Chutney Powder / Chutney Podi

We now live in a fast paced world, where cereals and sandwiches are replacing our traditional breakfasts. Growing up, my mom never told me (or any of my aunts to their kids) to eat the things, which I eat in the name of breakfast, today. Our moms prepared scrumptious, hefty breakfasts like dosas, idlis, upmas to name a few. They prepared delicious side dishes to go along with them. But sometimes, there were some nice substitutions for those side dishes. This chutney podi or podi chutney is one of them (Kannada- Chutney pudi), which is a time saver in the busy mornings. It can be prepared well ahead of time and stays fresh for months. Chutney powder is eaten with dosas, idlis, upmas (in general, with breakfasts replacing chutney) and also with steamed / cooked rice with a spoon of ghee. It definitely comes to our rescue, when we have those power cuts in India.

Ingredients -
Chana dal / Bengal gram – 1 cup
Urad dal / Black gram – ¾ cup
Dry coconut – 1 cup
Jaggery Powdered – 2 - 3 tbsp
Red chillies – 35
Tamarind – a small lemon size (1 tbsp)
Salt – Accordingly
You can change spiciness / sweetness according to your taste preferences.

Preparation :

Dry roast chana dal and urad dal individually, till they turn golden brown in a wok / pan. Turn off the heat. Keep them aside and let them cool.
Add the red chillies to the pan in which you roasted the dals. (You don’t need to turn on the stove again and roast the chillies). The hot pan warms the chillies, which facilitate easy grinding.
Grate the dry coconut. Cut the tamarind into small bits if possible, for easy grinding.
Put all the ingredients in a blender and grind them into a smooth powder (or a coarser powder, If you wish).
Store it in a bottle.

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