Milagai Podi or Gunpowder as it is commonly called, is a staple in most South Indian homes. It is basically a coarse to fine powder made out of different lentils and chillies. The powder is used as an accompaniment to Idlis and Dosas and is eaten with a serving of sesame or gingelly oil poured in it and mixing it up. The oil tones down the spiciness and dryness of the powder.

Different communities and families play around with the basic recipe to have a milagai Podi recipe which is unique to their home. This version was taught to me by my mother and is probably a variation of what is made in most Tamil Brahmin households.

Milagai Podi

Ingredients:

I cup Chana Dal

1 cup Urad Dal

¾ cup white Sesame seeds

1 cup chopped dry red chilies

1 tsp oil

¼ tsp asafetida

2 tbsps jaggary

Salt to tast

Method:

Before starting, soak the sesame seeds in water for around 10-15 minutes. While it is soaking, dry roast the chana dal and urad dal separately. Keep stirring the dal while roasting so that they do not burn. This is an important part of the whole cooking process. The dals should be totally dry and if you bite a piece, it should not have any softness or wetness in it. Once the dals are roasted, put them in separate plates to cool. At this point, strain the sesame seeds and dry roast it too. When the seeds start popping, it usually means they are done. At this point, pop a few into your mouth. If they crackle, they are done. Put this also in a separate plate to cool down. Now pour 1 tsp of oil (any oil can be used, I used my normal cooking oil, which is a blend of canola and olive oils) and add the asafetida powder. Then add in the chillies and stir for around 5-7 minutes. Switch off the gas and now we are ready for the blending. The chillies can be kept in the pan itself to cool down.

Once the dals are cool, grind each of them separately in a mixer. I prefer to have the podi more fine than coarse, but that is personal choice. If you prefer a coarser podi, grind it that way. Once you’ve ground the chana dal, put it in a big bowl to mix. Then grind the urad dal and the sesame seeds separately and add it to the bowl. Now grind the chillies and add it to the mixed lentils. Lastly, take the jaggary and run it in the mixer to powder it (if you have pre-powdered jaggary, this step is redundant) and add it to the bowl. Using a spoon or your hands, if you prefer, mix the various powders thoroughly. Add salt to taste and the podi is ready.

The colour of the podi will vary, depending on the type and colour of the red chillies. For best colour, use Kashmir chillies, they give you oodles of colour without being very spicy. The chillies I had were not Kashmiri chillies, so the colour is like this.

This recipe gives approximately 3 cups of powder, so if you want more or less, just reduce the proportions accordingly. The proportions according to my mom is like this for urad dal, chana dal, chillies and sesame seeds 1:1:1:3/4