Pudi for Vegetable and Rice (South Indian Garam masala)

The title must have got you wondering what Pudi is. Pudi is the generic South Indian name for any red, dry chutney powder that is an accompaniment to any of the south indian dishes like Dosas, Idlis, Appams, Curd Rice, Rice preparations etc. There are many variations to the humble Pudi and this one is slightly different.

This Chutney pudi is not the ones you would want to eat directly. I would call it the Garam Masala of the South, that you could use to add to any vegetable or Rice preparation and give it a classic twist.

We usually have this powder ready in a big jar, which lasts about two months. Some veggie combinations go really well with this masala, and I am too fond of the rice.


Simple to make and a great variation to the palette from the regular Garam Masala. Take my word, try this out.


Ingredients: 

{the main ingredients have been measured using a regular lunch bowl}

Coriander Seeds (Whole Dhania ) - 1 cup
Split Bengal gram (Chana Dal) - 1 cup
Split black gram (Urad Dal) - 1 cup
Grated Dry Coconut - 1 cup
Cinammom Sticks (Dalchini) - 3" long sticks - 4 nos
Dry Red Chillies - 25-30 - adjust to taste
Cardamom - 10-12
Cloves - 15


Method: 

1. Dry roast all ingredients separately. This is because each ingredient takes its own time to get roasted well and uniform roasting ensures that you will be able to grind this into a fine powder.
2. You can add a few drops of oil to the chillies and the Urad Dal while roasting them.
3. Let all ingredients cool completely. 
4. Finely powder all the roasted ingredients
5. You could keep a small quantity in a small jar for regular use and store the rest in airtight packing in the refrigerator. This preserves the flavour of the Pudi. 

Using this Pudi, you could give a neat twist to the while making dry vegetable dish with Potatoes, Ivy Gourd, Brinjals, Capsicum-Potato-onion combination, just to name a few.
This is the South Indian Garam Masala for sure!!!