South Indian Karam Podi: Easy Recipe To Make The Spice Powder

By Garima Johar

December 27, 2025

Karam podi, or idli podi, is a spicy South Indian condiment that is usually paired with idlis and dosas to give a fiery kick. Know what ingredients are going in your podi by making it from scratch in your kitchen.

Ingredients

1 cup urad dal 1/4 cup dried red chillies 2 tablespoons coriander seeds 1 tablespoon cumin seeds 1 tablespoon curry leaves 1 teaspoon hing Salt to taste 2 tablespoons oil

Step 1

Heat some oil and dry roast the urad dal. Add dried chillies and roast till fragrant.

Step 2

In a separate pan, dry roast coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and curry leaves.

Step 3

Once cool, grind all the ingredients till you get a coarse powder.

Step 4

Add salt and hing. Mix well and store the karam podi in an airtight container.