As important as our appetizers and main meals are, equally important are the condiments that are served alongside. Condiments like pickles, raitas, chutneys add that extra bit to spice up the flavours on your plate. One such condiment is chutney podi from the South of India.
Chutney Podi, is an Indian term where, 'chutney' means a ground mixture and 'podi' in South India means powder.
Essentially a chutney podi is a chutney powder, that is made using some whole spices like dry red chillies, coriander seeds, asafoetida and the like, and many a times dal is added as well. Dals like chana dal, urad dal and toor dal are added to enhance the texture of the podis.
There are a whole lot of variants to these chutney podis that use various ingredients as their main ingredients like peanuts, coarsely ground whole wheat flour, fenugreek seed powder, curry leaf, garlic and horse gram to name a few.
Different regions in South India make them in various ways. While most of them dry roast the ingredients to bring out all its flavours, some grind it coarse while some like it to be like a fine powder.
Some make it spicy, and some don't. These Chutney podis are a great quick fix, as they can be made and stored for a long time. When you're running out of time and you are in a super hurry these chutney podis can come to your rescue as they can be served in place of chutney most of the time.
These chutney podis ideally are mixed along with some melted ghee or sesame oil and served along with idlis , dosas and uthappams.
The other classic way to serve these chutney podis is to sprinkle it over some piping hot steamed rice with a generous drizzle of ghee.
There are many more ways you can use these chutney podis to make some interesting dishes in your kitchen - 12 Creative Ways To Use South Indian Podi To Make Your Meal Delicious
So ditch the store bought chutney podis and make them in your kitchen with a whole lot of love for your near and dear ones.
