Angaya Podi (Powder)

Do you suffer from indigestion, have a gastro problem or simply want to cleanse your stomach – look no further than this age old recipe which works miraculously!!
This may seem a very long recipe but once you obtain all the ingredients from the pantry, it takes less that 10 minutes to prepare the powder –

What prompted me to share and pen this recipe was because my son woke up in the wee hours one morning  with a tummy upset and could not even digest plain water…
The only ‘solid’ meal that I gave him that day and  DID NOT  upset his tummy was a tablespoon of hot rice, ghee and this miracle powder called Angaya Podi – A very traditional recipe and popularly consumed by women after child birth, it is a very nutritious powder!  Each of the ingredients play a very important role in adding nutritional and medicinal value!!

Ingredients

2-3 Dried Red Chillies
6-8 Tbs Toor Dal
2 Tsp Ginger Powder
¼ Cup Turkey Berry **(Dried Sundaikai)
6-8 Tbs Coriander Seeds
7-8 Small Sticks Long Pepper **(Kanda Thipili)
2 Tbs Ajwain (Omam)
¼ Cup **Dried Neem Flower
6-8 Tbs Cumin Seeds
4 Tbs Peppercorns
1  Tsp Asafoetida Powder

If you do not have the dried neem flower or the long pepper, this powder can still be prepared and bottled to obtain the goodness!!
The remaining ingredients are available in most Indian Grocery stores overseas!

**Available in most Indian Grocery stores overseas and ofcourse in India!

Angaya Podi

Preparation

Dry roast all the above ingredients in a wide large pan on a medium flame till the toor dal is roasted
Cool and grind into a fine powder
The Podi or Powder is ready to be used

Description of the Ingredients:

Red Chilli
Green chilli when ripens turns red and when dried in the sun we get the darker dried red chilli which is used in this recipe….
It is less hot and spicey and used for the flavour and colour as well as taste!

Toor dal
The toor Dal used in this recipe is lightly roasted and not cooked
It is a light yellow flat solid lentil, which is generally pressure cooked as it takes a longer time to cook. It is a popular ingredient to cook traditional south indian gravies.

Ginger Powder
Dried ginger powder is used in the preparation of this recipe
Ginger  is one of the earliest Oriental spices known in Europe. Fresh ginger is generally used for cooking purposes and Ginger is highly regarded as an appetiser and a digestive agent in addition to its taste and flavour.
Asofoetida (Hing)
This is called the ‘Devil’s Dung’ and it is the dried latex from the taproot. It is available in a mass or powdered form. It is used in cooking mainly for the flavour and taste. It is bitter in taste and is consumed by adding a pinch or two in cooking. The powdered form has been used in this recipe!

Turkey Berry (Sundakkai)

The Turkey Berry when green in colour is also used in the preparation of gravies.  In this recipe the dried ones are used.  It is high in calcium, iron, Vitamin A and is also said to do wonders for diabetics.
In olden days when too many sweets were consumed especially during festival days, the dried turkey berry fried in a couple of tablespoons of oil was had to negate the sweet!

Coriander seeds
Coriander is a native of the Mediterranean. It is a dried ripe fruit of an annual herb. Coriander is a fragrant spice valued for its medicinal used as well as a condiment. Coriander is a good source of iron, vitamin A and Vitamin C. It’s high medicinal quality helps to eliminate wind and increases appetite. Powdered Coriander seeds in one of the important ingredients in curry powders.

Long Pepper (Kanda Thipilli)
Long Pepper or Piper Longum as it is called is available in some Indian grocery stores in the South of India or in herbal medical shops.
It is stick like in appearance as pictured on the far left!  Hot Rasam is prepared with this wonder herb which helps in warding off fever and body aches

Ajwain (Omam)
The botanical name for Ajwain is Carum Ajowan. It has a distinctive and unique flavour and taste and is found in Indian grocery stores. It is called carom seeds or the Bishop’s weed. (hidden in the picture)

Neem Flower
The dried neem flower is used in this dish aids digestion and widely used by diabetics!!
The Neem tree is a native tree of India and is grown in many backyards.  The Neem tree is considered a “one stop” place for medicinal value  Each part of the neem tree, the fruit, the leaves, the flowers are used particularly for medicinal purposes.

Cumin seeds
Cumin seeds were popular even during Biblical times as an effective, digestive food flavour. This spice is very valuable in the blending of the Indian curry powder. Cumin seeds are used in the powdered form or are simply poured into clean drinking water to kill germs. It is of high medicinal value. Cumin seeds when mixed with jaggery or brown sugar and eaten increases the appetite.

Pepper
Pepper is called the ‘King of Spices’ and it is one of the oldest, best-known spices in the world. It is most exotic sought after spice. Pepper is rich in Carbohydrate, Calcium, Phosphorus and iron. Pepper is less harmful than the chilli. Crushed pepper is used around the world on salads and soups, which helps in digestion. It has a high medicinal value.

Note:  This powder can be stored in an air tight container for up to 3 months to retain the goodness and freshness!!
The description of the ingredients is as shown in the picture starts from the red chilli in an anti clock wise direction!