Kollu Podi is a delicious South Indian Podi Recipe made with Horsegram. Best enjoyed with hot rice and sesame oil or ghee. Perfect comfort food.
Kollu Podi is a delicious South Indian dry chutney powder made with Kollu (Horsegram) lentils and dry red chilies. This podi is mixed with rice and ghee and eaten as main course.
South Indian cuisine is known for its podi (dry chutney powder) varieties. The chutney has long shelf life and made using lentils, herbs like curry leaves, coriander etc.
Kollu Podi uses key ingredient Horsegram. Horsegram is also known as Ulava (Telegu), Kulthi (Hindi) and Kulith (Marathi). It is healthy, delicious and absolutely life saving on busy weekdays.
The ingredients are slow-roasted until they are golden brown, cooled and ground to a slightly coarse texture. The podi is stored in an airtight container and keeps well for over a month.
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To be honest, growing up, I was not a big fan of Kollu Podi. As an adult my feelings have completely changed. This is one of the best ways to include horsegram in your diet.
About the recipe
This Kollu Podi or Horsegram chutney recipe is a no-garlic Tamil Brahmin Style dry chutney powder.
It takes 30 mins from start to finish.
Ingredients are easily available in Indian grocery stores.
Good Shelf life, easy to store in pantry (airtight container) and travel friendly.
Podi or chutney is Vegan and can be easily gluten free if you omit the asafoetida (hing).
Comfort food after long travel, tired after chores, empty refrigerator day and/or simply not in a mood to cook.
How to make Kollu Podi
Measure and keep the ingredients ready.
Patience is key - Roast the ingredients on low to medium flame until its nice and nutty in flavor.
Heat a pan, add few drops of oil and horsegram. Roast on low to medium flame until horsegram changes color. Once you hear a light popping sound, the horsegram is roasted and ready.
Next, roast urad dal until it appears slightly brown followed by Chana dal.
Once horsegram and lentils are roasted, saute red chilies until they are crisp. Cool all the ingredients, add to a mixer jar along with salt and hing. Pulse or grind the ingredients to a slightly coarse powder. Cool and store in an airtight container.
How to use Kollu Podi
Podi is served with hot rice and ghee or sesame oil. You can substitute rice with millets.
You will require 1-2 teaspoon of kollu podi per cup of steamed rice. Drizzle with ghee or sesame oil, mix and eat.
Substitute regular idli podi with kollu podi as an accompaniment for Idli, crispy dosa or uttapam.
Storage | Shelf Life
After grinding the podi, cool completely before transferring to an airtight container or glass jar. Stays fresh for over a month.
Store the podi in a clean, dry place. Pantry or kitchen cupboard is perfect. You can store podi in refrigerator for long shelf life (2-3 months).
Other South Indian Podi recipes
Ellu Podi (Sesame Chutney)
Murungai Keerai Podi (Moringa Chutney)
Thengai Podi (Coconut Chutney)
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Kollu Podi | Horsegram Chutney Powder
Ingredients
- 1 cup Kollu or Horsegram
- 1/3 cup Urad Dal or Split Skinless Black Gram
- 1/3 cup Chana Dal (Kadala Paruppu or Bengal Gram Dal)
- 8 Whole Red Chillies I have used spicy Pandi Chilies
- ¼ teaspoon Hing or Asafoetida skip for gluten free version
- ½ teaspoon Sesame Oil to roast the ingredients
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Heat a pan, add the Horsegram, few drops of oil and roast until you hear a popping sound. Note - It would turn darker in colour as it roasts, ensure the flame is low and you follow this process slowly to avoid burning. Once roasted, keep it aside to cool.
- In the same pan, roast urad dal and chana dal separately with few drops of oil, until golden brown. Keep it aside to cool with horse gram.
- Next, roast the chilies for a couple of seconds until its crisp. Keep aside to cool.
- Cool the ingredients before grinding them in a mixer grinder jar with salt to taste and hing to a smooth yet slight coarse consistency powder. Cool before storing in an airtight container.
Notes
- Add salt and hing once the ingredients have cooled and only before grinding.
- After grinding the podi, cool completely before transferring to an airtight container or glass jar. Stays fresh for over a month.
- Store the podi in a clean, dry place. Pantry or kitchen cupboard is perfect. You can store podi in refrigerator for long shelf life (2-3 months).
- Serve the podi with hot rice, ghee or sesame oil.
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We will be back again with yet another exciting recipe .. Until then, stay healthy and happy!
Vidya Narayan
Amma makes this Kollu Podi, and all of us at home absolutely love it. It's a great way to include horsegram in one's diet, as you have said in your post.
Beautiful capture. I love the way you have explained the recipe here.
Thank you Priya, all of us have grown up relishing such podis and still do, isn't it! The more varieties, the better. Glad you liked the post.
Like you, I too love to store different types of podis. Loved your recipe for kollu podi. One of the best ways to include horsegram in our diet.
Podis are the best Niranjana, glad I have found another podi lover in you!
Thats one interesting recipe Vidya, I'm truly amazed at how so many different and not so well known ingredients in the North are so commonly used in the south. Using a power packed bean to make podi is an awesome idea. A great way to enjoy a bit of this powder over so many different dishes. I seriously need to include horse gram in my diet.
Thanks Mayuri, South Indians can make Podi and thogayal with anything and everything. Glad you liked the post.
I love podi. Made an authentic podi masala and stored in refrigerator to sprinkle on idl. Even sometimes I add it in dry sabji instead of regular spices for a change. Your podi sounds interesting. With less ingredients, easy, delicious and healthy. Loved the use of horsegram in it. Never used horsegram yet. Now I have to try it after reaching home. Hope I will get it in local market. Saving your recipe to try sometime.
Glad you liked the recipe. Horsegram is easily available in leading grocery stores else you can try it online.
This is another beautiful and healthy recipe of horsegram. Bookmarking your recipe.
Thanks Ankita, glad you liked it.
I have started using horse gram in my kitchen only from a year or so. I mainly use it in kadhan ( soup ) , idli and sprouted stir fry. Your podi sounds a great pair with any breakfast Vidya. Bookmarking this recipe to try it out soon. Thanks for the share.
Thank you Poonam, my pleasure.
It is raining podis in my home and now this is another one to repertoire. I love podis of all kinds, Vidya, and they are such a great way to get nutrients into the diet.
I agree about the nutrients factor Aruna. We are tempted to eat a small quantity of rice these days just for the podi.
What a fabulous idea to have homemade podi to enjoy with roti & rice as side dish, much handy and ready to use whenever required ! And it is so versatile too. Thank you for sharing your delicious recipe, vidya! ?
My pleasure Jolly, hope you enjoy this!
As i am very unaware about podi recipe, you explained it very well. Love the recipe as i am a big fan of horsegram. Bookmarking it.
Thank you Ankita, glad you found the post informative. Hope you like the taste of the podi too.
It was something about ammas kollu thogayal that put me off from horse gram for a long time, now that I have overcome that and seem to like it I love the idea of podi to get back to. I am sure this recipe will be fabulous with any south Indian breakfasts or even with rice..
Glad you liked the idea Seema. Thank you!
Though we south Indians make chutney and podi with almost anything, podi with horsegram is totally new to me! This is a great way to incorporate nutrients in our diet. Love the click.
Absolutely agree with you Geetha, thanks!
the podi dabba is surely a life saver. I generally have bangalore style chutneypudi or paruppu podi. mix it with rice and sesame oil and voila one has a meal. I must try ur recipe (I think its very similar to my pati's ) and make a batch of this podi for the hubby especially as he loves the quick mixes with even pongal :p
I agree about the life saver aspect Kal and we are big fans of podis at home. Sunday meals are usually podi sadam with sesame oil as first course. Glad you liked it.
This is again a keeper recipe Vidya. Thanks a lot for your podi recipes . I am just learning so much from you. Would love to try this one with idlis. Making it soon .
Make it soon Paarul and hope you enjoy it! Thanks.
In my home we don't use podi but I personally like podi as i have tried it in my friends home. I am definitely going to try this podi as it is so delicious and nutritious. As always awesome picture Vidya and love the spoon in the picture.
Thank you so much Anshu! I hope you enjoy making and eating this podi. Give my love to the little one.
In North India podis are not very common.. One thing that I love about blogging is that along with sharing my cuisine, I am learning new ingredients and recipes everyday. I mostly use store bought podi that I love to have with dosa and idllis. Will love to try this nutritious podi soon . So handy to have it even with parathas and chilla.
Once you make podis at home, you will forget the store bought ones. They are too powdery in texture unlike the coarse ones made at home. Do try, I am sure you would love it!
South Indian podi I always keep in mind to try. here in this recipe I should make a start :p .... Horse gram is a lovely picked up for podi making 🙂 Awesome capture too...
Thank you!
Vidya horsegram was never a part of diet in both my mother and in laws place. The only kollu I have seen is as kulith pithla in my friends house and the color put me off totally.
Reading about the health benefits of kulith I am tempted to use it. I now have so many recipes to try out. This podi is another thing I will try once my current batch gets over. Thanks for the info.
Glad you found the post useful, do try and I hope it would change your perspective about Horsegram!
First time tried making a podi. It is tasting amazing. Thank you very much for such clear and detailed instructions. Looking forward to trying out more of your recipes.
Thank you so much for the feedback. Do try some of the podi recipes on the blog, my favorites are Sesame and the Drumstick one. Hope you like them.