Idli Podi Recipe (Milagai Podi)

Idli Podi is a flavorful South Indian powdered condiment made with lentils, seeds and spices. Some versions use peanuts, dried coconut and curry leaves too for added flavor. While Podi is a general South Indian word that means “powder”, this specific spicy podi is known as Idli Podi because it is served with a popular breakfast – “Idli”, steamed lentil cakes. In this post I share a recipe to make unique super flavorful and delicious Idli podi that everyone will love!

About Idli Podi

Idli Podi is also known as Milagai Podi in Tamil, which translates to chili/spicy powder. The Tamil word “Milagai” means chilies and “Podi” is powder. Idli Podi is known by various names across South India such as Idli karam podi, gun powder & chutney pudi.

Usually this spicy condiment is served with hot idlis & a drizzle of unrefined sesame oil or melted Ghee. However it is very common for South Indians to sprinkle this over Dosa, Uttapam, Upma, Semiya upma, plain rice, Curd rice & Lemon rice.

Basically it is an all-in-one flavorsome spicy powdered condiment that’s going to add zing to your palate. This condiment is sheer delight with every bite since it is unique in every way – taste, texture & appearance.

When you are short of time to cook your meal, try the simple hack of mixing this coarse powder with steaming hot rice and ghee – It takes you to food heaven for sure!

Idli Podi is a South Indian invention & has three main ingredients. Raw lentils, seeds and red chilies (the hot the better). They are roasted to bring out the flavors, cooled and then ground to a coarse powder in a grinder.

The resulting reddish-brown powder is a tongue twister in every way. You’ll find different versions in different homes and even regional variations among the states.

My Recipe

My time-tested recipe is our favorite at home and it comes with so many variations you can try. Do check out the variations section below after the recipe card.

More of roasted dal gives you a milder podi while the use of Guntur chilies can set your tongue on fire. Some grind it to a fine powder. Other prefer a coarser crunch to it.

Some add curry leaves and even dry ginger during winters. Others keep it simple with only lentils, chili and curry leaves. You can swap sesame seeds with flax seed or peanuts, add coconut, garlic, tamarind, or even jaggery to suit your taste.

Photo Guide

How to make Idli Podi (Stepwise Photos)

Preparation

1. To make idli podi prepare the following ingredients:

• ¼ cup chana dal (Bengal gram)
• ¼ cup urad dal (prefer split, skinned split black lentils)
• ¼ cup sesame seeds
• 8 to 16 dried red chilies (or 1 to 1 ¼ tablespoon Kashmiri red chilli powder, adjust to taste)
• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds (jeera)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon Hing (asafetida, optional. I don’t use)

2. Here are the optional ingredients which are our favorite. These ingredients are going to take your podi to the next level.

• 2 to 3 sprigs curry leaves (optional, rinse and pat dry)
• 2 garlic cloves (optional)
• ¼ cup dried coconut (optional -unsweetened shredded coconut, copra)

3. Since the roasting time of each ingredient is different, you need to dry roast them individually / separately for best results. To a heavy bottom pan, add chana dal. On a medium heat, dry roast them stiring often until they change their color to light brown.

4. Roasting them on a high heat is only going to change their color fast without roasting them from inside. So it is important to roast on a low to medium heat. Transfer them to a plate when they change to light brown color.

5. To the same pan, add urad dal and stir fry on a medium heat.

6. These lentils tend to burn fast if you don’t stir often. So be careful. Remove them to the same plate once they turn to light brown color.

7. Add sesame seeds and roast them the same way. They may sizzle or steam when they are about to be done. Remove to the same plate.

8. Add cumin seeds and roast until deep golden to light brown. They begin to smell earthy and pungent when done. Remove to the same plate.

9. Next add red chilies and roast until crisp. Keep regulating the flame from low to medium and vice versa as needed.

10. They turn slightly crisp when done but will turn fully crisp upon cooling. Transfer to a plate.

11. To the same pan, add curry leaves. Please make sure you pat dry them before using.

12. Roast the leaves until crisp. This takes only a few minutes. Remove them to the plate.

13. Add garlic and dry roast for 2 to 3 mins.

14. Stir in the coconut and roast until hot and aromatic. Keep this in the pan itself

15. Cool all the ingredients.

16. If you try to grind all the roasted ingredients together, you may end up with a too coarse powder. First grind the red chilies, salt and curry leaves in a grinder to make a fine powder. A lot of people also add hing. If you want you may add ¼ teaspoon at this stage.

17. Try to grind as fine as possible because this also gives a nice color to your podi. You may set aside some of this chilli podi so you can adjust the heat level later.

18. Scrape off the sides of the blender jar, then add dal, cumin and sesame.

19. Grind to a fine or coarse powder as per your liking. Add coconut and garlic.

20. Grind again. Taste test and add more salt. If the idli podi is not spicy, you may add little red chilli powder and grind again. You can also heat the chili powder, cool and add it here for better shelf life.

Store idli podi in an airtight glass or steel jar at room temperature. It stores well for several months.

Different regions make idli podi in different ways. Here are some variations:

Variations of Idli Podi

1. Traditional Tamil style milagai podi is made of only 6 ingredients – urad dal, chana dal, sesame seeds, red chilies, hing & salt. However ingredients like jeera, tamarind, jaggery & garlic are also included by many.

2. Andhra style idli karam podi is made in so many different ways. Each region has their own variations. The ingredients are the same as shared in the recipe card below. But includes coriander seeds and excludes sesame seeds.

I make idli podi only few times a year. I make the Curry leaves podi, Peanut podi or Flaxseed podi more often since my kids love both of those. They are also more healthy than the basic one.

To make idli podi, I use chana dal, urad dal, dried coconut and sesame seeds in equal quantities. Dried coconut is optional but I prefer to use since it is high in calcium. It gives a nice nutty aroma but ensure to use fresh and good quality copra. Do not use rancid smelling coconut.

Red chilies are used to spice up the idli podi. To add flavor cumin and garlic are used. For health benefits curry leaves or flax seeds can also be added. These proportions work well to make a flavorful milagai podi.

I do not use tamarind and jaggery, only reason there is no way to filter and use them for this recipe, so i skip them. idli podi remains fresh for a couple of months if handled with moist free spoons.

I make idli podi with so many variations, you can try with peanuts, flax seeds or even with some almonds.

Related Recipes

Recipe Card

Idli Podi Recipe first published in March 2015. Updated in April 2023.