Garlic Curry Leaves Flaxseeds Idli Podi/Chutney Powder

Steaming hot, soft as sponge, white as the whitest clouds – wait, I am talking about idlis here 😀 With such idlis on a steel plate and a spoonful of flavorful idli podi on the side, make a large hole in the center of the podi and wait for tsps. of gingely oil to be poured in.. quickly mix the podi with the oil, not letting it touch the super-hot super-soft idlis.. dip a piece of such idli in the spicy podi amalgamated with oil and put it in your mouth – I would say you would be in heaven 🙂

Some days I wake up imagining all the stuff I could make for breakfast, it’s true! And trust me, it brings out so much energy in me, wanting to do more for the rest of the day. Cooking impacts me positively and waking up to lovely food thoughts, makes even the gloomiest days much better 🙂 Last weekend, I woke up with such food thought and immediately put it to good use by making garlicky, curry leafy flavored flaxseed idli podi/chutney powder to go with hot idlis for breakfast.

We all know the number of health benefits of flaxseeds, the most important one being it’s the richest source of Omega-3 fatty acids that are responsible for the good cholesterol in our body. I had got a packet of flaxseeds and put them to good use by making this chutney powder and I do have some plain flax seed powder as well, that can work as egg replacer in baking recipes. I made this chutney powder not very spicy and is perfect as a side dish for idli/dosa/chapati/khakra. Garlic and curry leaves add to the flavor of this chutney powder 🙂

To make Garlic Curry Leaves Flaxseed Idli Podi/Chutney Powder

Makes – 200gms of chutney powder

Time to Prepare – 25mins

What I used –

Flaxseeds, 100gms
Garlic Pods, 12
Dried Red Chillies, 6-7
Curry Leaves, ¾ cup (packed)
Urad Dal, 2 tbsp
Chana Dal, 2 tbsp
Salt, 1 teaspoon (adjust accordingly)

How I made –

In a thick bottomed kadai, dry roast each of the ingredients in the following order on low flame – Dried Red Chillies, Flaxseeds, Urad Dal, Chana Dal, Curry Leaves and Garlic Pods (along with the skin).
While roasting the ingredients, keep frying them continuously to let the heat spread evenly. Red Chillies should change in color slightly. Flaxseeds start to pop up and splutter. Urad dal and Chana Dal should turn golden brown. Curry Leaves (devoid of water) should wilt and get dried and garlic should give out good flavor. Ensure the heat is to the bare minimum while roasting curry leaves and garlic pods.
Spread the dry roasted ingredients on a large plate and let them completely cool.
In a mixer jar, add all the ingredients (including salt) except for garlic pods and blend until half done. Add garlic pods and blend until coarse/fine depending on your preferences. We prefer slightly coarse idli podi so I blended it coarse.
Spread the ground powder on a newspaper, check for salt and spiciness. Once cool, fill it into an air tight container. Stays good for about a month when a dry spoon is used and tightly closed.
Serve it plain or together with gingely oil/any vegetable oil as a side dish for idli/dosa/chapati/phulka/khakra.