What you need
Grated coconut (fresh or frozen) - 3/4 cup
Urad dal - 1/2 cup
Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
Salt – to taste
Red chillies - 6-8
Oil – a little
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Cooking Instructions
Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds.
Add urad dal, red chillies and asafoetida. Fry till golden brown.
Set aside.
In the same pan, add coconut and fry till it loses moisture and
turns golden brown. Let cool.
Grind all the ingredients (including salt) to a coarse powder.
Store in an air- tight container.
Mix two-three tbsp of this powder with a serving of cooked rice
and a tsp of ghee.
Serve hot with chips or papad.
Mahimaa Ramkumar: Thengai Podi (coconut powder), which comes in handy on busy days, is traditionally prepared by roasting spices and coconut to a golden brown and grinding them coarsely. I learnt this from my grandmother.
( Mahimaa Ramkumar lives abroad and is passionate about cooking and food photography. She is an avid food blogger)
