Coriander Cumin Powder | Dhaniya Jeera Powder

Indian spice mixes

I have grown up watching my mom make a variety of dry spice mixes at home. the thing I remember most vividly is the aroma when she would roast these dry spices. Our entire house would smell so good. I would always insist on being around when she made it. I would stand by her side while she roasted the spices, inhaling the wonderful aroma, with a satisfied smile. 

You will find a Masala Dabba or Spice Box similar to the one in the picture above in nearly every Indian kitchen. It usually is filled with whole and/or ground spices that are used in everyday cooking. Having it in one box makes it easily accessible. These boxes are completely customizable based on your cooking needs. 

We make it all at home

Yes, whatever we can, we prefer making it at home and only rely on store-bought ones if it's an emergency, i.e. if we run out of ingredients needed. Turmeric Powder, Garam Masala, Sambhar Powder, Idli Molagapudi, and Milk Masala/Indian Protein Powder are some of them that I make on a rotation basis besides coriander-cumin powder. 

Why make it

Trust me, once you make it at home, you are never going back to the store-bought ones! The flavor and aroma cannot be beaten! Also, it's worth mentioning that all the spice mixes are naturally vegan. 

• It is very cost-effective because you can make it in bulk.
• Free from preservatives and artificial color. You know exactly what goes into it.
• Homemade spice mixes always are fresher and more aromatic.
• They are super easy to make and take just 15 minutes of your time.

Ingredients needed 🧾

Coriander seeds and cumin seeds - Use fresh good quality coriander seeds to make this spice mix. You can easily find them in bulk from an Indian grocery store. They will be more cost-effective when you get them from there.

What is Coriander, cilantro, or dhaniya

Dhaniya is the Indian name for cilantro/coriander. Technically, cilantro and coriander are the same because they both come from the same plant. But one must know that cilantro is the leaves and stems of the plant while coriander is the seeds that are produced by the flowers. 

It has a citrusy flavor with a slight sweetness and a hint of earthiness but is milder in terms of heat. Cilantro/Dhaniya powder is made by grinding roasted coriander seeds. It is one of the widely used spice mixes in Indian cuisine. We use the leaves, powder, and seeds in many of our curry blends and chutneys as it adds a pleasant fragrance.

No wonder, Cilantro is considered an aromatic herb and is a favorite garnish in Asian cooking. Its flavor is best described as a pleasant mix of parsley with citrus undertones. Cilantro powder has a cooling effect on the body and is also helpful in improving poor appetite and increasing blood circulation.

Coriander seeds need to be stored properly in airtight jars in a cool, dry part of the kitchen. They can stay fresh for almost a year and cilantro powder can keep for two to six months.

What is Cumin or jeera

Cumin is from the parsley family. Cumin seeds look like caraway seeds but are a bit longer and boat-shaped. They have a distinctive warm and intense earthy flavor with mild bitter undertones and a distinctive aroma that hints at lemon.

Cumin is known as jeera in Hindi and hence ground cumin is referred to as jeera powder or bhuna (means roasted) jeera powder. We use whole and powdered seeds extensively in our Asian cooking. In fact, cumin seeds are used for tempering and are usually the first things added to oil along with mustard seeds to crackle.

This is done so that the flavors infuse well in the oil. Unlike cumin seeds, roasted ground cumin can be added at any time to a recipe as its flavor doesn’t need heat to be released. The nutty flavor gives the dish a unique flavor. Apart from cooking it also has many health and medicinal benefits as well. It aids in digestion, great for weight loss, is rich in vitamin E, and has anti-aging properties. 

Making Dhaniya powder and Jeera powder at home is extremely easy and literally a 2-step process - roast and grind. The roasting or drying is done to get rid of any moisture in these whole spices because it increases the shelf life. Back then, my grandma used to directly dry them under the sun for days and then hand-pound them. We, however, use the stovetop. 

1. Dry roast cumin seeds in a pan on a low flame. Need to roast till you get a faint aroma from the cumin seeds and it turns a little darker. Chef Tip - It could take 2-3 minutes on low-medium flame. Keep stirring continuously so that all the seeds are evenly roasted.
2. Transfer to a plate and let it cool. Once it's cooled down completely, transfer it to a dry high-power blender and make a coarse or fine powder.
3. Similarly, dry roast coriander seeds next in the same pan till they let out a fragrance and turn darker.
4. Transfer to a plate and let it cool. Once it's cooled down completely, transfer it to a dry high-power blender and make a coarse or fine powder.

Serving suggestions 🍽

One cup of cumin/coriander seeds will yield about ¾ cup of ground cumin cilantro powder. Store in a clean and sterile, airtight glass jar. You can either mix and store them together or store them in different containers. I prefer to keep them separate.

I must tell you that the taste of a dish with freshly ground cumin and dhaniya powder is heavenly! Use it in any recipe that calls for coriander-cumin powder. It tastes great in curries, gravies, salads, stir-fries, rice dishes, stews, soups, raita, dips, chaat, drinks, etc. 

Cumin powder is also used in other cuisines. If you are making something Mexican like Enchilada Casserole, or Mexican rice, add this cumin powder. Both cumin and coriander powder is of course used extensively in Indian cuisine to make curries like Chana Palak, Mutter Paneer, Mirchi Ka Salan, etc. I also add them when making Indian curry pasta and Buttermilk Popsicles!

Top recipe tips 💭

Be careful to not burn the spics, or else they will taste bitter. After roasting immediately transfer it to a plate so that it cools down. Do not keep the roasted seeds in the hot pan even though you have turned off the gas. The heat in the pan will burn the spices. Transfer to a plate to let them cool down. Also, there is no need to sieve these powders.

Cumin powder can be used as a substitute for cilantro powder or vice versa. But it will not be an exact replacement. Sometimes you can also add other spices like cloves, poppy seeds, curry leaves, and bay leaf to this Indian spice mix. There is no need to roast them though. Also, ensure the blender is clean and dry (contains no moisture) before adding the roasted spices.

We spoke about this dhaniya jeera powder spice mix in our 2nd episode of the Cookilicious Kitchen Stories Podcast. You can listen to it here. 

Recipe FAQs 📖

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