Description
A flavorful spiced powder made from various lentils and spices, perfect for serving with rice or dosas.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 tablespoons oil (use peanut or sesame oil for best flavor)
- ½ teaspoon asafetida (hing)
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds (jeera)
- 2 teaspoons brown mustard seeds (sarson)
- ½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds (methi dana)
- ¼ cup Bengal gram (chana dal)
- ¼ cup split and skinned black lentils (white urad dal)
- 10–12 whole Kashmiri dry red chilies (stalks removed)
- ¼ cup whole coriander seeds
- 2 cups curry leaves (rinsed, tightly packed)
- 1 lime size ball seedless tamarind
- ½ cup grated fresh coconut
- 3 teaspoons salt
Instructions
- Wash the curry leaves and spread them on a kitchen towel for 4-5 hours to eliminate any excess water.
- Heat oil in a large pan over medium flame.
- Once the oil is hot, add asafetida, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, and fenugreek seeds, and let them crackle for 3-4 seconds.
- Reduce the heat to low.
- Add chana dal, urad dal, Kashmiri dry red chilies, and whole coriander seeds to the pan and roast on low heat until they turn slightly brown. Stir continuously to avoid burning.
- Now add the washed and dried curry leaves and dry roast on low heat until they turn crisp. It will take 15-20 minutes. Stir very frequently.
- Add tamarind, coconut, and salt, and roast for another 2-3 minutes. Stir frequently.
- Remove the pan from heat and let the roasted ingredients cool completely.
- Transfer the cooled ingredients to a grinder or a food processor and grind to make a coarse powder.
- Store the powder in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a month.
- When serving, take out a teaspoon or two of powder on the plate, pour some sesame oil or ghee on top, and serve with sambar rice or idli dosas.
Notes
- You can wash the leaves a day before making the podi. This will remove any moisture in them.
- It is important to roast the ingredients on low flame so that they get crisp and flavorful from the inside.
- Some people roast the curry leaves for only 6-8 minutes instead of 15-20 minutes. By roasting them for less time, the flavor of the podi is enhanced but the shelf life is reduced.
- If you want to finish the podi quickly, roast the curry leaves for only 6-8 minutes.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Condiment
- Method: Roasting
- Cuisine: Indian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 tablespoon
- Calories: 50
- Sugar: 1g
- Sodium: 200mg
- Fat: 4g
- Saturated Fat: 1g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 8g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 0mg