Anna Podi: That killer powder from Andhra

Anna Podi is an Andhra Chetty recipe. It is a powder that you mix with steamed rice and eat. My mother picked this recipe up from her Komiti Chetty friends in Chittoor.

Ingredients

• Peanuts: 2 cups
• Roasted Gram Dal (pottu kadalai): 2 cups
• Red chillies: about 15 (but depends on how spicy you want it to be.
• Tamarind: a small ball
• Salt: as desired (but go easy on it. A couple of spoons should work for the aforementioned quantities)
• Asafoetida (hing): a pinch

Preparation

1. Roast the peanuts and chillies (without oil, yes.)
2. Mix peanuts with the roasted gram dal (Note: No need to fry the dal. It’s already roasted yo!)
3. In a ladle, heat a spoonful of oil. Turn the stove off.
4. Add the small ball of Tamarind to the heated oil. (If you went “What the fffffuu….” I understand. But that’s how this one rolls yo)
5. Add the fried tamarind with oil to the peanuts, roasted gram dal and chillies.
6. Add the Asafoetida.
7. Add Salt.
8. Let it all cool.

• Grind it to a fine powder.

Tastes best when mixed with rice and a little ghee.

Bonus tip: I love to eat it with Rasam. Did you just ask how to make original Iyengar Rasam? Coming up shortly!