Homemade Idli Podi and the Right Oil To Drizzle

Idli podi (milagai podi, or “gunpowder”) with a pool of gingelly oil is the breakfast of Tamil Nadu. The podi is dry and fiery; the oil rounds it out, carries the flavour and makes it cling to the idli. Refined oil simply cannot do this – it tastes of nothing.

Classic idli podi

• Urad dal – 1 cup
• Chana dal – ½ cup
• Dry red chillies – 15 to 20 (adjust)
• White sesame seeds – 2 tbsp
• Asafoetida – a generous pinch
• Curry leaves – a sprig
• Salt – to taste
• Jaggery – 1 tsp (optional, balances heat)
• Chekku Nallennai – 1 tsp for roasting

Method

1. In a teaspoon of gingelly oil, roast urad dal on low heat until golden and fragrant. Remove.
2. Roast chana dal the same way. Then roast the chillies, curry leaves and asafoetida until the chillies are crisp. Dry roast sesame seeds until they pop.
3. Cool everything completely. Grind coarse – podi should have texture, not be a powder.
4. Mix in salt and jaggery. Store in an airtight jar; it keeps for a month.

Serving

Put two spoons of podi on the plate, pour a spoon of chekku nallennai and mix to a loose paste. For a variation, use chekku thengai ennai with a coconut-based podi, or warm the oil first for a deeper flavour.

A 500 ml bottle of gingelly oil next to the podi jar is, for many families, the most important item on the breakfast table.