Pickles, spices, desserts and everything nice. Andhra is a land full of flavorful food items that can flood the emotions of a food lover any day. The ‘podis’ or powders are another specialty that are not talked about often.
The Podis are a unique mixture of lentils, spices and other ingredients that are eaten as a side dish to all your favorite items like dosas, idlis, rice items and many more. Sometimes, also referred to as ‘gun powder’, you can find several different of these spice powders in any south Indian restaurant or household.
One can savor these podis in any way they want. The way we remember is serving some of the ‘podi’ onto the corner of our breakfast plate laden with hot idlis and chutney. Then we’d so carefully mold the ‘podi’ such that it orifices into a well like structure. We’d then pour freshly made desi ghee taken right off the stove into the midst of this powder. We’d then tear a generous size of the soft idly and dip it into the ghee-podi mixture to taste what is perhaps the most interesting food combinations in the world. Yum!
Podis are a must when you are setting out to try breakfast options of South India. Be it the idly podis, dosa podis, pappu podis, etc. they each elevate the dish to a pedestal that you never knew existed. They are a humble but significant side dish that offer you a complete meal experience.
Not only are they used as side dishes for breakfast options, but are also used in amplifying the flavor of a stir fry curry, dosa batter, roti flour, bhaji batter or sometimes even eaten in combination with hot rice drenched in ghee. These spice powders are also used as main flavoring agents for stir fries such as the brinjal fry, capsicum fry, prawn fry, etc.
These podis are unique to each household and you can find Indian housewives arguing over who makes the best podis. You can see that grandmas always take home the award because as simple as they may be, these podis take years to master. It requires the right number of lentils, spices and everything else to make the perfect jar of podi. Needless to say, there are hundreds of varieties of podis that are made to pair with different dishes.
No matter which podi you pick, pairing one with your favorite dish is pure bliss and maximum satiation to your taste buds. If you are tired of other food options India has to offer, and we bet you aren’t, give these spice powders a try. They are so versatile and handy for whenever you crave a wholesome dish.
The spice powders/podis at DesiAuthentic have been made with the perfect balance of ingredients offering the right taste, aroma and flavor. Our podis are vegan, gluten-free and without any artificial colors or preservatives. All our ingredients are carefully handpicked by experienced chefs who have mastered the art of Andhra cuisine over several years.
Taste our spiced powders/podis, here: https://www.desiauthentic.com/collections/masalas-spices