Gunpowder!

What’s gunpowder?

It’s really nothing to do with real gunpowder – but some spice mixes from southern India are referred to gunpowder by folks from other regions (in jest of course) – because of the spicy nature of these spicy mixes.

Let us look at some of these – what they are and how and why they are used. We will also include some simple recipes too.

Karappodi or Idli podi or Chutney powder is a common term used for this based on which state in Southern India you are in. Usually (not always) these are spice mixes used as a common condiment with breakfast – you add this mix to your plate and then add hot ghee (clarified butter) and mix this into a nice slurry and dip your breakfast – Idli or dosa or uthappam – and enjoy the spicy flavor it adds. Sometimes these mixes are added to hot rice and ghee of course (a couple of spoonfuls of spice mix and ghee) and it’s a spicy savory taste of heaven.

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What are Idli, Dosa and Uthappam?

These are very common breakfast items served all over southern India. These are not the only dishes but you could say the most popular. All three are made with a lightly fermented batter of rice and urad dal or black gram lentils.

Idli – is made when the above batter is steamed

Dosa – the batter is diluted a bit and then spread thin on a hot pan to create a crispy savory crepe.

Uthappam – The batter is poured thick like a savory pancake.

Types of gunpowder or spice mixes

While some of these are very similar there are slight variations and the names will be different based on the region.

Here are a few:

Karappodi

This is a spicy dry chutney powder made with roasted lentils, dried red chilies, garlic, and other spices. It is typically served with idlis (steamed rice cakes) or dosas (crepes made from fermented rice and lentil batter). (Similar to Chutney powder just a different name)

Try this Karappodi

Paruppu podi

This is a lentil-based powder that is typically served with rice and ghee. It is made with roasted lentils, dried red chilies, cumin seeds, and peppercorns. Served with idlis (steamed rice cakes) or dosas (crepes made from fermented rice and lentil batter). It is most commonly used in Tamil Nadu.

Try this or this

Idli podi

This is a dry chutney powder made with roasted lentils, dried red chilies, sesame seeds, and other spices. It is typically served with idlis (steamed rice cakes) or dosas (crepes made from fermented rice and lentil batter). It is most commonly used in Tamil Nadu.

Milagai podi

This is a dry chutney powder made with roasted lentils, dried red chilies, and other spices. It is typically served with idlis (steamed rice cakes) or dosas (crepes made from fermented rice and lentil batter). It is most commonly used in Tamil Nadu.

Kothamalli podi

This is a spice blend made with fresh coriander leaves, dried red chilies, and other spices. It is typically used as a seasoning for various South Indian dishes, including rice and lentil dishes. It is most commonly used in Tamil Nadu.

Molaga podi

This is a dry chutney powder made with roasted lentils, dried red chilies, and other spices. It is typically served with idlis (steamed rice cakes) or dosas (crepes made from fermented rice and lentil batter). It is most commonly used in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.

Try this Molaga Podi

Ellu podi

This is a spice blend made with sesame seeds, dried red chilies, and other spices. It is typically used as a seasoning for various South Indian dishes, including rice and lentil dishes. It is most commonly used in Tamil Nadu.

Try this Ellu Podi.

You may notice that most of the ingredients are quite similar with a couple of different items which make the difference and some of the names are different but it’s almost the same ingredients.

This is because the names vary by region and some ingredients are typical to those regions and this is how there is an immense variation and diversity in the cuisines of India.

Nothing is the same or boring 🙂 , it’s always a fabulous culinary experience!

You must experience it!

Here are some different variations of dry spice mixes which are typically mixed with Ghee or Sesame seed oil (yes sesame seeds – this is believed to be good for you)

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Recipes for different ‘gunpowder’ mixes

Koora Karam (Spice Mix for curries)

(Koora – telugu word for any gravy or dry dish; Karam – Spice)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup dried red chilies
1/2 cup coriander seeds
1/4 cup cumin seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp asafoetida or Hing powder

Instructions:

Dry roast all the spices separately until they turn aromatic.

Allow them to cool and then grind them into a fine powder.

Store in an airtight container.

Idli Podi (spice mix for idli)

Idli – breakfast item – podi – powder

Ingredients:

1 cup urad dal
1/2 cup chana dal
1/2 cup dried red chilies
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup curry leaves
1/2 cup grated coconut (optional)
1 tsp asafoetida or Hing powder
Salt to taste

Instructions:

Dry roast the dals separately until they turn golden brown.

Dry roast the red chilies and curry leaves until they turn crisp.

Dry roast the sesame seeds until they turn golden brown.

Allow them all to cool and then grind them into a coarse powder.

Add the asafoetida or Hing powder and salt and mix well.

Store in an airtight container.

Chutney Podi (mixed lentil Spice Mix)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup urad dal
1/2 cup chana dal
1/2 cup dried red chilies
1/2 cup grated coconut
1 tsp asafoetida or Hing powder
Salt to taste

Instructions:

Dry roast the dals separately until they turn golden brown.

Dry roast the red chilies until they turn crisp.

Dry roast the grated coconut until it turns light brown.

Allow them all to cool and then grind them into a coarse powder.

Add the asafoetida or Hing powder and salt and mix well.

Store in an airtight container.

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Sonti Karam (Dried Ginger Spice Mix)

Sonti – dried ginger; Podi – powder; Karam – spicy powder

Ingredients:

1/2 cup dried red chilies
1/2 cup coriander seeds
1/2 cup cumin seeds
1/4 cup black peppercorns
1/4 cup dry ginger powder
1 tsp asafoetida or Hing powder
Salt to taste

Instructions:

Dry roast all the spices separately until they turn aromatic.

Allow them to cool and then grind them into a fine powder.

Add the dry ginger powder, asafoetida or Hing powder, and salt and mix well.

Store in an airtight container.

Vellulli Karam (Garlic Spice Mix)

Vellulli – Garlic; Karam – Spicy mix

Ingredients:

1 cup dried red chilies
1 cup garlic cloves
1/2 cup urad dal
1/2 cup chana dal
1 tsp asafoetida or Hing powder
Salt to taste

Instructions:

Dry roast the dals separately until they turn golden brown.

Dry roast the red chilies until they turn crisp.

Allow them to cool and then grind them into a fine powder.

Add the garlic cloves and grind into a coarse paste.

Mix the ground powder and garlic paste together.

Add the asafoetida or Hing powder and salt and mix well.

Store in an airtight container.

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Kandi Podi (Lentil Spice Mix)

Kandi – Yellow lentils or toor dal; Podi – powder

Ingredients:

1 cup toor dal
1/2 cup dried red chilies
1/2 cup curry leaves
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp asafoetida or Hing powder
Salt to taste

Instructions:

Dry roast the toor dal until it turns golden brown.

Dry roast the red chilies and curry leaves until they turn crisp.

Allow them all to cool and then grind them into a coarse powder.

Add the cumin seeds, mustard seeds, asafoetida or Hing powder, and salt and mix well.

Store in an airtight container.

Palli Karam (Peanut Spice mix)

Palli- Peanuts; Karam – Spicy mix

Ingredients:

1 cup roasted peanuts
1/2 cup dried red chilies
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp asafoetida or Hing powder
Salt to taste

Instructions:

Dry roast the red chilies, cumin seeds, and coriander seeds until they turn aromatic.

Allow them to cool and then grind them into a fine powder.

Add the roasted peanuts and grind into a coarse powder.

Add the asafoetida or Hing powder and salt and mix well.

Store in an airtight container.

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Karivepaku Karam (Curry Leaf Spice Mix)

Karivepaku – Curry leaf; Karam – Spicy mix

Ingredients:

1 cup curry leaves
1/2 cup dried red chilies
1/4 cup urad dal
1/4 cup chana dal
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp asafoetida or Hing powder
Salt to taste

Instructions:

Dry roast the dals separately until they turn golden brown.

Dry roast the red chilies and curry leaves until they turn crisp.

Allow them all to cool and then grind them into a coarse powder.

Add the cumin seeds, asafoetida or Hing powder, and salt and mix well.

Store in an airtight container.

Nuvvula Karam (Sesame seed spice mix)

Nuvvula – Sesame seeds; Karam – Spicy mix

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup roasted peanuts
1/2 cup dried red chilies
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp asafoetida or Hing powder
Salt to taste

Instructions:

Dry roast the sesame seeds separately until they turn light brown.
Dry roast the red chilies until they turn crisp.
Allow them all to cool and then grind them into a coarse powder.
Add the roasted peanuts, cumin seeds, asafoetida or Hing powder, and salt and mix well.
Store in an airtight container.

Image at the top is from https://www.sailusfood.com/

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Nalla Karam (Black spice mix)

Nalla- Black; Karam – Spicy mix

Ingredients:

1/2 cup coriander seeds
1/4 cup cumin seeds
1/4 cup black peppercorns
1/4 cup dry coconut pieces
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup urad dal
1/4 cup chana dal
2 tsp mustard seeds
2 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp asafoetida or Hing powder
Salt to taste

Instructions:

Dry roast all the ingredients, except turmeric powder, asafoetida or Hing powder, and salt separately until they turn golden brown.
Allow them to cool and then grind them into a fine powder.
Add the turmeric powder, asafoetida or Hing powder, and salt and mix well.
Store in an airtight container.

Note: This spice mix can be stored for up to 2-3 months in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.

Are Italian spice mixes inspired by south Indian gunpowder?

Did you notice that some italian bread is served with some olive oil and some dry spice mixes?

In Southern India breakfast or lunch is also served with a variety of dry spicy mixtures called karappodi, sontipodi and others served with hot ghee- as seen above.

While there may be some similarities between the spice mixes used in Italian cuisine and South Indian cuisine, they may or may not be directly related. But since there is a lot of evidence of the trade between the Roman empire and Southern India for spices in ancient times there could and would have been some exchange of how the spices were used in the country of it’s origin.

Here’s some information on the different spice mixes used in Italian cuisine:

Bruschetta topping

This is a mix of diced tomatoes, garlic, fresh basil, and olive oil, which is typically served on toasted bread as an appetizer.

Bread dipping mix

This is a blend of dried herbs and spices, including oregano, basil, thyme, and garlic, which is mixed with olive oil and served with bread as a dipping sauce.

Italian seasoning blend

This is a mix of dried herbs and spices commonly used in Italian cuisine, including basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, and garlic.

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