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Here are some Andhra podi recipes to kick-start your meals with an aromatic zest! When it is raining outside, the best way to start your meal is with something spicy and hot, isn’t it?
I used to wonder from my childhood days why our dining table was flooded with so many cute little jars; now, from the time I got married, my dining table looks similar too, if not loaded with even more!
Even if I try to stack them somewhere else, the truth is that, apart from the bowls with the daily cooked food there are always some extra containers present with podi (spice powders) and pachadi (pickles) and this is true with almost every other south Indian home I guess.
Podi or spice powder forms a good accompaniment for south Indian breakfast and meals. It has been in use from ages and even now, many south Indian restaurants serve podi along with other chutneys with breakfast dishes. There are many ways to savour podi and I remember how my grandfather used to have podi with curds in his breakfast, apart from relishing it with ghee or oil, as is commonly done.
Podi is also a quick fix dish when you are pressed for time to prepare a full meal. I always try to keep some form of podi ready and they are a saviour whenever I am not in a mood to prepare chutney for idlis/dosas. Podi is also great to carry along during your travel, and I always end up with a few packs of podis when coming back from my parents’/in-laws’ place as they are easy to pack, easy to carry and can be stored for long when stored in a clean, air tight container.
It’s time for us to check out the recipes of some of these mouth-watering Andhra spice powders!
I feel that this is the best way to eat curry leaves. During a meal, most of us are used to keeping them aside whenever they appear in dal/sambar etc and consider them only as a flavoring substance. But curry leaves are said to have good health benefits for your heart, hair and skin. Hence it is essential to make them part of our diet and there cannot be a better way to eat them other than this podi. It tastes good with rice and ghee and also with dosas.
Recipe: Curry Leaves Spice Powder
This podi is famous in the rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh and it is not an exaggeration when I say that there are people who can finish a bowl of this plain podi just like that. This is extremely delicious on account of the addition of peanuts and tastes similar to the remarkable groundnut chutney which is usually served with idlis and dosas. Needless to say, it is protein rich too.
Recipe: Groundnut Spice Powder
Flax seeds are very popular these days due to the immense health benefits they offer. Flax seeds are cholesterol free, rich in omega-3 and dietary fiber and good to manage diabetes. As flax seeds are not so flavourful, they can be added to baking dishes, chapathi flour, smoothies and shakes etc. Check this recipe to have it in the form of spicy powder.
Recipe: Flax Seed Powder
Kandi Podi has been a staple food for dinner at home on many occasions. It is a wholesome protein powder with different types of dals when you are lazy to cook but still want to have a fulfilling meal. My favourite way to eat this podi is to have it with rice, ghee and the most famous avakaya (raw mango pickle) and it just tastes blissful. Another yummy variation is to eat it with rice, ghee and some hot rasam.
Recipe: Toor Dal Spice Powder
This is the most straight forward and simplest of recipes with minimum ingredients and let me tell you that this is fiery hot! This powder contains loads of red chillies and you might wonder if this would taste any different than just mixing red chilli powder with your rice, but to enjoy this flavor, you got to try it and taste it for yourself.
Recipe: Garlic Spice Powder
Cover image via Shutterstock
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