Paruppu podi

This one takes me back to 1995, at the airport, leaving for the US for the first time. My mom, worried I barely knew how to cook a proper Tamil meal, borrowed a sheet of paper and made me quickly jot down basic recipes - rasam, sambar, kootu and podis.

I still have those two scribbled sheets. They saved me in those early days, and I've never had the heart to rewrite them.

This Paruppu Podi was one of them. Simple, satisfying and for me, still the most essential podi in any Tamil kitchen. When there were no vegetables, hot rice with Paruppu Podi and crispy vadam was a perfect meal. I still make it exactly the same way.

Paruppu Podi (Lentil Powder Recipe)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup toor dal

• 1 tsp. Pepper corns

• 1 red chilly

• ½ tsp. Salt

Method:

Dry-roast the toor dhal, pepper, and chilli in a pan without adding any oil.

Once they are well roasted and become fragrant, allow to cool, then grind them together with salt into a fine powder.

Enjoy with hot rice, a tsp of ghee or sesame oil.

Make a small batch and keep it handy in your pantry. Hot rice, a spoon of ghee and this paruppu podi — simple comfort food that never fails. If you try it, leave a comment below, I’d love to hear how you liked it.