Mumbai nutritionist’s podi recipe adds a spicy twist to everyday meals. No fancy ingredients; only seeds and curry leaves

Eating the same old dal with steamed rice, or roti with bhindi every day can make mealtimes feel dull and uninspiring. At such times, we feel the urge to spice up our meals but cannot seem to find a way how. But not anymore, as Mumbai nutritionist Vanshika Khurana has given us the recipe we didn’t know we needed. In her latest Instagram entry, Vanshika shared the recipe for spicy podi, a South Indian dry spice-and-lentil powder, used as a flavourful seasoning.

According to Vanshika, the podi can be used in any meal, be it dosa or dal-chawal, which can turn these foods lip-smackingly delicious. She also claimed that the podi is rich in essential minerals like zinc, magnesium and calcium, providing your body with nourishment.

Podi recipe: Ingredients required

• 30g flax seeds
• 30g pumpkin seeds
• 30g white sesame seeds
• 45g white urad dal
• 45g chana dal
• 2 tbsp cumin seeds
• 5 to 6 black peppercorns
• 1 tbsp coriander seeds
• 2 cups fresh curry leaves
• ½ cup desiccated coconut
• 7 to 8 dried red chillies
• 7 to 8 garlic cloves
• ¼ cup tamarind
• Salt as per taste

Podi recipe: How to make

To prepare the podi, dry roast the flax, pumpkin and white sesame seeds separately in a pan before setting them aside. In the same pan, roast the cumin-coriander seeds, urad dal, chana dal, and black peppercorns for 4–5 minutes, until they turn slightly golden and start releasing a toasty aroma.


After that, add curry leaves, desiccated coconut, dried red chillies and garlic cloves to a pan and roast them together over a low flame. The mixture should be cooked until fragrant and the curry leaves turn completely dry and crisp. Next, add some tamarind and roast for another 1–2 minutes till the salt is mixed, before turning off the flame.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Vanshika Khurana (@fit.khurana)

Once all the ingredients are cooled, transfer to a mixer and grind into a fine powder. As per Vanshika, the podi can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 months or at room temperature for up to 3 weeks.