Milagai podi, also known as Indian gunpowder, is a fiery spice blend that is mixed together with ghee to create the perfect chili oil condiment to dip idlis and dosas in. This version has five main ingredients of urad dal, chana dal, dried red chilis, asafetida, and curry leaves to create a nutty and spicy…
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What is milagai podi or Indian gunpowder?
Milagai podi or Indian gunpowder is an Indian blend of lentils, chilis, and aromatic spices that is mixed with ghee or oil and then served as a chili oil condiment. Traditional South Indian dishes like idlis and dosas are often dipped into this podi/ghee mixture for a nutty, spicy, and buttery dish.
5 ingredients in milagai powder
Everyone has their own specific blend and ratios for milagai podi but here is insight on the ingredients I choose for my podi. It is important for you to understand what each ingredient brings to the table so you can tweak this recipe to your liking. One thing to note is that a popular ingredient in milagai podi is sesame seeds. However, this milagai podi recipe is one without sesame seeds. The reasons are that sesame seeds often go rancid fairly quickly and some folks have allergies to them. However, you can totally add some to this blend to add a sesame flavor to the mix.
- Split and hulled urad dal and chana dal - Both of these dals add a nuttiness and crunchy texture to the final podi.
- Whole dried red chilis (Like Indian Guntur chilis or chile de arbol) - Add a fiery heat to the podi. Reduce this if you like a milder flavor. If you want a redder podi, you can use Kashmiri chilis, but the flavor would be very mild compared to using these chilis.
- Curry leaves - Curry leaves add a citrusy and herbal flavor that can't be substituted.
- Asafetida - Asafetida often goes hand in hand with recipes that call for dal. This powder is said to help you easily digest dal. It also adds an onion-y and garlic-y taste to the podi.
Tips on toasting chilis and dal
Toasting your chilis and dal is crucial to making a delicious milagai podi. When whole spices are toasted, they release their aromatic oils and make their flavors more pronounced. Skipping this step will create a spice blend that is dull and will not utilize the potential of the spices' flavors.
- Individually toast lentils and chilis. It is very important to toast spices individually because thicker lentils like chana dal take a longer time to fully toast while the thinner lentils like split urad dal toast fairly quickly.
- Rely on senses rather than the strict timings listed in the recipe. Indicators that the lentils are done toasting are when you can smell their aromatic scent, when you can see them brown, or when you can hear them popping in the pan. The timings are more of a rough estimate and can vary depending on the type of pan used and the temperature settings of your stove.
- Toast spices on medium to medium-high heat. Toasting the spices and lentils at any higher heat can cause them to burn.
- When toasting lentils and chilis for milagai podi, dry toast the spices. Dry toasting means that the spices are simply toasted on the pan with no added oils or fats.
- Constantly move spices around to ensure browning on all sides.
- If spices burn, start over or else the milagai podi will have a bitter and burned final taste.
Tips on grinding milagai podi
- Allow lentils and chilis to cool before grinding. Skipping this step can cause steam in the spice grinder, which can sometimes pop off the lid or cause condensation in the spice blend. Condensation drastically reduces the shelf life of the milagai podi.
- Grind the urad dal and chana dal more coarsely and the chilis more finely. One trademark of delicious milagai podi is the crunchy elements in the podi. This is why it is important to grind the dals separately so they can have a coarser texture while the chilis can be ground down to a fine texture.
- Don't overstuff the spice grinder; instead, grind lentils in batches. There is a lot of dal in this recipe and often American spice grinders can't handle the volume. Always batch grind the spices or lentils to ensure that the grinder can efficiently grind the spices.
- Do not smell or sniff the freshly ground spices when you open the spice grinder. This spice blend has chilis, and the chilis when freshly ground are potent and cause irritation in the nose and eyes.
- Tap the spice grinder lid to push the spices into the grinder when opening it, to prevent powder from flying around and being wasted.
- If you are using a mortar and pestle to grind the milagai powder, take care to grind the spices in small batches. Make sure to use a series of smash motions (up/down) as well as rotating circular motions to really help break down the spices.
Shelf life and storage tips
It is best to allow the milagai podi to fully cool before storing it away. Store in a cool, dark, airtight container for the longest shelf life. Milagai podi is most flavorful within six months of grinding.
Frequently Asked Questions
The best substitute for chana dal in milagai podi is toor dal. However, you can also compensate with more split and hulled urad dal instead of chana dal for this recipe.
The flavor of milagai podi diminishes with time. However, the flavor should still be present up to six months after grinding.
Kashmiri chilis are bigger chilis that are much milder than Indian dried red chilis or arbol dried red chilis.
Often Indian grocery stores have bags generically labeled as dried Indian red chilis. You can use that for fiery heat or for more specificity look for guntur dried red chilis. These are chilis that are smooth on the outside and pack a fiery punch in contrast to their Kashmiri chili counterparts.
Milagai podi is typically combined with melted ghee or oil and mixed to create a chili oil of sorts. It is traditionally used as a condiment for idlis or dosas. In addition, once mixed with ghee or oil, it can be used to coat crunchy potatoes for a delicious flavor boost.
This recipe only uses guntur chilis for heat but you can also add Kashmiri chilis for a redder milagai podi. Note: Kashmiri chilis tend to be milder than other Indian red chilis.
5 Ingredient Milagai Podi for Idli and Dosa (Indian Gunpowder)
Product Reccs
Ingredients
- 7-10 (7-10 g) whole dried red guntur or chili de arbol stems removed (use less for less spice)
- 20 (3 g) curry leaves
- ¼ cup (54 g) split urad dal hulled
- 2 tablespoons (31 g) chana dal split/hulled
- 1 teaspoon asafetida
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- Note: This recipe is all about toasting different spices and lentils of varying thickness. The rule of thumb is that the thinner or more delicate spices are toasted for a shorter period of time and the thicker lentils are toasted for a longer period of time. It is important to really take the time to get a nice toast on each ingredient to really get a deep and nutty taste!
- In a medium pan, on medium-low heat dry roast 7-10 (7-10 g) whole dried red guntur or chili de arbol. Constantly move the chilis so they don't burn. You are looking for the chilis to dry further and warm enough to release their essential oils. This should take ~3-4 minutes. Remove the chilis from heat and allow to cool in a small bowl. A good indicator that the chilis were toasted properly is that they will snap when broken in half. If they are soft when you bend the chilis, that is an indicator that they need to be toasted longer.
- Add the 20 (3 g) curry leaves to the pan and toast until the curry leaves dry and crisp. It should be fairly quick and take between 1-2 minutes if that. The curry leaves should be crunchy and brittle when cooled. Transfer the curry leaves to a separate small bowl from the chilis.
- Turn up the heat to medium. Add ¼ cup (54 g) split urad dal and dry roast until the urad dal gets golden. It should take ~4-5 minutes for this to happen. Transfer the urad dal to the bowl with the curry leaves.
- Turn up the heat to medium-high. Add 2 tablespoons (31 g) chana dal to the medium pan and dry roast until the chana dal is golden brown. Turn off the heat. Be patient as the chana dal is thicker and will take 5-6 minutes to really toast and turn golden brown. Transfer the chana dal to the same bowl as the urad dal.
- Allow all the spices to cool for 5-10 minutes. This is important as warm spices will create condensation when ground and therefore reduce the shelf life of the milagai podi.
- In a spice grinder, first add the dried chilis. It helps to snap the chilis into smaller pieces to help the grinder blend. If the grinder is too full, grind the chilis in batches to ensure there is enough space in the grinder. Grind the dried chilis until they are a fine powder. Try to get the chilis as fine as your grinder will allow. Tap the spice grinder lid to push the spices into the grinder when opening it, to prevent powder from flying around and being wasted. When opening the spice grinder, do not directly smell the powder as the chilis can irritate your nose. Empty the chili powder back into the small bowl.
- Add the toasted and cooled chana dal, urad dal, and curry leaves into the spice grinder. You may need to grind these ingredients in batches depending on the capacity of your spice grinder. Pulse the grinder to get a coarse powder that has pieces that are not fine but not too big that it would hurt to bite through. The coarse bits of urad dal and chana dal add a crunchy element to the podi that makes it taste so delicious.
- Mix together the fine chili powder, coarse dal and curry leaf powder, 1 teaspoon asafetida, and ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt. The milagai podi is now ready.
- When tasting the milagai podi, do not eat on its on as it is very spicy. Milagai podi is best eaten when mixed with warmed ghee to create a condiment to dip idlis and dosas into. The ghee helps temper the milagai podi and add a buttery/nutty element to balance the heat. This podi is also a great seasoning to add on top of crunchy roasted potatoes!
Notes and Tips
- Be careful not to burn spices or else it will impart a bitter taste in the final podi.
- Podi can be stored in an airtight container. It is best to use it within six months of grinding for the best flavor.
- Grind the chilis in a fine texture and the dals in a coarse texture. The coarseness of dal in the final product adds crunch to the milagai podi.
- The milagai podi is meant to be mixed with ghee or oil. It then can be used to dip idlis or dosas into.
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