Paruppu podi
Lentil powder for rice
பருப்பு பொடி: pale, peppery toor dal and roasted gram powder with garlic, stirred into hot rice with ghee (about 180 g jar)
Ask a Tamil or Andhra child what they want for a quick lunch and the answer is often paruppu podi sadam: a heap of steaming rice, two spoons of this pale, sandy powder and a generous pour of ghee or sesame oil, mixed by hand, with appalam and a spoon of mango pickle alongside. The podi is mild compared with idli podi, built on roasted toor dal and pottukadalai (roasted split gram), with black pepper and just a few red chillies for warmth. Andhra kandi podi adds garlic, which makes it more savoury; roast the cloves until dry so the powder keeps. The recipe itself is vegan, but the traditional serving uses ghee. Common mistake: roasting the toor dal too fast; it browns outside while staying hard and raw-tasting inside. Chef's tip: grind it finer than idli podi, almost to a soft powder, so it coats every grain of rice.
- Total time
- 20 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 16
Ingredients
For the podi
- 3 ½ oz toor dal
- 1 ½ tsp black peppercorns
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 6 garlic clovespeeled; leave out for the Tamil version
- 10 curry leaves (optional)
- ¼ tsp gluten-free asafoetida
- 1 tsp salt
To serve
- 1 tbsp sesame oil (gingelly oil) (optional)per plate, or ghee if not vegan
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What you'll need
Spices & pantry
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Method
0/6 doneStep 2: Warm 1 ¾ oz roasted split gram (pottukadalai) in the same pan for 1 minute just to crisp it; it is already roasted. Add it to the plate.
1 minStep 3: Roast 1 ½ tsp black peppercorns, 1 tsp cumin seeds and 4 dried red chillies together for 1–2 minutes, until the cumin darkens slightly and the chillies crisp.
2 minStep 4: Roast 6 garlic cloves and 10 curry leaves over a low heat for 2–3 minutes, until the garlic is dry and lightly golden and the leaves crumble. Turn off the heat and stir in ¼ tsp gluten-free asafoetida.
3 minStep 5: Spread everything out and leave to cool completely, about 15 minutes.
15 minStep 6: Grind with 1 tsp salt in short bursts to a fine, soft powder. Store in a clean, dry, airtight jar for up to 1 month (2 months in the fridge). Mix 2 tsp into a plate of hot rice with 1 tbsp sesame oil (gingelly oil).
3 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 35 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 6 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does paruppu podi take?
- About 20 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 16 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of toor dal?
- Red lentils (masoor dal) (cook 10 minutes less).
- What can I use instead of black peppercorns?
- Ground black pepper, a little less than the amount.
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