Flaxseed Podi (Gun Powder)

Podi aka Gun Powder aka Malgai podi is a flavorsome dry chutney powder that is such a staple in all South Indian households in India. It tastes heavenly with some melted ghee or oil accompanied with Idlis or Rice. I am a big fan of Podi masala and keep making multiple variations at home and storing them for later use. Today I am making a winter favorite version Flaxseed Podi chutney masala.

VARIATIONS:

1. Simple Podi Masala: This is the traditional way of making Podi masala which has a bright orange hue, and is made with a fixed few ingredients like red chillies, toor and chana dal, curry leaves, dry coconut powder.
2. Peanuts Podi: Peanuts give a rich and slightly sweet taste to the Podi which tastes really well with the masala.
3. Flaxseed Podi: I love adding flax seeds to my Podi powder especially in winters since they are an extremely tasty and healthy source of Vitamin B complex.
4. Without Garlic: A lot of people like to make the Podi masala without garlic, but I love the addition of garlic and how it enhances the flavor multi-fold.

PREPARATION TIME: 5 minutes
COOKING TIME: 10 minutes
SERVINGS: 1 Jar
DIFFICULTY SCALE: Low

INGREDIENTS:

1. Red Chilli – 7-10
2. Toor Dal – 2 tablespoons
3. Chana Dal – 2 tablespoons
4. Flax seeds – 2 tablespoons
5. Sesame seeds – 1 tablespoon
6. Cumin seeds – 1 teaspoon
7. Curry Leaves – 12-15
8. Dry coconut – 1/4 of a coconut
9. Garlic pods – 3-4
10. Salt – to taste

UTENSILS/EQUIPMENT:

1. Grinder
2. Heavy bottom Pan

RECIPE:

1. Since all the ingredients take different times to cook, we will dry roast most of them separately. Keep removing the ingredients as they roast.
2. Take a pan and add some red chilies to dry roast. Keep moving constantly until they turn crisp.

3. Remove the chillies and add Toor dal and dry roast them for 1-2 minutes. Keep them aside.
4. Next, add in the chana dal and dry roast it for a few minutes too and remove it.
5. Now add in the flax seeds, sesame seeds, and cumin seeds as they usually take a similar time to roast. Add some garlic pods too.
6. After that add in the dry coconut pieces and toast them nicely.
7. At last, we will dry roast the curry leaves until they become dry and crisp.
8. Add all the roasted ingredients into a grinder and grind until you get a fine powder.

Flaxseed Podi /gunpowder is ready. Serve it with hot idlis and chutney like I did or with some rice and enjoy a lip-smacking combination.