Skip to content
FriendsPantry

South Indian · Indian

Molagapodi (idli podi with oil)

Vegetarian

மிளகாய்ப் பொடி · miḷakāyp poṭi

Lentils, dried chillies and sesame seeds roasted and ground into a coarse, spicy powder that is mixed with oil at the table into a paste for idli and dosa. Nicknamed 'gunpowder' for its heat.

Molagapodi (idli podi with oil) is a South Indian condiment, ready in about 35 minutes and made with black gram (urad dal) and dried whole chillies. It serves 16 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking

No licensed photograph of this dish yet.

Prep
5 min
Cook
15 min
Rest
15 min
Total
35 min
Serves
16
Level
Easy
Calories
33

Ingredients

16 servings (about 1 heaped tbsp)

To serve

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    In a dry heavy pan over medium-low heat, roast the urad (opens in a new tab) dal and chana dal (opens in a new tab) separately, stirring constantly, until golden and nutty-smelling. Tip onto a plate.

  2. Step 2

    Add the oil and roast the dried chillies (and curry leaves (opens in a new tab)) until the chillies are crisp and a shade darker, then add the asafoetida (opens in a new tab) for a few seconds. Dry-roast the sesame seeds (opens in a new tab) until they start to pop.

    • 5 min
    • medium-low heat

    Food safety: Roasting chillies gives off strong fumes; open a window.

  3. Step 3

    Cool everything completely, then grind with the salt and jaggery to a coarse, slightly gritty powder.

    Grinding while warm makes the powder clump and spoil faster.

  4. Step 4

    Store in an airtight jar. To serve, make a little well of podi on the plate, pour in oil or ghee and mix to a loose paste.

About this dish

Origin
Tamil Nadu, India · Commonly attributedLentil-chilli podis are made throughout South India; Andhra and Karnataka have their own versions.More food from India
Dish
Breakfast · Condiments, chutneys & relishes
Cooking method
Toasted
Taste
spicy (chilli heat), nutty, savoury, salty
Diet
Vegan · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carb
All labelsVegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · DASH-style
Without the optional extras: No added sugarWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Make-ahead · Batch cooking · Portable / lunchbox
Cook more with
Black gram (urad dal) · Dried whole chillies · Chana dal (split bengal gram) · Sesame seeds · Asafoetida
Techniques
Toasting · Spice roasting (dry-roasting)

Allergens

  • May contain: Wheatfrom asafoetida
  • May contain: Glutenfrom asafoetida
  • Contains: Sesamefrom sesame seeds, toasted sesame oil

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

33 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 9 g · recipe makes 16

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 19%
  • Carbohydrate 52%
  • Fat 28%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g
Energy33 kcal377 kcal
Protein1.7 g19.6 g
Carbohydrate4.6 g52.3 g
Net carbohydrate3.1 g36 g
Sugars——
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre1.4 g16.4 g
Fat1.1 g12.3 g
Saturated fat0.1 g1.3 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium221 mg2529 mg
Salt equivalent0.6 g6.3 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
100 mg
Calcium
17 mg
Iron
0.7 mg
Magnesium
17 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
19 µg
Vitamin C
0 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
21 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: curry leaves, jaggery / palm sugar, toasted sesame oil.
  • Not counted (tiny amounts or “to taste”): asafoetida.
  • Chana dal (split bengal gram): Whole raw chickpeas / bengal gram (FDC 173756) used as a stand-in for split, skinned desi chickpeas; the composition is very close.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Roast each ingredient separately — dals, chillies and sesame brown at different speeds.

Common mistakes

  • Roasting the dals on high heat — the outside browns while the centre stays raw and hard.

Serve with

  • Serve with idli, dosa, uttapam or paniyaram; toss mini idlis in podi and ghee for 'podi idli' lunchboxes.

Food safety

  • Always use a dry spoon to keep the powder dry and mould-free.

Storage

  • Keeps 1 month in an airtight jar at room temperature, or 3 months in the fridge.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Goes with

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Customise in Sauce & Drizzle

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in step 1

Make it milder, swap ingredients for your diet, change the batch size or thickness — the original stays as it is.

Customise in Sauce & Drizzle

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

You might also like