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MILAGAI PODI (GUNPOWDER MASALA)



    Gunpowder (podi), as the name suggests is a fiery dry powder which is basically a blend of spices and lentils. It’s a popular southern Indian food condiment typically served as side dish with idli as a dipping condiment along with ghee or sesame oil.


    This Milagai podi is a traditional recipe especially from the state of Tamilnadu. Each state of south India has their own variations of podi recipe. Podi is used as a substitute for the traditional chutneys served for breakfast with idli, dosa, appam or even uttapam.


    Every household in the south of India has their own podi recipe, but I’m sharing the one which I learnt from a friend from Tamilnadu. This particular recipe which I'm sharing is a traditional one, but sometimes I make different variations by adding flax seeds or peanuts.


    To see one of the ways I use the Gunpowder masala in a dish, click here!

    YIELDS: 200g approx.

    PREP TIME: 5 minutes

    COOKING TIME: 12 minutes

    KEEP TIME: 1 month



    INGREDIENTS

    • 1/2 cup urad dal

    • 1/4cup chana dal

    • 10-12 dried red chillies

    • 3 stalks curry leaves

    • 1/2 tsp asafoetida (hing)

    • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder

    • 1 1/2 tbsp sesame seeds

    • 3 tsp oil (vegetable oil, sesame oil or coconut oil)

    • 1/2 tsp salt or to taste



    METHOD

    1. In a pan, dry roast the sesame seeds on medium low heat until lightly golden. Put it aside.

    2. In the same pan, warm 1 tsp of oil, add chillies and curry leaves, roast them on medium low heat for about 3 minutes, until the curry leaves are crispy. Put them aside to cool.

    3. In the same pan again, add rest of the oil, warm up slightly and add chana dal and urad dal, toast them for 3 minutes on medium low heat.

    4. Now add asafoetida, turmeric and salt and roast them for 3 more minutes on medium low heat until its toasted and turns golden brown.

    5. Transfer all the prepared ingredients in a blender and blitz to a coarse powder.



    COOK'S NOTES:

    • If you don't like too much heat in the podi powder, substitute the normal red chilies with Kashmiri red chillies which are mild in taste.

    • You can make days in advance and preserve it in an airtight jar for up to a month.

    • It’s bit dry on the throat on its own so it must be eaten with ghee (clarified butter) or sesame oil.

    • Serve these with steamed idlis, uttapam or appams. I even sprinkle on my toast with cottage cheese and avocado, it tastes delightfully delicious! Or learn the recipe of my Cocktail Idli Skewers that I made with this Podi by clicking here!


    SHAKSHUKA



      Living in Middle East for more than a decade, you tend to adapt the eating habits of the prevailing local community. Shakshuka has become one of the favorite weekend breakfast for my family.


      Shakshuka is an easy to make one pot dish which loosely translates to ‘all- mixed up’ in Arabic. It’s a delicious dish that is full of flavour and is originated in North African countries like Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria but traveled to Middle Eastern countries and is adapted by them too. It has all different variations to make this dish. I’m sharing my version with you and I like serving it with pita bread which is perfect for sopping up those oozing egg yolks with delicious peppery tomato sauce and crumbled feta. Crusty bread goes really well with that too.

      SERVES: 4 people

      PREP TIME: 15 minutes

      COOKING TIME: 14 minutes

      TOTAL TIME: 29 minutes



      INGREDIENTS

      • 2 x 400g canned tomatoes, chopped

      • 1 onion, chopped

      • 3 cloves garlic, chopped

      • 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and diced

      • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

      • 1/2 tsp paprika

      • 1 tsp cumin powder

      • 1/4 tsp freshly ground black or mixed pepper

      • 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

      • 1 tsp Himalayan pink salt

      • 2 tsp sugar (optional)

      • 4 eggs

      For Garnishing:

      • 100g crumbled feta

      • 2 tbsp chopped parsley



      METHOD

      1. In a large pan, heat oil on medium low fire.

      2. Add onions, sauté for 1 minute and add garlic, cook for another minute and add chopped bell peppers, stir to cook for 2 minutes.

      3. Add paprika, cayenne pepper, cumin powder and salt, stir to roast the spices for a minute.

      4. Add tomatoes, stir to combine well, increase the flame and cook on medium high heat. Keep stirring in between for about 7-8 minutes until the tomatoes are cooked and water from the tomatoes is evaporated but they are still moist.

      5. Add sugar and mix. Taste, season more if required.

      6. Reduce the flame to low heat, make 4 cavities in the tomatoes, crack one egg in each cavity, cover the pan with a lid, let the egg whites cook while the yolks are still soft and runny for about 3-4 minutes. Remove from fire and uncover.

      7. Garnish with crumbled feta and parsley. Sprinkle freshly ground pepper and salt on eggs. Serve immediately with pita bread or sourdough bread.



      COOK'S NOTES:

      • I used Himalayan salt as it contains more minerals like potassium, magnesium and calcium than a normal table salt. You can use normal salt by all means if you cannot get hold of the pink salt.

      • I like my yolks runny and soft in the center, but if you like your eggs hard, leave for another 3-4 minutes on fire to cook well done.

      • You can also add sliced jalapeño peppers and sliced avocado on top to garnish and serve with bread of your choice.

      • I like adding sugar as it balances the tartness of tomatoes. You can omit if you don’t want.



      ZA'ATAR SPINACH PUFFS



        I tried this recipe sometime ago with ingredients on hand as I was craving to eat something salty and baked. These puffs are super delicious and so easy to make that you just can’t go wrong even if you are a beginner in baking. I just love these puffs so much that I always keep a batch ready in my freezer, all you need to do is just take them out from freezer, brush with some egg wash and bake it. It’s a great starter or an appetizer to serve during tea, as an evening snack or during Ramadan iftar. You can also serve it as a late weekend breakfast too.


        I made these with feta cheese but I also sometimes make it with ricotta cheese instead and then I omit adding egg in the filling as ricotta cheese is wet enough to keep the filling moist. And if you are using ricotta cheese then do add seasoning to it as feta cheese and za’atar are already salty enough and you don’t need any extra seasoning in the filling.

        YIELDS: 8-12 pieces

        PREP TIME: 10-15 minutes

        COOKING TIME: 20 minutes

        TOTAL TIME: 30-35 minutes



        INGREDIENTS

        • 200g/12 frozen spinach briquettes

        • 3 tbsp za’atar mix

        • 200g feta cheese, creamy and crumbled

        • 1 egg, lightly beaten

        • 1 tbsp milk

        • 12 frozen puff pastry squares, 4”x 4”



        METHOD

        1. Defrost and thaw spinach briquettes, put them in a strainer and squeeze out all excess water pressing down with the back of a spoon. Remove spinach in a bowl.

        2. Add, za’atar mix, feta cheese and half egg to the spinach, mix well; add milk to rest of the half egg to brush later.

        3. Thaw pastry squares but make sure they are still cold and not loose and saggy.

        4. Divide spinach mixture in 15 equal portions, place one on each pastry square; brush pastry squares with egg milk mixture about 1cm on each side; bring all 4 corners of pastry to the center and join all 4 open sides by pinching them gently with fingers to secure filling.

        5. Place the puffs on baking tray lined with parchment paper, brush the top with remaining egg milk mixture; bake in preheated oven at 210°C for 18 to 20 minutes.

        6. Serve it with sweet chilli sauce or any sauce of your choice.


        COOK'S NOTES:

        • You can also use ricotta cheese instead and you can prepare them days ahead and freeze it. If you are vegetarian or allergic to eggs, replace it with little cream in the filling and whole milk to brush the pastry.


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