Podi Idli

5 from 1 vote

A delicious way to spice up idlis; Podi Idli uses Milgai Podi or gunpowder with a flavorful tempering.

This makes a great breakfast, side dish for meals or snack. It is packed with flavor and is easy to put together in under 30 minutes.

Prep Time5

Cook Time15

Total Time20

Course: Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine: Indian, South Indian

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian

Servings:

Calories: 176kcal

Author: Smruti

Ingredients

10-12 idli
2 tablespoon ghee
3 tablespoon milgai podi
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
8-10 curry leaves
1½ teaspoon urad dal
2 dried red chili
3-4 stalks cilantro

Instructions

Cut the big idlis into four pieces. Alternatively, simply use mini idlis as is. Transfer to a bowl and keep ready.
10-12 idli
In a large pan add ghee. Let it melt.
2 tablespoon ghee
Then add mustard seeds and urad dal and let them turn brown in about 1-2 minutes on medium flame.
1½ teaspoon urad dal, 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
Next add the remaining tempering ingredients.
8-10 curry leaves, 2 dried red chili
Add the Milagai Podi and mix well.
3 tablespoon milgai podi
Also add the idli pieces.
Mix well and let the idli a little crisp on all sides. Sauté for 3-4 minutes and turn down the flame.
Serve with some finely chopped cilantro on top.
3-4 stalks cilantro

Video

Notes

Use cold idli: Cold idlis work best for the recipe. Fresh idlis will crumble on making pieces or in the pan and result in idli upma rather than sautéed idli. Refrigerated idlis work best.

Keep everything ready before you start: The tempering spices and podi only takes a few seconds to go from done to burnt. So keep everything including cubed idlis ready ready before you start the cooking process.

Add some ghee after sautéing: To get a more pronounced flavor of ghee in the recipe, add some ghee to the hot idlis after sautéing. The nutty aroma and flavor complement the idli and masala well.

Making it Vegan: To make the recipe Vegan, simply swap the ghee with non-dairy butter or oil. Peanut or gingelly oil works well for the recipe.

Using mini idlis: If you have a button or mini idli stand, make the idlis using this stand. These idlis are perfect to add to the tempering directly without making pieces. Moreover, these work well as a bite size appetizer too.

Making it less spicy: The red chili and Milagai Podi tend to make the recipe moderately spicy. To make it less spicy, simply reduce the Milagai Podi and skip the chili. The recipe will be perfect.

Using crisp idlis: There are two ways to crisp up idlis. Either air fry plain idlis and then add to the tempering or let them crisp in the pan after adding. The former is better as the latter option might result in the Milagai Podi burning.

Fixing dry idlis: In case the idlis are too dry on refrigerating, sprinkle some water on them and use in the recipe. That way the water will moisten the idlis again. Or sprinkle some water after adding to the tempering.

Note: Nutrition values are my best estimates using an automated calculator. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.

Nutrition