Chutney powder (milagai podi, idly podi, gunpowder)

This chutney powder goes by many names: Milagai podi, Idly podi, Gunpowder, and probably more that I haven't encountered yet! It is a staple in my house- it's crunchy, toasty, spicy, deliciousness enhances so many dishes. Every place I’ve tasted it has their own version, so I decided to take the flavors I liked the best from each and come up with a chutney powder to suit my tastes. Classically, we eat it with idly and dosa, but I’ve also found it a fun way to spice up sandwiches, buttered toast, and rice. Pictured above are the ingredients right before grinding them (the large plate), the final chutney power dry (the small mound), and the chutney powder mixed with ghee (the small bowl).

Ingredients

1/2 cup (3.5 oz) chana dal (split chickpeas)

1 cup (7 oz) urad dal (split black gram lentils)

1/2 cup (3 oz) toor dal (split pigeon peas)

1/2 cup (2.5 oz) white sesame seeds

10 curry leaves

3 tbsp (1 oz) Kashmiri red chili powder (you can add more or less per your taste)

1 tsp (0.15 oz) hing (asafoetida) powder

1 tbsp (0.4 oz) sea salt

Directions

1.  Visually look through the chana, urad, and toor dals to make sure there aren’t any stones or debris. If you find any, throw them out.

2.  Dry roast each ingredient separately over medium heat, stirring constantly to ensure even heating. Transfer each ingredient after roasting to a large plate to help it to cool quickly.  Below are approximate dry roasting times for each ingredient:Chana dal ~4 minutes until light brownUrad dal ~4 minutes until golden brownToor dal ~3 minutes until golden brownSesame seeds ~2 minutes until golden brownCurry leaves ~1 minute until fragrant

3.  After the roasted ingredients cool down, blend them with the Kashmiri red chili powder, hing, and salt until you get a fine powder. I use a spice grinder, but a high power blender or food processor work as well.

4.  Store in a glass jar or airtight container at room temperature until ready to use.  You can use it as a dry powder, or mix it with a bit of oil / butter / ghee (my favorite!) / yogurt / water to make a paste.