Grandma's Milagai Podi

This is yet another spice powder I'd been wanting to record. I realize there are two versions of several spice blends and dishes in this space - one from my mother's family and the other from my in-law's. My paternal side of the family has its own unique Andhra+Tamil version of everything, so I need to make it a personal project to get some precious recipes from my aunts. All these versions are equally important to me, because they come with their own stories, personal connections, and interesting variations. As the years go by, maybe one day I will make a fourth version by combining the three versions and confusing everyone :)

Anyway, since dosai is one of my absolute favorite foods, I have wonderful memories of gorging on crispy dosais and freshly made milagai podi at my grandma's place. My grandma used to add jaggery to milagai podi. And for us spice-sensitive people, she used to add a dash more of jaggery. So milagai podi with spice and sweetness intermingling in my taste buds as I chomp on idlis or doasis takes me back to summer vacations, grandma's cooking, and fun with cousins.

Please refer to the Glossary if you'd like more information on the Indian ingredients listed here

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup worth of dry red chillies (about 25-27 chillies; the number of chillies depends on how spicy and hot the chillies are)
2. 1.75 cups bengal gram / kadala paruppu / channa dal
3. 1.75 cups split urad dal / split black gram / ulutham paruppu (skinned)
4. 4 tablespoons black sesame seeds
5. 3/4 teaspoon hing / asafoetida
6. 2 tablespoons coconut oil
7. 3-4 tablespoons of grated jaggery (depending on how spicy the chillies are)
8. 3.5 teaspoons of salt, or as needed

Please Note:  Usually, for 1 cup of red chillies, 1 cup of bengal gram, 1 cup of black gram, 2 tablespoons of sesame seeds and 1/2 teaspoon of hing are used. The red chillies we bought recently were unusually spicy. So, my mom added extra gram and sesame seeds to offset the spiciness.

Preparation:

1. Heat a pan on medium heat. When hot, dry roast the sesame seeds until they begin to pop. Remove from heat. 
2. Add a tablespoon of coconut oil to the same pan. When the oil melts, add bengal gram and  roast until the gram changes color to a nice reddish brown (be careful to not burn). Continuously stir while roasting. Remove from heat and keep separately (do not mix with the sesame seeds)
3. In the heat of the pan, add black gram and roast until the gram turns red. Remove from heat and add with the roasted bengal gram.
4. Add another tablespoon of coconut oil to the pan. Roast the red chillies and hing for a couple of minutes. Do not let the chillies blacken. Remove from heat.
5. First, grind the red chillies, hing, and salt to a powder. Then, add the roasted grams (bengal and black) and grind to a slightly coarse powder (a little crunch adds to the texture and taste). Finally, add the sesame seeds and pulse just a couple of times until coarsely broken down. Do not over grind sesame seeds as they will start to release oil. (If necessary, add the grams in smaller batches to avoid over grinding)
6. Finally, taste and adjust the quantity of salt. Mix with grated jaggery and let the powder completely cool. When cool, store in a dry air tight jar.

Milagai podis store well even for a year (or more) if kept in a dry place.

Milagai podi is mixed with sesame oil and is had a side dish with idlis, dosas, oothapams etc.