Add a zing to your meals with this healthy and delicious curry leaves podi. Bursting with complex flavors—nutty, earthy and spicy with a bright citrusy kick—it’s the perfect way to elevate any dish.

I wanted to share this podi recipe for a long time. It is a staple at my house. Curry leaves podi is a dry chutney powder made with fresh curry leaves, lentils and spices. This is a traditional condiment from Andhra cuisine.

It is eaten mixed together with hot steamed rice and ghee or served on the side with idli, dosa, upma. uttapam. pongal and appe. I often make Idli podi and Curry Leaves podi for my family.

More About Curry Leaves Powder

This curry leaves powder is delicious, healthy, and quick to make. If you have a batch handy, it can be an easy fix to your lunch or dinner cravings. Just mix it with cooked rice, drizzle some ghee, toss in roasted peanuts, and enjoy with curd and papad for a simple, satisfying meal.

You can make curry leaves powder by roasting on stove-top or dehydrating the leaves. Sun-drying keeps most nutrients intact but takes a couple of days. It’s also tough during the monsoon. In that case, use your oven. It’s quick, easy and works well for larger batches. It also doesn’t require any oil.

You can store dehydrated curry leaves in an airtight jar for upto 2 months. Alternatively, you can crush the leaves and make a powder without any spices and sprinkle it on dishes.

I have a huge curry leaves tree at home, so I’m always on the lookout for ways to use these nutritious leaves. Curry leaves are packed with health benefits— they help control hair fall, regulate cholesterol, fight bacteria, boost digestion, support weight loss, and are even great for eye health.

Did you know— 100 grams of curry leaves have 800 mg of calcium. This amount is way higher than what is found in cow’s milk making curry leaves a fabulous source of calcium.

If you have surplus of curry leaves, you can also try out this South Indian Curry Leaves Chutney recipe which is absolutely delicious.

Step by Step Instructions

For detailed recipe, jump to the recipe card!

1. Wash curry leaves sprigs thoroughly under running water. Shake off excess water from the sprigs and separate the leaves. Using a kitchen towel, wipe off the excess water from the leaves.

2. Put the leaves in a wok and dry roast them on medium flame till they become crisp. You have to keep stirring them to avoid leaves from burning. Alternatively, you can dehydrate the leaves in the oven or sun dry them. You can even leave spread the leaves on a large plate and dry them under a fan though this might take few hours. I prefer roasting them on stove top. Remove and keep aside on a large plate.

3. Wash and soak the lentils- channa dal and white split urad dal for 30 minutes in hot water.

4. Drain the water and pat dry with a kitchen towel. In a wok, add a tsp of oil and roast both the lentils till till they are golden brown. Set aside.

5. In the same wok, add coriander seeds, black peppercorns, dry red chilies, cumin seeds and seed mix. I used a mixture of flaxseeds, sesame seeds, pumpkin and sunflower seeds. You can choose the ones that are available. These seeds not only add nutrition but gives an irresistible nutty taste. Roast till they become fragrant, 3-4 minutes. Set aside.

6. Once everything cools, add the mixture to a spice grinder jar. To it add a tsp of salt and some asafoetida/hing.

7. Powder them all in a blender jar to form a coarse powder. Do not add water.

8. Store in an airtight glass container at room temperature, away from humidity. This will last you good 2-3 months.

Pro Tips

Always use mature fresh curry leaves for this recipe.

If you like, you can add a bit of tamarind too for some tangy flavour.

You can also add 2-3 pods of roasted garlic. Roast garlic along with lentils. I personally like it without the garlic.

Make sure moisture from curry leaves is drained well or they won’t roast evenly.

This is a kid-friendly recipe so I haven’t used too many red chilies. You can add chilies as per your spice level.

Print Pin