Mahanandi

Living in Consciousness ~ Indi(r)a’s Food and Garden Weblog

Idly Kaaram Podi

Idli Kaaram - Made of Roased  and Powdered -urad dal, chana dal, Red Chilli, black pepper seeds, cumin, coriander seeds, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and tamarind,

Recipe:
½ cup Urad dal (Minapa pappu)
½ cup Chana dal (Sanaga pappu)
6 dried red chillies
6 black pepper
1 teaspoon of each – cumin, coriander seeds, mustard seeds
½ teaspoon of salt
½ teaspoon of fenugreek seeds (Menthulu)
Small piece of tamarind (optional)

Toast them in one teaspoon of oil or ghee separetly or together in an iron skillet, constantly mixing. Take care not to burn them and let cool to room temperature. Powder them using a spice grinder or mixer. Store in a clean jar. Stays fresh upto 1 to 3 months.

Drizzle some melted ghee into this powder and have it with Idlis. My home state folks go crazy for this ‘Idly – kaaram podi’ combination.

Recipe Source: Attamma(MIL)

Posted by Indira©Copyrighted in Amma & Authentic Andhra,Dried Red Chillies,Peppers (Friday November 11, 2005 at 4:56 pm- permalink)
Comments (38)

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38 comments for Idly Kaaram Podi »

  1. Do I have to toast them seperatly or toast everything together ??

    Comment by Priya — November 11, 2005 @ 5:14 pm

  2. Yummy! Our family recipe is slightly different without jeera and dhania- just red chilis, sesame, urad dal and chana dal. But the texture and color are same as yours.

    Does it make a small batch? I will give this a try when my existing supply gets over. My husband likes only sambar with idli but I am a molagai podi gal.

    Comment by mika — November 11, 2005 @ 5:20 pm

  3. indira we make idli podi the similar way, we add 1 tbsp of pappulu to this and dont use tamarind …

    Comment by priya,ar — November 11, 2005 @ 7:32 pm

  4. Priya.. what I do is toast urad dal and chana dal separately,then toast all the remaining ingredients together (except tamarind and salt of course).

    Mika..your family version sounds great. Vijay is also an idly-sambhar-podi kind of guy. But I on the other hand, must have some sort of pacchadi(chutney) with idly.
    Idly kaaram came about 3/4th of empty Priya pickle bottle, when made in above quantities, Mika.

    Priya AR.. My sisters family(MIL) prepares this podi like the way you mentioned. I am sure it tastes great too.:)

    Comment by Indira — November 11, 2005 @ 9:33 pm

  5. Ideally, I love idly with sambar, chutney AND podi – I think of them as the Heavenly Trio 🙂 But I do love the way Andhra folks make podi, and your recipe will be MOST useful, Indira, because I’ve run out of the stuff myself. Cant wait to try your recipe!

    PS.Have I mentioned that you take the most amazing photos of the things you make? I’m so in awe.

    Comment by shammi — November 12, 2005 @ 3:43 am

  6. Mahrashtrians make a different kinda of chutney powder with garlic, peanuts, sesame seeds, tamarind , red chillies , pinch of sugar and dry coconut.. those guys go crazy over this powder , the color and texture look exactly like the podi u have shown in the pic… they have this chutney podi with chapathi , onion and green chilli… and its HOTTTTTESTT chutney podi i have ever tasted..

    Comment by priya, ar — November 12, 2005 @ 12:32 pm

  7. Shammi.. Thanks!

    Priya A.R, you are making my mouth water.:) I love this kind of hot chutney podis.

    Comment by Indira — November 12, 2005 @ 12:45 pm

  8. Indira, I made the karam podi – it was different from my mother’s recipe I follow (she doesnt use jeera or dhania) but really tasty! Thanks! 🙂

    Indira says
    Shammi.. thanks for trying this recipe. Your dosa, sambhar and podi with ghee photo looks mouthwatering.

    Comment by shammi — November 13, 2005 @ 7:15 am

  9. Hi Indira,
    We make a similar Idli podi too. Adding some dry-roasted curry leaves increases the flavor in leaps and bounds. Here’s my recipe.

    1/3 cup urad dal, 1/3 cup tur dal, 1/3 cup chana dal, a handful of curry leaves, 1 tsp jeera, 8-10 red chilies, 1/4 tsp asafoetida, 4 peppercorns and salt to taste. Dry roast all these in a cast-iron pan (for best results) and powder them.

    I’ve been reading your blog and it is very interesting. Keep up the great work.

    Comment by Anonymous — November 14, 2005 @ 10:09 am

  10. […] known as Molaga Podi or Kara Podi, my North Indian friends would refer to it as Gunpowder. Mahanandi, the incredible food blog has pictures and recipe […]

    Pingback by DesiPundit » Idly And Gunpowder — November 14, 2005 @ 11:47 am

  11. Indira, along with curry leaves, add a bit of sesame seeds too – it enhances the flavour and aroma!

    Comment by Ravi — November 15, 2005 @ 11:33 am

  12. Indira,your version of karam podi is different and i am going to try it out.Just try giving it to these americans and they will sweat 🙂
    I make karam podi only senagapappu ,minapappu ,red chilli,salt and tamarind.
    Simple and Short i think!!!

    Comment by uma — March 3, 2006 @ 8:18 pm

  13. Indira,
    made idli kaaram podi today… tastes good but I couldn’t get the bright red colour as yours… any suggestions?…

    Comment by any — March 17, 2006 @ 4:25 am

  14. Indira,

    I have been reading your blog for a while now
    and I think it is awesome.
    I would like to try this recipe. I was wondering what kind of a blender/mixer you used to make this podi.Thanks,

    Comment by Deepa — August 2, 2006 @ 11:12 pm

  15. Hi,

    Thanks a lot for the recipe. Will this podi taste good with dosa also?

    Comment by vani — August 17, 2006 @ 3:53 pm

  16. Hi Indira,
    Your idli kaaram podi is good…..i am also doing the same way …but i didnt use fenugreek seeds…….i going to try your way ..sure it will be tasty.

    Comment by radhika — September 8, 2006 @ 5:20 pm

  17. Hi Indira,
    I tried this recipe today .. idly karam podi,taste was great but could not get the color which is shown in the above photo.

    Thanks for the recipe.
    Swati

    Comment by Swati — October 16, 2006 @ 1:12 pm

  18. […] Recipes for gunpowder: here Indira’s peanut chutney: here recipe for sambar: here (Sambhar with baby shallots) […]

    Pingback by Instant Gratification: Rava Idli « A Mad Tea Party — November 3, 2006 @ 11:16 pm

  19. for idli karam podi,do i have to roast them seperately or together

    Comment by deepti — January 20, 2007 @ 2:09 pm

  20. hey this is great, i am trying the molaga podi for the first time at home.. thanks for the recipe and it seems that it has turned out quite well!

    Comment by Bee — March 17, 2007 @ 10:23 am

  21. tried the karam podi tasted good . But the colour was not red. Any suggestion? Thanks for the recipe.

    Comment by susha — March 28, 2007 @ 3:29 am

  22. Hi Indira,

    Great recipe, thanks a lot. Also brilliant photograph !! help me much 🙂

    Comment by Abhi — May 21, 2007 @ 1:39 am

  23. It’s really great. Thanx.

    Comment by indu — May 24, 2007 @ 7:50 am

  24. tried the karam podi recipe,its just wonderful !!

    Comment by Rachana — August 24, 2007 @ 10:40 pm

  25. […] Here are some additional recipes for idli: A Sampling of South Indian Bread Recipes, with Photos Idli Recipe Carrot Idli Recipe Spicy Idli Podi Accompaniment Kerala Red Rice Idli […]

    Pingback by Book of Yum - Blog — September 6, 2007 @ 12:48 pm

  26. I tried this karam podi it’s awesome. It does seem like when we add curry leaves and toor dal it tastes even better.

    Comment by pundari — October 17, 2007 @ 10:14 am

  27. it tastes even better when we add roasted peanuts,roasted sesame seeds n jaggery..

    Comment by sujatha — November 5, 2007 @ 1:31 am

  28. I’m going to try your version of it. My version is Channa daal (1/2 cup), Urad daal (1/2 cup), Red Chillies (6), asafoetida, salt to taste. Add 6 smashed garlic cloves to the powder after grinding it, mix thoroughly and store.

    To enjoy it with idlis, you will have to mix this nut powder with gingely oil for the real taste! My MIL likes it with olive oil.

    Have fun!

    And I love your website!

    Damayanthi

    Comment by Damayanthi — January 13, 2008 @ 6:49 pm

  29. hi,

    nice recipe…..but it was little bitter …can u pls explain me how can i avoid it..and the color is also not red….its sandal…………i want the podi to be in red color………

    Comment by viji — February 15, 2008 @ 1:20 pm

  30. […] Here are some links for what to serve the idlies with: One-pot sambar Gunpowder […]

    Pingback by Buried under… « A Mad Tea Party — March 25, 2008 @ 8:08 am

  31. Indira, your idli kaaram podi tasted pretty good. In order to get the red color, i doubled the quantity of red chillies, still the end product looked a shade darker than beige. Could you please give me some pointer as how to get the brilliant red color and texture of your idli kaaram podi. Thanks

    Comment by Latha — March 31, 2008 @ 9:58 am

  32. Tried the recipe and am surprised by the results.Keep up the good work

    Comment by sree — April 9, 2008 @ 10:56 am

  33. Hi
    The chutney looked so yummy that I had to make it. But the one I made turned out yellowish in colour … does not look as appetizing as the one in the picture. Where could I have gone wrong?

    By the I’m not from Andhra but my husband is and your site has turned out to be a blessing for me. This site is really good source. Thank you.

    Comment by sonali — May 6, 2008 @ 10:38 pm

  34. Indira, really superb your karam podi, but I use coriander and a small piece of ginger to get spicy powder.

    Comment by Aparna — October 21, 2008 @ 9:02 pm

  35. Hi There,

    I was recently give some Kaaram Podi, but I’m not sure how to use it. My guess is that its similar to a garam masala. Would you please let me know how to use this fragrant spice blend.

    Comment by Somer — April 10, 2009 @ 10:26 am

  36. Hi Indira,

    Today i tried your powder. It came out nicely. But i got the powder in orange color. How to get that brown color as shown in picture. Thanks in advance

    Comment by vasantha — October 29, 2009 @ 3:19 pm

  37. Thanks Indira madam,
    I’ve added a link to this post in my blog. 🙂

    Comment by Kaushik — January 23, 2010 @ 2:15 am

  38. First i shall tell you namaskaramulu.
    I am Nayeem from warangal dist.andhra pradesh.
    but i am living from 12 years in Saudi Arabia. i like idly kaaram podi too much.
    thanks ji, Indra madam.

    Comment by Nayeem — May 19, 2011 @ 10:20 am

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