Idli podi - 1

Idli milagai podi means comfort food in Tamilnadu. During school days, 50% of all the school lunch boxes were packed with sesame oil coated idlis drenched in different kinds of idli podi. It is the best lunch box friendly food our moms knew those days. Slightly crunchy and spicy, idli is the perfect vehicle for podi. My brother was a big time picky eater when he was young. He would never have chutney, sambar or anything wet on the side with idli or dosa. The only thing you can give him was idli podi and it holds true to this day. So our house had gallons of idli podi at all times of the year. This is a very easy recipe to do. Hope you like it. There are countless types of idli milagai podi one can make and this is the most popular one that’s made with roasted lentils.

Here is the video of making idli podi / Idli milagai podi Recipe.

Here is how to make Idli milagai podi Recipe

The key to a good idli milagai podi is the crunch when you bite. You can achieve that texture only by slow roasting making sure that the lentils turn golden. Low heat is key. Here is how to do it.

Heat a pan and add in a teaspoon of vegetable oil and add quarter cup of chana dal (kadalai paruppu). Roast the chana dal in low flame until golden brown. Keep sauteing to avoid burning. Have patience and roast slow until the aroma comes and the dal turns color. Remove from the pan once the dal is golden. Set aside on a plate to cool.

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In the same pan add in a teaspoon of vegetable oil and add half cup of whole white urad dal. Use unpolished urad dal. Roast the lentil until it smells nutty and the dal turns color. It should be really golden in colour. Always roast on low flame. That is the key. Remove from the pan once the dal is golden. Set aside on a plate to cool.

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Place the pan back again on the stove and add in a teaspoon of vegetable oil and half cup of white sesame seeds. Fry on low flame till golden. Keep sauteing and spread the seeds on the pan evenly so the seeds doesn’t burn. Sesame seeds burn fast. So roast on low flame until it starts to pop. Remove the seeds from the pan and set aside on a plate to cool.

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Dry roast red chillies on the same pan until you can smell them. Remove the chillies from the pan and set aside on a plate to cool.

Add in the cooled and roasted lentils, sesame seeds and red chillies to the mixie. Add in the salt, asafoetida (perungayam/hing) and jaggery.

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Grind the ingredients to the consistency you like. You can grind it fine, slightly coarse or to a coarse powder. I like the slight crunch of the podi that comes from the lentils. So I ground slightly to a coarse powder. Just ever so slightly coarse. A note on grinding: If you want a fine idli podi / powder – grind all the ingredients except sesame seeds to a fine powder. Add the sesame seeds on top of the ground powder and pulse several times. Grinding the sesame seeds for a long time will make the oils ooze out. So a word of caution on that.

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You can store this idli milagai podi / idli molaga podi at room temperature for upto 15-20 days. If you are going to need it for a longer time, then store the podi in zip tote bags in the freezer. It stays fresh for upto 4-5 months in the freezer.

Mix the chutney powder either with sesame oil (nallennai) or ghee. Serve with idli, dosa, paniyaram varieties.

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  • 3 teaspoon vegetable oil or peanut oil
  • 1/4 cup split chana dal
  • 1/2 cup whole white urad dal
  • 1/2 cup white sesame seeds
  • 10 dried red chillies
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoon jaggery
  • 1/4 teaspoon asafoetida (hing)
  1. Heat a pan and add in a teaspoon of vegetable oil and add quarter cup of chana dal (kadalai paruppu). Roast the chana dal in low flame until golden brown. Set aside on a plate to cool.
  2. In the same pan add in a teaspoon of vegetable oil and add half cup of whole white urad dal. Roast the lentil until it smells nutty and the dal turns color. Remove from the pan once the dal is golden. Set aside on a plate to cool.
  3. Add in a teaspoon of vegetable oil and half cup of white sesame seeds. Fry on low flame till golden. Set aside on a plate to cool.
  4. Dry roast red chillies on the same pan until you can smell them. Remove the chillies from the pan and set aside on a plate to cool.
  5. Add in the cooled and roasted lentils, sesame seeds and red chillies to the mixie. Add in the salt, asafoetida (perungayam/hing) and jaggery.
  6. Grind the ingredients to the consistency you like. You can grind it fine, slightly coarse or to a coarse powder.
  7. Enjoy with idlis!

Notes

Mix the chutney powder either with sesame oil (nallennai) or ghee. Serve with idli or dosa.

  • Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
  • Prep Time: 5 mins
  • Cook Time: 20 mins
  • Category: Chutney Powders
  • Cuisine: Tamilnadu
Idli podi - 8 idli-milagai-podi-recipe-1-10 - 9
  • 3 teaspoon vegetable oil or peanut oil
  • 1/4 cup split chana dal
  • 1/2 cup whole white urad dal
  • 1/2 cup white sesame seeds
  • 10 dried red chillies
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoon jaggery
  • 1/4 teaspoon asafoetida (hing)
  1. Heat a pan and add in a teaspoon of vegetable oil and add quarter cup of chana dal (kadalai paruppu). Roast the chana dal in low flame until golden brown. Set aside on a plate to cool.
  2. In the same pan add in a teaspoon of vegetable oil and add half cup of whole white urad dal. Roast the lentil until it smells nutty and the dal turns color. Remove from the pan once the dal is golden. Set aside on a plate to cool.
  3. Add in a teaspoon of vegetable oil and half cup of white sesame seeds. Fry on low flame till golden. Set aside on a plate to cool.
  4. Dry roast red chillies on the same pan until you can smell them. Remove the chillies from the pan and set aside on a plate to cool.
  5. Add in the cooled and roasted lentils, sesame seeds and red chillies to the mixie. Add in the salt, asafoetida (perungayam/hing) and jaggery.
  6. Grind the ingredients to the consistency you like. You can grind it fine, slightly coarse or to a coarse powder.
  7. Enjoy with idlis!

Notes

Mix the chutney powder either with sesame oil (nallennai) or ghee. Serve with idli or dosa.

  • Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
  • Prep Time: 5 mins
  • Cook Time: 20 mins
  • Category: Chutney Powders
  • Cuisine: Tamilnadu

Find it online : https://www.kannammacooks.com/idli-podi-idli-milagai-podi-recipe/

onion-thokku-vengaya-thokku-recipe - 10

This is an OPOS – One Pot One Shot recipe. # This recipe works well ONLY in a 2 or 3 liter Indian style pressure cooker. Do not use a big cooker without adjusting the quantity. It wont work. Do not scale the recipe up or down. Use exact measurements and equipment. Generally, making of thokku / thick chutney can be very laborious which includes sauteing the veggies in oil for not less than 30-40 minutes. Thokku made using OPOS just takes 5 minutes on the stove. You might think that pressure cooking might just steam the onion. “A paste of steamed onions with spices is the last thing you wanna eat. Its aghast.” But you are in for a surprise. There is a catch. We will not be adding any water while cooking. The onions are going to caramelize in its own juices in high heat for a short time. Believe me, this recipe is one of the best things that has happened to me in cooking.

I tried this recipe 3-4 times so far and the flavor has been phenomenal. If you are worried about burning the bottom of your pressure cooker, don’t be. Hope you enjoy the video!

Enjoy your thokku with rice, idli, dosa etc…

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  • 6 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 250 grams sliced onions ( 3 medium sized onions ).
  • 5 - 10 dry red chillies.
  • 1 ″ coin size.tamarind
  • 1 teaspoon of jaggery.
  • 1 teaspoon of home made / store bought sambar powder.
  • 1 teaspoon of salt.
  1. Take a pressure cooker (2 or 3 litres capacity only) and add 6 teaspoon of Indian sesame oil /gingely oil (nallennai).
  2. Add in 250 grams sliced onions ( 3 medium sized onions ).
  3. Add in 5-10 dry red chillies. (Add 5 chillies if you want a moderately spiced thokku / chutney. Increase the chillies if you want a spicy chutney.)
  4. Add a small piece of tamarind. About a 1″ coin size. Add in a teaspoon of jaggery. and a teaspoon of home made / store bought sambar powder. Add in a teaspoon of salt.
  5. Set your stove to medium high heat on a gas stove or your induction stove to 1200W. We are going to cook for exactly 5 minutes. Set up a timer in your mobile. Just 5 minutes irrespective of the number of whistles. You might end up getting 5-7 whistles.
  6. Wait for the pressure to release. Open the cooker. If there is a lot of liquid remaining in the cooker, just briefly simmer on high heat for a couple of minutes until the mixture is thick. Ignore this step if the mixture does not have liquid.
  7. Wait for the mixture to cool.
  8. Blend to a paste.
  9. Enjoy your thokku with rice, idli, dosa etc…

Notes

The term OPOS and One Pot One Shot are registered trademarks owned by Mr.Ramakrishnan. The recipes have been adapted from his OPOS Cookbook. They are used in Kannamma Cooks with prior permission. The recipes are an adaptation from the cookbook.

  • Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
  • Prep Time: 5 mins
  • Cook Time: 5 mins
  • Category: Chutney / Pickle
  • Cuisine: Tamilnadu
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