Method:

Heat a heavy bottomed pan and add the pigeon peas. Fry pigeon peas stirring on low flame. Roast pigeon peas till they release a nice aroma. For even browning roast the seeds stirring on low flame. It takes 5 minutes to roast the peas. Transfer the roasted peas into a plate and spread them to cool.

Heat the pan and add cumin seeds and red chili pieces. Fry the ingredients till they are crisp. Transfer the cumin-chili mixture to a plate and cool.

To a mixie jar add the roasted pigeon peas and roasted cumin-chili mixture.  Grind the ingredients to a powder and add salt. Once again grind—this time to a fine texture. This fine powder is KANDI PODI. Store this Kandi Podi in an airtight jar.

Serving:

Serve kandi podi with hot rice and ghee. When our home runs out of vegetables, these type of powders and chutneys can be made and served.

Take a spoonful of kandi podi in a plate and make a well in the centre. Add some ghee in the well and serve with idlis and dosas.

After spreading the dosa batter, apply oil and sprinkle some kandi podi all over the dosa. Spread with a flat ladle so that the powder sticks to the spread batter. fry the dosa till crisp and serve. dosa made this way gives a special flavor.

Spread some hot upma in a plate and sprinkle some kandi podi all over. Serve this upma and enjoy the flavor.

Points To Observe:

Fry the pigeon peas till you get a nice aroma—it will take five minutes when stir fried on low flame. Keep stirring the pigeon peas to roast evenly. Similarly fry the cumin seeds till they are crisp so that when ground they release a nice aroma.

Remove the contents from the pan once they are roasted. Don't leave them in the hot pan as it would burn the ingredients.

Add red chilies according to taste. However adding just few red chilies maintains the nice flavor

Serve the powder with hot rice and ghee. Ghee enhances the taste of the powder when mixed with hot rice.