Gun Powder For Idli/Dosa | Idli Milagai Podi is an Andra-style chutney powder recipe that is easy to make accompaniment that goes very well with Idlies, dosas, or hot rice with ghee. Idli podi is made with a perfect blend of spices: red chilies, urad dal, chana dal, sesame seeds, and hing.
Dry chutney powders are a staple in South Indian households, whether it's peanut chutney powder, dry coconut chutney powder, or milagai idli podi. My mom would prepare them fresh every 2-3 weeks, and these flavorful powders always elevated the taste of our meals, even with other accompaniments on the side.
Today, I'm sharing the recipe for Idli Milagai Podi, also known as gunpowder in South India. This podi pairs beautifully with idli, dosa, or even vegetable paniyaram (paddu).
Idli Milagai Podi Ingredients
- Lentils: Traditionally, a combination of two lentils, i.e., chana dal and split white urad dal, are used.
- Sesame Seeds: I used white sesame seeds. It's easily available in Indian grocery stores.
- Dry Red Chilies: I used byadagi red chilies. Byadagi dry red chilies are usually less spicy and give a nice red color to the podi. If you can't find byadagi chilies, you may also use Kashmiri dry red chilies.
- Curry Leaves: Use fresh curry leaves for better aroma and taste.
- Coconut: You can also add dry coconut or desiccated coconut to this recipe.
- Hing (Asafoetida): used for flavoring. You can also use gluten-free asafoetida.
How to Make Idli Milagai Podi (Gun Powder)
Heat an iron skillet and dry roast ½ cup chana dal on a medium-low flame till the dal turns golden brown (about 8-9 minutes). Remove and Set aside on a plate to cool.
Then dry roast ½ cup urad dal on a low flame till the dal smells nutty and changes its color (about 4-5 minutes). Set aside on a plate to cool.
Then add ¼ cup white sesame seeds and roast them till the sesame seeds start to change color and start crackling, and set aside on a plate to cool.
Heat 1 teaspoon of oil, add 15-20 dry red chilies, 2 stalks curry leaves, and saute till the red chilies puff up, and curry leaves turn dry and crispy.
Once done, turn off the flame, add it to the plate, and let all the ingredients cool down completely.
Once the roasted ingredients are cooled, transfer them into a blender along with ¼ teaspoon hing, and salt and blend it to a fine or coarse powder, depending on your preference. Then, transfer it back to the plate, and mix it well with your hand.
Store it in an airtight container. Serve this with idli and dosa with ghee.
How to Serve Gun Powder
- Mix the gunpowder chutney powder with hot sesame oil or homemade ghee and serve it on the side of idli or dosa.
- You can make street-style spicy tawa idli using the podi [My favorite one].
- You can smear it over the dosa while cooking it.
- Use this podi to make milagai podi rice and podi idli.
- I like to sprinkle on bread toast along with some ghee.
Tips & Variations
- Always roast the lentils on low heat.
- You can adjust the dry chilies according to your preference.
- I also sometimes like to add 2 tablespoons of roasted desiccated coconut to podi.
- You can also add 1 tablespoon of flaxseeds while roasting the dals to make them healthier.
- Idli Podi lasts up to two months in the fridge, so you can prepare it in bulk and store it.
Looking for more Dry Chutney Powder Recipes
Gun Powder For Idli/Dosa |Idli Milagai Podi
Ingredients
- ½ cup chana dal (bengal gram)
- ½ cup urad dal
- ¼ cup sesame seeds
- 15-20 dry red chillies i used bydagi chilies (less spicy variety)
- 2 stalks curry leaves
- 1 teaspoon oil
- ¼ teaspoon hing (asafoetida)
- salt to taste
Optional Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons dry or desiccated coconut
Instructions
- Heat iron skillet and dry roast chana dal on a medium-low flame till the dal turns golden brown (about 8-9 minutes). Remove and Set aside on a plate to cool.Then dry roast urad dal on a low flame till the dal smells nutty and changes its color (about 4-5 minutes). Set aside on a plate to cool.
- Then add the white sesame seeds and roast till the sesame seeds start to change color and start crackling and set aside on a plate to cool.
- Heat 1 teaspoon of oil, add dry red chilies, curry leaves, and saute till the red chilies puff up and curry leaves turn dry and crispy.
- Once done turn off the flame and add it to the plate and let all the ingredients cool down completely.
- Once the roasted ingredients are cooled, transfer them into a blender along with hing, salt and blend it to a fine or coarse powder depending on your preference. Transfer it back to the plate, mix it well with your hand.
- Store it in an airtight container. Serve this with idly and dosa with ghee.
Notes
Tips & Variations to make best Idli Podi
- Always roast the lentils on low heat. It will make sure they are roasted till inside and gets very crunchy.
- You can adjust the dry chilies according to your preference.
- I also sometimes like to add 2 tablespoons of roasted desiccated coconut to podi.
- You can also add 1 tablespoon of Flaxseeds while roasting the dals to make it healthier.
- Idli Podi lasts up to two months in the fridge, so you can prepare in bulk and store.
Nutrition
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Ritesh Suri
I’m adding roasted garlic for a garlicky gun powder taste!
Bhavana Patil
Hi Ritesh, Oh thats nice, glad you liked the recipe.