Vellulli Karam podi (Spicy Garlic & Red Chilly Powder)

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Vellulli Karam podi is a spicy powder mix similar to podi from the Telangana Cuisine. Basically a spice mix or powder made from Garlic, Red Chilli and salt. The mix is very easy to make and is very versatile. One can use it as a spice mix in different curries or rice. Mixed along with ghee or oil, it can be enjoyed along with Idli or Dosa.

I also love to make this Kollu Podi or Horse gram Masala Powder, which is a flavourful and a healthy blend of spices along with some Horse gram lentils.

Meaning of Vellulli and Karam

Vellulli means garlic and Karam means spicy. Podi is a coarse spice powder, with a mixture of ground spices that typically contains dried chilis, urad dal, Toor Dal, salt and sesame seeds.

Versions of Vellulli Karam Podi and ways to eat it

There are different versions available to this by adding different types of lentils like urad dal, Toor dal, coriander seeds etc, but the basic version have the 3 common ingredients garlic, Red chilli and salt. Apart from Idli’s I am using this podi as a spice mix to my lemon rice, as well as curries. One can even enjoy this with a dollop of ghee mixed in some steamed white rice. The possibilities are endless. 

Why Vellulli Karam Podi ?

This month our Shhhhh Cooking Secretly Challenge group virtually travelled to the state of Telangana. My partner for this month was Kalyani Sri from Sizzling Tastebuds and we both shared the same set of secret ingredients as cumin and chillies. Kalyani has a wonderful collection of recipes from all over the world. Though I have to try her Thatte Idli soon.

She made this delicious Andhra Tomato Pappu and I made this Vellulli Karam podi. There was an array of options to choose using the secret ingredients. I wanted to make the Gutti Vankaya Kurra (Stuffed Brinjal Curry) but I decided to make this Vellulli Karam Podi.

A little about Telangana

Telangana is a state in India situated on the centre-south stretch of the Indian peninsula and is the eleventh largest state. It was separated from the northwestern part of Andhra Pradesh in 2014.  (Source Wiki)

Telanagana Cuisine

Rice is the major food crop and staple food of the state. Its topography dictates more millet and roti based dishes. Jowar and Bajra features prominently in their cuisine. Few of the rotis made using millets and rice are Jonna rotte (Sorghum) , Sajja Rotte, Sarva Pindi, uppudi Pindi (broken rice).

Telangana cooking predominantly fetures tamarind, Red chillies and Asafoetida. Tomatoes, brinjal, bitter gourd, pulses are more commonly used. Goat and lamb are preferred in meat based dishes over Chicken.

Today’s Recipe of Vellulli Karam podi

So coming to today’s recipe I have used a mix of different recipes I saw on the net. I added a mix of coriander seeds, cumin seeds, black pepper and urad dal. If you prefer more or less garlic add more or less, and the same is true for Red chillies.

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So here goes the recipe for Vellulli Karam podi

Ingredients

• 8-10 Garlic Cloves
• 8-10 Dried Red Chillies
• 1 Teaspoon Cumin Seeds
• 2 Teaspoon Coriander Seeds
• 2 Teaspoon Urad Dal (Black Gram)
• 1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper
• 1 Teaspoon Salt

Preparation

• Dry roast all the ingredients except garlic and salt one by one in the pan.
• Let it cool down completely.
• Once cooled, add all the ingredients in a grinder jar.
• Add salt and garlic and grind it to a fine powder.

Notes

• 1 teaspoon = 5 ml, 1 tablespoon=15 ml, 1 Cup=235 ml
• One can adjust garlic and red chilli as preferred.

Few More Regional recipes

• Baked Shana Jhieg | Meghalaya Starter/ Snack
• Sana Thongba | Manipuri Paneer curry (No onion, No Garlic)
• Chakki ki Sabji |Ate ki Sabji (Tangy and Spicy Gravy with whole wheat flour dumplings)
• Idli Podi
• Akki Roti
• Kashmiri Dum Aloo (No Onion, No Garlic)
• Authentic Pakodi/Pakoda Kadhi
• Mizoram’s Panch Phoran Tarkari
• No Oil Tomato Chutney from Nagaland
• Odia’s Sapuri khatta | Pineapple Sweet & Sour Chutney
• Dal Makhani | Indian Style Creamy Black Lentils
• Moong Dal Pakoda (Fritters)
• Thukpa | Vegetable Noodle Soup
• Kongu Thakkali Kuzhambu | Coimbatore Style Vegan Tomato Curry

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