PARAPPU PODI/PAPPULA PUDI/IDLI DOSA PODI


We were travelling to Shivana Samudra, famous for its water falls Gagana Chukki, Bhara Chukki with a friends family. We had to leave Bangalore early in the morning and decided to carry breakfast with us. My friend Jayashri had carried Spongy soft idlis smeared with idli podi mixed with gingely oil. I am a big fan of idli with coconut chutney and that is our tradition as well. Hesitantly when I bit into the idli with a coating of podi in oil my apprehensions melted away along with the idlis in my mouth.
Parappu podi or pappula podi is a spicy  powder made with lentils and served  with idli or dosa hence is also called idli podi. We in this part of South India (Bangalore) do not use it much. However Iyers and Iyengars - tamil speaking brahmins have made this powder very popular here. My liking and fascination for this powder also known as gun powder,  for the punch it gives, increased after my Sambandhi (My daughter in laws mom) once treated me to melt in the mouth idli with famous Aiyer Jain paruppu podi from Mahim in Mumbai. Now that I am a big fan of this powder.
This podi is a real Savior when in time crunch. Just prepare steamed rice and team it with podi with a dollop of rice and a crispy appalam aka pappad on the side . It not only tastes heavenly but healthy also. Easy to carry during travel as an accompaniment with idlis and chapathis.
This humble podi also can be readied with minimal efforts. So here it is. 
  • Ease - Easy
  • Preparation time - 10 min
  • Cooking time - 15 min
  • Yield - 200 gm approx
Ingredients
  • Channa Dal (Chick pea lentil) - 1 cup
  • Urad Dal ( Black gram lentil)- 3/4 cup 
  • Red chilli (Byadagi)  broken- 1/2 cup
  • Turmeric root dried - 1 inch
  • Fenugreek - 1/2 spoon
  • Sesame seeds - 2 spoons
  • Salt to taste
Method
  • Roast  Lentils separately till golden brown
  • Roast fenugreek till aromatic
  • Roast sesame seeds till they splutter
  • Roast turmeric lightly
  • Let all the ingredients cool
  • Add salt to taste and powder coarsely  and store in a air tight container

This podi can be had as an accompaniment with idli/dosa/chapathi/rotti . Mix required quantity of pudi in any oil that you use - coconut oil, gingely oil, ground nut oil etc.
This powder can also be sprinkled on dosa while roasting on the griddle/tawa to make podi dosa
Note
Since this powder does not contain desicated coconut like chutney podi , it can be stored for a longer duration
Since there is no oil used weight watchers can have it without guilt. This powder can be prepared with pigeon pea lentil also - this is called Kandi podi in telugu

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