Thanks to dear Nupur and her post on huli pudi, this seemingly innocent powder has become quite popular. I think he (the huli pudi i mean!) owes it all to his bright red color!  (I see Huli pudi as a male :-)
Before I begin to give you the recipe, I must explain my reasons on why this delay in writing this post! I’m sure Kamini has been waiting for this and must be wondering - where did this (me!) lady dissappear??
Here’s my story - the huli pudi that I sent Nupur was made by our Family cook back home in Bangalore. He actually does not cook for us on a daily basis, but cooks for all our home and family celebrations (like in poojas, weddings, gruhapraveshams etc.) Bheem rao as he is called, I must tell you is a wonderful person to talk to about recipes! He will share his wisdom easily with no qualms at all. Last time we were in India, he had catered to our little one’s Ayusha Homam - a pooja that is usually performed among some South Indians to bless the child with a long and healthy, prosperous life. And the food was wonderful! I even went over back to the huge kitchen in the mandap to discuss the recipes with him :-)
And when i came back I had him make me Huli pudi, Rasam Powder (Saarina Pudi) and Puliogare Gojju (which is readymade tamarind rice paste) for me to take back with me! And i actually even wrote down the recipe for huli pudi from him - in case I ran out before my next trip. But before i posted this recipe, I wanted to double check that I had everything written right!
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Huli Pudi (Karnataka style Sambar powder)
You will need:
3 cups Whole Dhaniya
5 cups Dry Red Chilli (Bheem Rao uses what is called Byadgi chillies which are bright red. If these are not available you could Deghi Kashmiri Mirch or Reshampatti Red Chillies or Reshampatti Red chilli powder).
1 1/2 cup Urad Dal
1 cup Channa Dal
1 tbsp Methi Seeds
10 pieces of cinnamon (remember that cinnamon adds the aroma to this powder)
a few cloves (about 6)
a few curry leaves
1 tsp Hing or Asafoetida
1 tsp Turmeric powder

Method:
Dry roast all the ingredients separately except the turmeric powder. If you are using ready made red chilli powder then you would not have to roast that. After roasting everything cool. Grind all ingredients together into a fine powder. Store in an airtight jar.

Once the huli pudi is made, how do you use it? Obviously you can make Sambar or Huli with it. Nupur’s Sambar here looks just perfect! Or you can even try something innovative like Anita’s Sambar Potatoes… yumm!
I actually use huli pudi in a variety of dishes.. Here is one recipe that I make often… a recipe my good friend Radhika. This is Greens Huli made slightly differently than the normal huli or sambar! It is usually made with Amaranth greens or Thotakura (in Telugu), Dantina Soppu (in Kannada), but it can be made with spinach too and tastes equally delicious!
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Greens Huli (Amaranth leaves Huli) 

You will need:
1 bunch Amaranth Greens - Pick out the leaves. Use only the tender leaves for this dish. Save the stalks also called Dantu for other dishes (that recipe coming up soon too!) Wash the leaves and chop really fine. Keep aside.

Toor Dal - 1 cup. Washed and cooked in the pressure cooker until fully cooked (usually 2 to 3 whistles).
1 small piece of tamarind (a half a tennis ball size) - Soaked in warm water and tamarind juice extracted.
1 small piece of Jaggery (about 1 tsp)
2 to 3 tsp Huli Pudi
Salt to taste

To be ground into a Paste:
5 to 6 Green Chillies
1/2 cup grated Coconut
1/4 tsp Hing or Asafoetida
1 tsp Jeera or Cumin seeds
a few sprigs of Cilantro or Coriander leaves
a small piece of ginger

Combine all of the above. Add about 1/2 to 1 cup of water and grind to a smooth paste. Keep aside.

For Seasoning:
1 tbsp Oil
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1/2 tsp Jeera or Cumin seeds
a few curry leaves
a pinch of Hing
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder.

Method:
1. Chop the greens fine and keep aside.
2. Cook the toor dal until soft in a pressure cooker with a pinch of turmeric. When cool, mash with a ladle and keep aside.
3. Grind the Masala paste and keep aside.
4. In a pan, heat the oil. Add the mustard seeds. Once they splutter add the jeera, hing, curry leaves and turmeric powder.
5. Then add the chopped greens and saute for about 5 to 10 minutes until the greens are mostly cooked. Keep stirring.
6. Then add the masala paste and saute until cooked (for about 5 to 7 minutes). Add the huli pudi, salt and the tamarind juice extract at this point. Cook for about 5 minutes.
7. Add the cooked dal and mix well. Add some water if you need to thin the huli consistency. Add the jaggery and cook for about 5 to 10 minutes on a medium to low flame.
8. In the end you may garnish with some chopped cilantro and a little grated fresh coconut.
9. Serve hot with rice and papad or any Indian salad (Koshimbir or Kosambri).

Hope you guys enjoyed these recipes! If you do try it, be sure to let me know - its always good to hear from my readers :-) Thanks for stopping by!