Podis: Staples In A South Indian Kitchen
A few podis that I cannot live without. I make these once in about 2 months in small quantities to retain freshness. I used to get these from my mom, but she’s older now and I’m older haha, so started making rasam podi and molagapodi on my own, and slowly started making pretty much all the podis. Especially with the covid situation!
Servings
10servings
Servings
10servings
Ingredients
Rasam Podi
  • 1cup Coriander seeds
  • 3/4cup toor dal
  • 1cup red chiliesdepending on heat preference, you can mix red chilies and bydagi chilies
  • 1/2cup Whole black pepper
  • 1/4cup Cumin seeds
  • handfulcurry leaves optional
Kuzambu podi/Sambar podi
  • 1cup Coriander seeds
  • 3/4cup toor dal
  • 1cup red chilies
  • 1/8cup Fenugreek seedsroughly 1 tbsp
  • 1tbsp Turmeric powder
  • 1tbsp Pepperoptional
  • 1tsp Hing
  • handfulcurry leaves optional
Kootu podi
  • 1/2cup urad dal
  • 3tbsp black pepper
  • handfulcurry leaves optional
Molaga podi (Dosai molagapodi)
  • 1cup urad dalulutham paruppu
  • 1cup chana dalkadalai paruppu
  • 1cup red chiliesmore or less per taste
  • 1/2cup sesame seeds
  • 1tsp Coriander seedsoptional, my family prefers this
  • 1tsp Hing
  • 1tsp oil to fry the dals and lentils
Chutney podi
  • 1cup urad dal
  • 1cup chana dal
  • 1cup red chilies
  • 1cup grated coconutthawed, if frozen
  • 1small lime sized tamarind/puli
  • 1tbsp Hing
  • 1tsp oil to fry dals and chilies
Bisibelabaath podi
  • 1cup Coriander seeds
  • 3/4cup toor dal
  • 1cup red chilies
  • 1tbsp methi/fenugreek seeds
  • 1tbsp kal paasi/dagad phoolaka stone flower, pathar ka phool – it’s a kind of fungus with a tremendous flavor
  • 2inches cinnamon stick
  • 1cardamom optional
  • 1tsp oil
  • handful of curry leaves optional
  • 1/2tsp Hing
Instructions
Rasam podi
  1. Dry roast to remove any possible moisture in ingredients, one by one. Powder coarsely.
  2. Cool and store in airtight jar. Stays fresh for a couple of months.
Kuzhambu/sambar podi
  1. Dry roast ingredients one by one, let cool.
  2. Powder fine. Store in an airtight jar. Add to kuzhambu by itself. Or can be blended with a handful of coconut and added to make sambar, for additional flavor.
Dosai molagapodi
  1. In a teaspoon of oil, roast all ingredients except sesame seeds, hing, and salt.
  2. Toast sesame seeds in a dry pan. Cool all ingredients.
  3. Powder to desired consistency. Some like it coarse, some like it fine. Add salt, hing. Store in a glass jar.
Chutney Podi
  1. In a tsp of oil, fry all the dals, chilies
  2. On a dry pan, toast coconut until it turns golden. Toast sesame seeds. Add tamarind (dry) to the heated ingredients, turn off heat.
  3. Let cool, powder to desired consistency, add salt and hing.
Kootu podi
  1. Heat oil, fry all the ingredients without burning them. Cool on a plate.
  2. Powder coarsely, store in an airtight jar.
Bisibela baath podi
  1. Heat the tsp of oil, fry the whole spices first – kalpaasi, cinnamon, cloves. Remove to a plate
  2. Toast the dal, coriander seeds, red chilies, methi one after another – I start with the dal, and add all the other ingredients.
  3. After they’re cool, powder coarsely.
Recipe Notes

Tips//notes:

I used my Vitamix to blend all these. It can make them as fine as the maavu machines back home, totally worth the $$$!