Mint Powder

Pudina or mint is one of the most commonly used  ingredients in our Indian kitchens. From drinks to dishes  to garnishes to even sweet dishes. Mint is versatile and is used in different preparations but another way of using it is in the form of a powder. Chef Kunal Kapur shared an easy recipe of making the  powder at homeMint Powder Original Video. 

So the two methods shared by him are-

1.Natural air dried which can be done under a shade on a sunny day or under a fan in a room. It can take upto 2 to 3 days based on the climate. 

2.The other way is to do it in a microwave which is for immediate use  but it has lesser flavour  when compared to the natural drying method. "Also the colour of the air dried mint is more even and lighter green where as the other is dark, deeper green to black and sometimes dark brownish." 

So I used the microwave method and it was easy, quick and the texture was beautiful. 

Method 

1.Take a bunch of fresh mint leaves and pluck all its leaf. Wash the mint leaves and drain out the excess water. Place the leaves on a cloth or rack and allow them to dry out completely. 

2.Take a microwave safe tray and spread the mint leaves on it. Place the tray inside the microwave and  roast the leaves for 3 minutes but every 1 minute stir the mint leaves with a spatula. If they haven’t dried even after 3 min then place it back inside the microwave and roast for another minute.

3.Place a sieve over a bowl and transfer the dried mint leaves on it. Strain and crush the dried leaves so that the mint powder gets through and the thick stems gets strained away. Discard the stems left on the sieve. Mint powder is now ready.

                   I use it as a garnish 

         Roasted carrots with Mint powder