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You can find Idli milaga podi (Chutney powder) in almost every house in Tamil Nadu as its a traditional and best accompaniment for Idli/Dosa. There are many variations in Idli Milagai podi and one of the commonly used method is given below. It is handy to have homemade idli podi in home. Most of the time, especially on the weekdays, we would be busy to make chutney or sambar for idli, this Idli Powder is so easy for us to serve with idli. Idli podi mixed with gingelly oil and coated on both the sides of the idli, is a perfect travel friendly dish and also a lunch box dish. I usually add less spice as I keep this for my kids lunch box. So, if you are spice lover, you can increase the spice. Try this version of Idli Milagai Podi and share your experience!

Table of Contents

Tips for making Idli Podi:

Sesame seeds are optional. They give a nice flavor to the idli podi but if you are allergic to sesame seeds you can skip.
Dry roast sesame seeds in low flame till it sputters. Do not keep in high flame, the sesame seeds tends to roast faster and becomes burnt.
While grinding roasted sesame seeds, grind it in pulse mode or regular intervals till you get a smooth powder. Do not grind continuously as it will release oil.
Adjust the number of chilies as per your spice level. I use lengthy red chili which are less spicy. If you use round red chili, try to reduce the quantity.
While grinding the dal, grind it to coarse powder. Bits and pieces of dal in the idli podi is really scrumptious to bite.
Allow the ground idli podi to be at room temperature for 5 mins, before you store in air-tight container.

If you like this Idli Milagai Podi then you can also try other spice powder recipes

Chammanthi Podi - Chammanthi podi is one of the popular Kerala dish, also called as Idli Chammanthi Podi. This is a chutney powder made with roasted coconut along with indian spices. A best complement for South Indian Idli/Dosa varieties
Nalla Kara Podi - Nalla Kara Podi, A popular podi variety from Andhra Cuisine. A great accompaniment for Idli, dosa and also for rice. Coriander seeds, raw garlic, tamarind gives a unique texture an flavor to this powder.
Peanut Garlic Podi - It's for Garlic Lovers !. Peanut Chutney Powder is a spicy chutney powder made using roasted Peanuts, garlic cloves and other spices. It can be served as an accompaniment to Idli, Dosas, Rotis or even steamed rice with a dash of ghee.

Recipe Card to make Idli Milagai Podi

INSTRUCTIONS WITH STEP BY STEP PICTURES:

Heat a pan. Add sesame seeds and fry the sesame seeds in low flame till it starts to sputter. Keep the roasted sesame seeds separately in a bowl.

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in pan. Add mustard seeds when the oil is hot. When the mustard seeds starts to sputter, add urad dal and asafoetida.

Fry the urad dal in medium flame till it becomes light brown. Take this roasted dal aside in a bowl.

Add another teaspoon of oil in the pan. When the oil is hot, add the chana dal and fry the dal till it turns light golden brown. Take this aside along with roasted urad dal.

Now, add 1 teaspoon oil in the pan and fry the red Chill till the colour of the chilli changes to light brown. Keep the flame in low so that it wont burn the chilli. Keep the fried chillies aside to cool before grinding. Allow all the fried ingredients to cool down.

First take the roasted sesame seeds in a mixer jar. Grind it to smooth powder. Do not grind too long as it releases oil. Grind in regular intervals and make sure they are in powder form. Take this sesame powder aside.