Paruppu Podi

This is the gentlest podi we make, and usually the first solid food a Tamil child is given with rice.

Toor and gram dal roasted till golden, ground with cumin, pepper and just enough chilli to register — mild enough that it doesn’t overwhelm, savoury enough that plain rice becomes a meal. There’s no tamarind and no sourness here; it’s all nuttiness and warmth.

The way to eat it is settled and not up for debate: hot rice, a generous spoon of paruppu podi, a knob of ghee, and an appalam on the side. Mix it with your hand while the rice is still steaming so the ghee melts through.

Good for lunchboxes, for sick days, and for anyone who finds the other podis too sharp.

How to use: Mix 1–2 tsp into hot rice with ghee. Serve with appalam. Ingredients (verify): Toor dal, gram dal, cumin, black pepper, dried red chilli, salt, asafoetida. Shelf life: 6 months from packing.