Indian pantries are loaded with homemade spice powders like this Thengai Podi with Flax Seed, Paruppu Podi with garlic, Regular Lentil / paruppu Powder, Tilachi powder / sesame powder and so on.
I always get my stock of powders from my mother back in India. She makes sure that every time any of us travel, we come back with a good amount and variety of these powders.
I am slowly running out of my reserve and I have specifically asked my mother not to send me any, but rather tell me how to make them. So the first powder that I have here which is found invariably in every South Indian kitchen is thengai podi. This Thengai podi is also called the Chammanthi powder or chutney powder. Take a look at this Raw Mango Chammanthi that is tangy and delicious. This is an example for a wet Chammanthi.
Every cuisine has a slight variation of this thengai podi and they all taste equally good. This is the recipe from my mother and the only change I did was adding about ¼ cup of flaxseed meal to the podi.
Why make this recipe?
It is very convenient to have spice powders ready as they come in very handy on a busy weeknight. They are super delicious and when made right, have a long shelf life. In this particular thengai podi recipe, I have used flax seed which is very nutritious and recipes like this coconut podi is a great way to incorporate it in our diet. This podi can be eaten with rice or also as side for idli and dosai instead of the regular milagai podi.
Benefits of flax seed
Flax seed usage is becoming more popular because of its powerful anti-oxidant properties.Flax seeds have very high fiber content (both soluble and insoluble).Also flax seed contains a very high amount of Plant Omega 3’s (good fats). These properties make this a very powerful and mighty seed that aids in good cardiovascular health.
Few things that I came across when reading about the flax seed is that the oil in the flaxseed is highly unsaturated. This makes it very prone to oxidation. Hence storing the flaxseed is very critical. When stored in the seed form, it can be stored without going rancid for a longer duration when compared to the flaxseed meal or oil. The flaxseed meal will store well for a couple of months if stored away from heat and light, whereas the oil has to be consumed within a couple of weeks.
Ingredients and Substitutes
Lentils - Even though this is a coconut powder, it uses quite a bit of lentil. Hence, this makes it even more nutritious. My mother uses both urad dal / ullutham paruppu and chana dal / kadalai paruppu for thengai podi. Some make it with just the urad dal and that would work as well. The chammanthi powder from Kerala is very similar is made with just the urad dal. Coconut - Freshly grated coconut is the bets choice to make this thengai podi / chammanthi podi. I use frozen grated coconut after it is well thawed. As a last resort, we could use desiccated coconut. Red chilies - I use couple of different kinds of red chilies when making any homemade spic powder. I use kashmiri red chili for color, Bydagi for flavor and the regular ones for heat. You could add any kind you have in hand. Just make sure to adjust the spice level. Flax - I have used flax seed as well as flax meal when making this thengai podi. Make sure the flax is fresh when using. Asafetida - I somehow cannot cook without asafetida and recipes like this spice powder gets a lit of flavor. If you are making it gluten free, then skip the asafetida. Salt and oil - I use coconut oil when frying the lentils and coconut to enhance the coconut flavor. My mother would dry roast everything, but a little oil when roasting helps the powder stay softer and not be too dry.
Step by step process
All the ingredients mentioned above have to be roasted individually. My mom suggested that I roast few red chilies with every dal that I am roasting and this way the strong aroma of the red chili will not be felt.
So I first roasted the Ullutham paruppu / urad dal in about a with half the red chilies until it was golden brown. Transfer this to a dry wide container to allow it to cool.
Then I roasted the kadalai paruppu with the remaining red chilies until golden brown and transferred it to the same container.
Next I roasted the flax seed until it was beginning to change color and started to pop. I added the salt and asafetida and roasted it further for few seconds. This also went into the container with the rest of the fried ingredients.
Lastly I roasted the grated coconut until reddish brown and kept this separately to cool.
Once all the ingredients cooled down completely, transfer the mixture of red chilies, dals and flaxseed to the blender/mixer and grind until coarse.
Now also add the roasted coconut and grind it until they all blend together. I keep my powder somewhat coarse, but you could grind it based on your liking. Once the coconut is added do not grind too long, since it will start releasing its oil and the powder will begin to clump up. Run the mixer in short cycles until they come to the desired consistency.
Once again cool it down for some more time and then store it in an airtight container. If storing for a prolonged period, store it in the refrigerator or freezer.
Enjoy with hot rice and sesame oil!
Expert tips
Roast the ingredients separately as they all roast at a different time. This helps in evenly roasting the ingredients without burning them.Roast the red chilies with each of the lentils as it in even roasting of the chilies without burning them. Roast the salt and asafetida as well. Roasting the salt helps get rid of the moisture and it increases the shelf life of the thengai podi. Roasting the asafetida enhances the flavor. Cool the roasted ingredients well before grinding. This prevents any kind of condensation to happen. Also cool the ground thengai podi before storing it in an airtight container.
Frequently asked questions
More podi / spiced powder recipes
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