the coriander seeds, then it would take 2 to 3 days. But if you are in hurry then roast just for a minute or 2. Even you can sun dry coriander seeds for only one single day as well.

What are the uses for coriander?

Though coriander is considered as background spice, it is much more than just that. Its strong taste and flavours will instant hit your head. At times, you would feel its taste and other time you would not even realize that it’s added. The taste of coriander powder is little sour but it enhances the flavours of various dishes.

The coriander where whole or in powder form is most used to prepared pickles, curries, and make different spice blends. For all the dishes of the Indian Cooking, the coriander powder is like a magic twist. This flavourful homemade coriander powder is added to give nice bright flavour in all Indian dishes with gravies. Even it is used to make chutney and rice. It infuses mellow and subtle flavours to any dish. Its little earthy and slight lemony flavours works well in combination with other spices.

This coriander powder made by grinding the whole coriander seeds is common and essential condiment of Indian Cuisine. It is very rare that any Indian dish can be prepared without the addition of coriander powder. Majority, all the dishes Indian dishes need the touch coriander powder. It has the pleasing aroma and unique savoury taste. It infuses a mild flavour and mild aroma to sweet and savoury Indian food dishes.

Health benefits of Coriander Powder:

Coriander powder not only adds flavours to your dish but also has many health benefits. You can consume it with warm water to get relief from indigestion. However, have the coriander powder in correct proportion as it may affect health adversely. Below are some medical benefits of coriander powder:

• It alleviates gas.
• It aids digestion problem.
• It heals low fever.
• Soothes in scorching heat.
• Its drink can be had a summer refresher.
• Detoxes heavy chemicals from body.
• It has various cooling properties.
• It stimulates appetite.
• It helps in secretion of gastric juices.
• It has many pain-relieving properties.
• It cures headaches and muscle pains.
• It relieves nausea and diarrhoea.
• It enhances blood circulation.
• It is reputed for fluid retention.
• It helps in purifying the blood.
• It cured inflammation and other allergies.

---