Chutney Pudi | Chutney Podi Recipe | Dry Chutney Podi ~ Side Dish for Idlis

To end this Summer Chutney Special Series, I have a delicious Dry Chutney Pudi for serving with Idlis. Gun powder as we call it, is a staple dish in all South Indian household. In fact we have so many of them stocked that we almost need not make any fresh wet chutneys for either dosas or Idlis. 

Amma's versatile dal podi is very famous and makes an excellent side dish for any dish. You name it and it goes so well with it. Today's podi on the other hand is more specific for dosas or idlis. Not that you can't serve but somehow this is more of a chutney podi than anything else.

Chutney Pudi

Being a Sunday, we had a very relaxed morning and kids woke up pretty late. Athamma said I should let them sleep as very soon their schools reopen and they anyway have to wake up early. Wish I had somebody to say this when I was young! It has always been before 7 when we were in school. At all times it was the same, and my parents pride on having brought us up that way! Of course I never let an occasion pass by without me mentioning the same to Konda. But of course the words go overboard!

Kids are right now playing police and thief, with all of them having a gun. God knows who the thief is, as every now and then, they poke the gun at me. 

While I go and make myself scarce for them to find me, you enjoy this Chutney pudi.

Chutney Podi | 3 Dal Chutney Podi for Idlis

Ingredients Needed:

Channa dal / Bengal Gram Dal - 100 gms
Toor Dal / Piegeon Pea - 100 gms
Roasted Groundnut - 100 gms
Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
Dry Red Chilies - 15 nos
Tamarind - 1 marble size
Garlic - 10 - 12 cloves
Salt to taste

For Tempering

Oil - 2 tsp
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry Leaves handful

How to make the Chutney Podi

Wash the garlic and pat it dry. You can either wipe it clean or dry it under fan. It has to be dry. Trim the ends and pound the garlic along with its peel. Keep it aside.

Heat a Kadai, toss the cumin seeds till it splutters, transfer to a plate. Then toss channa dal till it starts turning colour, remove and toss toor dal. Next goes the dry red chilies till it turns crisp. Switch off the flame, add the tamarind and cover with lid.

Since you are using roasted peanuts, you can add it as such.

Once the dals cool down, take all of them in a mixie, add salt along with pounded garlic, pulse couple of times, then grind to a semi coarse powder. Make sure it's not very fine powder.

Then remove to a bowl.

Now heat a kadai with oil, when it is hot, add mustard and curry leaves. Let it splutter. Switch off the flame, and let the oil cool down. when the oil is luke warm, add the ground podi to the kadai and mix well. Stir around to make sure the podi doesn't get burnt. Cover with a lid and keep it closed for few minutes. Then spread on a plate and allow it to cool down completely before storing in a tight container

 

Well with an extra dose of ghee, it overflew the mountain!

Notes:

The extra zing comes from adding the garlic skin. Store in a air tight container.

Karivepaku Podi (Spiced Curry Leaf Powder) ~ another way!

Its been a while I know, since my last post. But this week has been so hectic that I didn't get a moment to think about what to post! Athamma has gone for a short vacation to her daughter's home. She will be back by this weekend. We knew it would be tough but somehow we have been able to manage these past four days quite well. I guess all things in life are such. You fear a change and do your best to avoid. But when it happens, you ultimately get used to it and even wonder how simple things are! Do you think that one ends up being reflective, as they grow older? Or being with small kids good enough to teach one a life time of lessons? Whatever, I know it helps me.

We didn't tell the kids that Athamma was going for a vacation, knowing they would cry. The moment they knew their "Namma" was not at home, I could see a change in the boys. The first day Peddu kept asking every 10 mins, where she was. They subsequently got used to her absence. Previously when we go to a restaurant, we take turns to eat and baby sit them. This time we had no choice but to take them along. We were so pleasantly surprised to see both of them sitting in their chairs quietly for more than 5 minutes! After a while, they did try to get down and play around but it was definitely much better than we expected. Infact they eat something, which was more relieving than anything else!

I felt we as a family grew few more notches these past few days. With this hectic schedule, I haven't got around making anything new. But thought I would share this wonderful Curry leave powder that Athamma made few months back. It was just awesome and best part was its shelf life. It just stayed great and fresh for almost 3 weeks on the table. I never even bothered to store it in fridge. And the aroma and the taste was even good until it lasted! I know the list seem long, but its worth its weight in gold, if you know what I mean. So do try it when you get your hands on all the ingredients listed!

Preparation Time : 15 mins
Cooking Time: 10 mins
Cuisine: Andhra Cuisine
Makes: 150 gms app



Ingredients Needed:

To be Roasted

Curry Leaves - 1 cup
Whole Coriander Seeds / Dhaniya - 1 tsp
Fenugreek / Methi - 5 nos
Cumin Seeds / Jeera - 1/2 tsp
Vaamu / Ajwain - 1/4 tsp
Whole Peppercorns - 10 nos
Water Melon Seeds - 1 tsp
Sonti powder / Dry Ginger - a pinch
Asafoetida or Hing - a pinch
Dry Red Chilies - 4 nos
Turmeric a pinch
Salt to taste

For Seasoning:

Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Dry Red Chilies - 2 nos
Curry leaves few

To be added as whole

Tamarind - marble size
Jaggary - marble size

Oil - 2 tsp

Method to prepare:

Wash and pat dry the curry leaves. Allow it to dry for a while.

Meanwhile dry roast all ingredients listed under the first set. Then remove and allow to cool.

Once cool, take all the roasted ingredients along with tamarind and jaggary. Run till you get an almost a fine powder but not very fine, still not very coarse.

Then heat a kadai with oil, add mustard seeds, then curry leaves. Once its done, add the dry red chillies, fry for a moment, then goes the crushed garlic.

Finally add the ground powder and simmer for 2 - 3 minutes.

Let it cool, before you store in a air tight container.

Actually I had it in a steel tiffin box for over a period of 3 weeks, just on our dinning table. Never bothered to do much about it, until it lasted. But as I said even if the list seem long, the taste was awesome!