Idli Podi

Idli podi, mulaga podi, gunpowder etc are the same names of the spice powder which is a good accompaniment for idli, dosa etc. Podi means powder in South Indian languages. I used to wonder why a harmless idli podi is called gunpowder. Later got to know that some variants of the Idli Podi are extremely spicy and hence the name!

The one I make isn’t a very spicy version as I feel too much spice really numbs our taste buds. I’m sure there will be many who would agree to disagree. The recipe I used to follow is of my mother-in-law. Then one day I saw Mylapore Iyer Aathu Ponnu, an Instagram account I follow, explain her mothers recipe in detail. She said there is one ingredient that imparts a special taste. And even I was surprised because none of the recipes on the Internet had this ingredient. I have to tell you the addition of this ingredient does make a lot of difference to the Idli Podi. So what’s the ingredient? Lets check in the recipe,shall we?

Idli Podi

Lejna

The classic idli podi, with a secret ingredient.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 15 mins

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Tamil Nadu

Servings 250 gms

Ingredients

  

• ½ cup Chana dal
• ½ cup Urad dal
• ¼ cup Sesame seeds
• 6 nos Whole red chilli
• 2 nos Kashmiri red chilli
• 1 sprig Curry leaves
• 2 tsp Oil
• 1 tsp Hing
• 2 tsp Mustard seeds
• Salt

Instructions

 

Roasting

• Heat 1 tsp of oil, add the dals to it and roast well till they turn golden brown. Keep aside in a plate.
• Heat 1 tsp of oil,add the chillis and roast till they puff up. Set aside.
• Roast the sesame seeds till they start to splutter. Set aside.
• Roast the curry leaves till they become crisp. Set aside.
• Now the secret ingredient! Roast the mustard seeds till they start to splutter. Set aside on the plate. Let everything cool well.

Grinding

• Grind the sesame seeds till they turn into a powder. Don't grind for long ,as the seeds will start releasing the oil. Set aside in a bowl.
• Grind the salt, chillis, curry leaves, hing and mustard seeds together into a fine powder. Transfer the powder to the bowl.
• Grind ¾ of the roasted dals to a fine powder. Add the remaining ¼ of the dals to the grinder and pulse the grinder thrice so that its ground to a coarse texture, not a fine powder. Transfer it to the bowl. Mix everything well and store in a bottle.

Keyword Gunpowder, Idli Podi, Milaga Podi, Mulaga Podi