Idli Podi or Idli Milagai Podi is a South Indian dry condiment made with roasted lentils and red chilies. It is mixed with sesame oil or ghee and served with Idli, Dosa, Upma. This condiment has a long shelf life.
Idli Podi recipe is a South Indian pantry staple. Made by roasting lentils and red chilies, podi chutney is a delicious, nutty and spicy condiment. It is mixed with sesame oil or ghee (highly recommended) and served with Idli and dosa.
Idli Chutney Powder has its own fan base. Idli podi is popularly known as Gunpowder because spicy red chilies are used to make this chutney podi.
Store bought podi lacks taste and depth of flavors which is why I highly recommend making this at home. The next best thing would be requesting your South Indian friends to make it for you.
Btw, making podi chutney at home is not difficult. It pretty much uses the same technique when making any masala or condiment. The spices or lentils are roasted, cooled and ground.
Podi Idli is every South Indian’s favorite travel snack. It has a long shelf life and stays fresh for 24-48 hours.
This is a Tamil Nadu style of making Idli Podi. As Brahmins, we don’t add garlic. Needless to say, this is my mother’s recipe and I still make it the same way.
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Ingredients
Urad Dal (Ulundhu, skinless split Black Gram)
Chana Dal (Bengal Gram Dal, split chickpeas) – The quantity of chana dal should be half the amount of Urad dal.
When roasting chana dal, ensure the heat is medium to low. If the heat is high, the edges will brown quickly and burn. It will not roast properly and taste raw.
Sesame Seeds – I use 2 types of sesame seeds – White and Black. Black Seeds taste nuttier than its white counterpart.
Dry Red chilies – It is important to use a combination of red chilies that impart both color and heat.
I have used 2 varieties – Byadgi and Madras Chilies. Byadgi (substitute with Kashmiri red chili) gives color whereas Madras chilies add heat.
Hing or Asafoetida – Adds flavor, helps in digestion.
Sesame Oil – few drops to roast the chilies (feel free to use any oil).
How to make Idli Podi recipe
Heat a pan, add urad dal and dry roast on medium heat and roast until its light brown. Set it aside to cool.
Place the pan back on heat and dry roast chana dal. Once roasted, set it aside to cool with urad dal.
Add sesame seeds in the hot pan. It will start popping. Remove from heat, cool.
Add 2-3 drops of oil in the hot pan and roast the chilies until they appear shiny, crisp and plump.
Cool the ingredients.
Before grinding, remove stems of dry red chilies, add salt and hing.
Depending on the size of your grinder jar, grind the chutney in batches. It will prevent the jar from overheating and affecting the taste.
Once the entire batch is ground, mix, cool and store in an airtight container.
How to eat Idli Podi
Apart from Traditional Idli, we love serving podi with Millet Idli, Ragi Idli and Barley Idli.
Sprinkle podi on piping hot idli. Drizzle sesame oil or ghee and mix. Let it sit for 5 mins before serving so the flavors are absorbed.
Serve podi with oil or ghee as dipping sauce alongside crispy Dosa.
Idli chutney podi can be served with Adai and Kozhukattai.
Shelf Life | Storage
Store Idli chutney powder in a clean, dry and airtight container. It stays fresh for 2-3 months depending on usage.
Avoid placing a spoon inside the container and ensure your hands are completely dry when handling the podi container. Moisture will compromise shelf life.
If the weather is quite warm where you live and/or if you are travelling for 15-20 days or a month, store the podi in the refrigerator.
More South Indian Podi recipes to try
Murungai Keerai Podi (Drumstick Leaves Podi)
Thengai Podi (Coconut)
Ellu Podi (Sesame Seeds)
Kollu Podi (Horsegram)
The post was published originally in July 2017. I have updated the blog post with step-wise instructions and fresh content.
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Idli Podi Recipe | Idli Milagai Podi
Equipment
- Mixer Grinder Jar or Spice Blender
Ingredients
- 200 g Urad Dal (Split skinless black gram)
- 100 g Chana Dal or Bengal Gram Dal
- 15 g White Sesame Seeds
- 1 tablespoon Black Sesame seeds
- 10 Byadgi Red chilies substitute with Kashmiri red chilies
- 10 Madras red chilies
- ½ teaspoon Hing or Asafoetida
- Salt to taste
- 1-2 Drops of Sesame Oil for roasting
Instructions
- Heat a pan, add urad dal and dry roast on medium heat and roast until its light brown. Set it aside to cool.
- Place the pan back on heat and dry roast chana dal. Once roasted, set it aside to cool with urad dal.
- Add sesame seeds in the hot pan. It will start popping. Remove from heat, cool.
- Add 2-3 drops of oil in the hot pan and roast the chilies until they appear shiny, crisp and plump.
- Cool all the ingredients before grinding.
- Before grinding, remove stems of dry red chilies, add salt and hing.
- Depending on the size of your grinder jar, grind the chutney in batches. It will prevent the jar from overheating and affecting the taste.
- Once the entire batch is ground, mix, cool and store in an airtight container.
Video
Notes
- Store Idli chutney powder in a clean, dry and airtight container. It stays fresh for 2-3 months depending on usage.
- Avoid placing a spoon inside the container and ensure your hands are completely dry when handling the podi container. Moisture will compromise the shelf life.
- If the weather is quite warm where you live and/or if you are travelling for 15-20 days or a month, store the podi in the refrigerator.
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We will be back again with yet another exciting recipe .. Until then, stay healthy and happy!
Vidya Narayan
It is no secret that I love Indian cuisine as much as I love Thai food. I always grind my own spices and love reading authentic recipes like this...Thank you, Vidya for sharing 🙂
Love this with any Indian breakfasts!
Absolutely Sumith... Very versatile & makes breakfasts quite interesting.
Its my favourite recipe, thanks for sharing
Mine too dear. Thanks a lot.
Thank you for sharing your family recipe Vidya. I can eat this podi all day 🙂
Most welcome. U will find this podi in every south indian household along with Sambhar & Rasam powder. These are things we cant live without.
Thanks for sharing the star secret ingredient of yummy dishes ?
My pleasure Jyoti. Glad u liked the recipe.
Looks great
Thanks
One of my fav podis?
Mine too dear.
Nice to add both sesame (black & white) !
thanks dear