Chutney Pudi | Chutney Podi Recipe | Dry Chutney Podi ~ Side Dish for Idlis

To end this Summer Chutney Special Series, I have a delicious Dry Chutney Pudi for serving with Idlis. Gun powder as we call it, is a staple dish in all South Indian household. In fact we have so many of them stocked that we almost need not make any fresh wet chutneys for either dosas or Idlis. 

Amma's versatile dal podi is very famous and makes an excellent side dish for any dish. You name it and it goes so well with it. Today's podi on the other hand is more specific for dosas or idlis. Not that you can't serve but somehow this is more of a chutney podi than anything else.

Being a Sunday, we had a very relaxed morning and kids woke up pretty late. Athamma said I should let them sleep as very soon their schools reopen and they anyway have to wake up early. Wish I had somebody to say this when I was young! It has always been before 7 when we were in school. At all times it was the same, and my parents pride on having brought us up that way! Of course I never let an occasion pass by without me mentioning the same to Konda. But of course the words go overboard!

Kids are right now playing police and thief, with all of them having a gun. God knows who the thief is, as every now and then, they poke the gun at me. 

While I go and make myself scarce for them to find me, you enjoy this Chutney pudi.

How to make the Chutney Podi

Wash the garlic and pat it dry. You can either wipe it clean or dry it under fan. It has to be dry. Trim the ends and pound the garlic along with its peel. Keep it aside.

Heat a Kadai, toss the cumin seeds till it splutters, transfer to a plate. Then toss channa dal till it starts turning colour, remove and toss toor dal. Next goes the dry red chilies till it turns crisp. Switch off the flame, add the tamarind and cover with lid.

Since you are using roasted peanuts, you can add it as such.

Once the dals cool down, take all of them in a mixie, add salt along with pounded garlic, pulse couple of times, then grind to a semi coarse powder. Make sure it's not very fine powder.

Then remove to a bowl.

Now heat a kadai with oil, when it is hot, add mustard and curry leaves. Let it splutter. Switch off the flame, and let the oil cool down. when the oil is luke warm, add the ground podi to the kadai and mix well. Stir around to make sure the podi doesn't get burnt. Cover with a lid and keep it closed for few minutes. Then spread on a plate and allow it to cool down completely before storing in a tight container