Idly podi / Molaga podi

Ingredients:

Channa Dal - 1 cup
Broken urad dal - 1 cup
Dry red chillies - 15 to 20 based on the spice level required
sesame/thil/ellu - 2 tsp
Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp
Oil - as necessary for roasting
Salt - to taste

Method:

Roast the thil/sesame seeds/ellu in a pan. (This alone is done without the oil). Take it and keep it aside.
Heat a little oil in the same pan, roast the dals till they become golden brown. If you do it one by one, evenness is maintained.Take them and keep aside.
Heat a little more oil and roast the chillies. When it is roasted, add asafoetida and take the pan off the stove.
Once all ingredients are cooled down, add salt and grind them together.
Store it in an air-tight container.

Eaten with Idli/Dosa after mixing it with some gingelly oil.

Thoothuvalai podi

Ingredients:

Thoothuvalai leaves (with veins and stems removed) - 1/2 cup
Broken urad dal - 2 tablespoon
peppercorn - 5
Dry red chilly - 2 or 3
Tamarind and salt to taste.

Method:

Roast urad dal, red chillies, and peppercorn in a  heated pan with little oil till the dal turns golden brown.
Roast the thoothuvalai leaves in low flame separately.
Grind the urad dal, red chillies and pepercorn. Add the thoothuvalai leaves, tamarind and salt to the mixture and grind it again.
Store it in an air tight container.

Thoothuvalai has medicinal properties and supposed to be good for cold and cough. You can eat this podi with hot rice and a little ghee.

Thengai podi

Ingredients:

Grated coconut - 2 cups
broken urad dal - 2 table spoon
Dry red chillies - 2
asafoetida - 1/2 tsp
salt and oil as necessary

Method:

Heat the pan. Pour a little oil and roast the urad dal, red chillies till the dal becomes brown. Keep the dal and chillies aside.
Roast the grated coconut in the same pan. When it is dried (you will know it from the sound), add salt and asafoetida to the coconut. Take the pan off the heat.

When all the ingredients cool down, grind them together and store it in an air-tight container. You can add more salt, if needed, when you grind the podi.

This can be eaten with roti, rice and dosa.