Idli Milagai Podi - The best pal of Idli


South Indian breakfast items are usually a hearty fare and you can go about even skipping the lunch if you had a heavy breakfast. Idlis form a staple diet in breakfast menu and comes with a variety of side dishes. Some like it with sambar, some with coconut chutney. Pudina or mint chutney is capable of sending down unlimited idlis within a wink of an eye while tomato chutney leaves you asking for more.. All said and done, it would be unfair if I leave out the most under-rated yet the most delicious side dish for idli, the 'Milagai Podi' or the gun powder as the local lingo names it.

My dad and grandma can never finish off their idli or dosa without a hint of this powder, irrespective of having sambar, chutney on the plate. I used to be a great fan of this one that I can have it as is..! Brrr....

Now that I have toned down the spice levels during and post pregnancy, mom makes this less-spicy powder to suit my palates. You can always increase the amount of red chillies, or replace the red chilli with pepper for a better taste.

Idli Milagai podi/Gun powder
Spice powder served with rice cakes


What we need:
Urid dal - 1 cup
Gram dal - 1 cup
Roasted Gram dal /Dalia / Pottu kadalai - 2 tbsp.
Red Chilli - 10 to 12 or Pepper corn - 1 tsp.
Asafoetida - 1 tsp.
Curry leaves - 4 sprigs
White Sesame - 1 tbsp.
Salt - as needed
Oil - little, for frying

How to do:
1. Roast all the above ingredients (except salt) separately in a tsp. of oil each.
2. After the ingredients cool down, grind to a coarse powder. You can also make it a fine powder if you like it that way.
3. Combine salt as needed and mix thoroughly.
4. Store in an air tight container.

When serving with idli, mix generous amount of sesame oil or ghee and serve.



Till I come back with another toungue tickling recipe, Happy Cooking and Happy Blogging!

15 comments:

Unknown said...

Sure the best pal anytime...looks very tempting that I need just idlis to finish off that spoon :)

Priya Suresh said...

Yumm, definitely flavourful and best pal for dosas and idlies..

Sushma Mallya said...

yum this tastes so divine when sprinkled on idlis and dosa:)

Hari Chandana P said...

Looks very tempting and perfect.. thanks for sharing !!
Indian Cuisine

Padhu Sankar said...

Nice pictures .Looks very tempting .Take care

Madhura Manoj said...

Yumm...Prefect & flavorful...

Nithya said...

Nothing can beat this combi. Love it wait some ghee mixed to it and applied on idly :)

Suman Singh said...

Sounds delicious and flavorful.

Aarthi said...

you have a lovely blog...I am having a giveaway in my blog..Y dont you check and join that
http://yummytummy-aarthi.blogspot.com/2011/05/chocolate-recipe-and-chocolate.html

Reva said...

What a lovely spicy combination for steaming idlis.. Loved it.. Bookmarked it to try out your version..
Reva

MyKitchen Flavors-BonAppetit!. said...

Very Delectable and finger-lickingly good Idli Milagai Podi Dear.Luks Tasty n delish-done.

roses said...

heavenly....
rosesandgifts.com

Anonymous said...

The contents are really good…
bangalorewithlove.com

Deepa G Joshi said...

It's a hit in our house. Though we are maharashtrians, we love this a lot. More than the coconut chutney. Thanks for this, really wanted this one.

Unknown said...

Excellent post and briefly explaining the making process of idly chilies powder with excellent demo.
Web Design Company in India | Web Development Company in India