Groundnut Kaaram Podi – Kadalai Poondu Podi Recipe

Recipe for Idli / Chutney podi made with groundnuts / peanuts and garlic. This spicy, tangy powder is so addictive and easy to make at home. Recipe with step by step pictures and video.

Idli podi is a staple everyday at our place. This is a slight variation from my garlic Idli podi made with the addition of groundnuts. I have kept the garlic whole and with the skin too. The garlic skin gives it a fantastic aroma and texture. This is the hot favorite of my son and mom now and they cannot have enough of it. The tricky thing with the podi is in the grinding of the groundnuts. The lentil mixture is ground first. Then, the peanuts and garlic are mixed with the lentil powder and ground again. The lentil powder helps the groundnuts from becoming oily when ground. Grind the mixture in batches and always use the pulse mode and do not overload the mixie. If the mixie heats up, the oils from the groundnut will try to ooze. I have used a cup of groundnuts in this recipe. I ground the podi in four batches using a heavy duty Indian mixie. The trick is to grind in small batches. Hope you try this recipe and like it too!

Here is the video of how to make Groundnut Kaaram Podi – Kadalai Poondu Podi Recipe

Here is how to make Groundnut Kaaram Podi – Kadalai Poondu Podi Recipe
Here are some pointers while making the podi.
1. Always roast the ingredients on a low flame and do not let the ingredients burn.
2. Grind the lentils ( chana dal, urad dal ), dry red chillies and spices first. Then mix in the roasted groundnuts and garlic and grind again. If everything is ground together, the seeds tend to leave out oil and the mixture does not grind well.
3. Since the garlic is ground at last along with the seeds and the lentil powder, there will be no moisture left. The lentil powder absorbs the excess moisture and the garlic gets ground fine. Use garlic along with the skin. No need to peel the skin. The skin adds a fantastic aroma and flavour to the podi. If you do not like the flavour of garlic, you can omit it.
4. Do not overload the mixie while grinding. Always grind in batches and an Indian heavy duty mixie is preferred for making this recipe.

You will need a heavy duty mixie for making this Groundnut Kaaram Podi – Kadalai Poondu Podi. Here are the mixie brands I recommend
Bosch Mixie
Panasonic Mixie

We will be dry roasting all the lentils separately so the lentils get evenly roasted. Add in 1/4 teaspoon of coconut oil and whole unpolished white urad dal. Use unpolished urad dal for best results. I like this particular brand of urad dal. Sauté on a low flame till the urad dal is golden. Set aside on a plate to cool.

In the same pan, heat 1/4 teaspoon of coconut oil in a pan and add in the chana dal. Roast the chana dal on a low flame till the lentils are golden. Keep sautéing to avoid burning. Have patience and roast slow until the aroma comes and the dal turns color. Remove from the pan once the dal is golden. Set aside on a plate to cool.

In the same pan, add in 1/4 teaspoon of coconut oil. Add in the Byadagi chillies / Kashmiri red chillies. I like to add the Byadagi chillies as it gives the idli podi a robust color and aroma. Sauté for a few seconds. The chillies will fluff up. Remove the chillies and set aside on a plate to cool. Do not fry the chillies for long.

To this mixture, add in the salt, asafoetida and jaggery when the mixture is still hot. Let the mixture cool a bit. Grind this mixture in a mixie to a fine powder. Set aside.

Take a pan and dry roast the groundnuts on a low flame. Dry roast for 2-3 minutes. To the pan, add in the garlic with the skin, curry leaves and tamarind. Roast for another couple of minutes. Roast until the groundnuts are golden and the garlic is charred here and there.

Add in the desiccated coconut and sauté for a few seconds.

Remove the mixture from heat and add it on top of the lentil mixture.

Mix well. Let the mixture cool.

Now comes the important thing. Grinding the mixture. Grind the mixture in several batches. Grind in 3-4 batches and do not overload the mixie. Use the pulse mode several times till the mixture is ground to a slightly coarse powder.

Empty the contents of the mixie to a big bowl and let it completely cool. Store the idli podi in an air tight container and use within a month. For longer storage, store in the freezer. The podi stays fresh for months in the freezer.

This idli podi is super addictive and delicious. Definitely do try at home.

Groundnut Kaaram Podi – Kadalai Poondu Podi Recipe

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Recipe for Idli / Chutney podi made with groundnuts / peanuts and garlic. This spicy, tangy powder is so addictive and easy to make at home. Recipe with step by step pictures and video.

• Total Time: 30m
• Yield: 2 cups 1x

Ingredients

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1 teaspoon coconut oil
1/4 cup whole white urad dal
1/4 cup chana dal
15 Byadagi / Kashmiri red chillies
20 grams jaggery
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon asafoetida
1 cup groundnuts
1/4 cup curry leaves
1 small marble sized tamarind
2 pods garlic with skin
1/4 cup desiccated coconut

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Instructions

Add in 1/4 teaspoon of coconut oil and whole unpolished white urad dal to a pan. Sauté on a low flame till the urad dal is golden. Set aside on a plate to cool. In the same pan, heat 1/4 teaspoon of coconut oil in a pan and add in the chana dal. Roast the chana dal on a low flame till the lentils are golden. Keep sautéing to avoid burning. Set aside on a plate to cool. In the same pan, add in 1/4 teaspoon of coconut oil. Add in the Byadagi chillies / Kashmiri red chillies. Sauté for a few seconds. The chillies will fluff up. Remove the chillies and set aside on a plate to cool. Do not fry the chillies for long.

To this mixture, add in the salt, asafoetida and jaggery when the mixture is still hot. Let the mixture cool a bit. Grind this mixture in a mixie to a fine powder. Set aside.

Take a pan and dry roast the groundnuts on a low flame. Dry roast for 2-3 minutes. To the pan, add in the garlic with the skin, curry leaves and tamarind. Roast for another couple of minutes. Roast until the groundnuts are golden and the garlic is charred here and there. Add in the desiccated coconut and sauté for a few seconds. Remove the mixture from heat and add it on top of the lentil mixture. Mix well. Let the mixture cool.

Grind the mixture in several batches. Grind in 3-4 batches and do not overload the mixie. Use the pulse mode several times till the mixture is ground to a slightly coarse powder. Empty the contents of the mixie to a big bowl and let it completely cool. Store the idli podi in an air tight container and use within a month. For longer storage, store in the freezer. The podi stays fresh for months in the freezer.

This idli podi is super addictive and delicious. Definitely do try at home.

Notes

If you want a really spicy podi, add in some roasted guntur chillies along with the chillies mentioned above.

• Author: Suguna Vinodh
• Prep Time: 10m
• Cook Time: 20m