Thengai Podi / Coconut Spice Mix

My mother-in-law prepares this wonderful spice blend with dessicated coconut from the garden. She recently sent a package of this spice blend for us, and I wanted to record the recipe before other things took over. This is my husband's favorite spice blend to mix with steamed rice!

Although this recipe calls for dessicated coconut, you can also use store bought coconut flakes (unsweetened) and roast them well. Shelf-life might be reduced a bit, but store in the fridge in an air-tight container to extend shelf life as much as possible. 

Ingredients (for a little more than a cup):

1. 1 cup of grated dessicated coconut
2. 5-6 dry red chillies
3. 3 teaspoons dehusked split urad dal / ulutham paruppu / black gram
4. 3 teaspoons bengal gram / kadala paruppu
5. 1/2 teaspoon hing / asafoetida
6. 1 teaspoon salt or as needed
7. 1 tablespoon sesame oil

Preparation:

1. Dry roast the coconut on medium heat until golden brown.
2. Heat oil and separately roast the following: red chillies (for a couple of minutes until they begin to change color), urad dal (until it begins to change color), and bengal gram (until it begins to change color. 
3. When cool, grind everything to a semi-coarse powder and mix with salt. 

Store in an air-tight container for a month. To extend shelf-life, store in the refrigerator for a few months.