Gojju Podi| Gojjina Pudi

‘Gojju‘ (aka ‘gotsu‘) is an integral part of South Indian cuisine, especially in Tamilnadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. I would describe it as a sort of relish, an intensely flavourful gravy that makes for a great side dish to rotis, dosa, pongal, idlis, upma and the likes. Do check out the recipes for a unique Strawberry Gojju and a rustic Sutta Kathrikkai Gojju made with fire-roasted eggplant.

The Tamilnadu gojju varieties (at least the ones that we make at home) are simple, often flavoured with sambar or rasam powder. In Karnataka, however, gojju is more full-bodied and elaborate, requiring the use of a special spice mix. This spice mix (called ‘gojju podi‘ or ‘gojjina pudi‘) is exactly what we are going to talk about in today’s post. I am going to share our family recipe for Karnataka-style Gojjina Pudi today, courtesy of my aunt. In another blog post, soon, I will tell you how to go about using this spice mix to make gojju.

Karnataka-style Gojjina Pudi

A closer look at Gojjina Pudi

Gojjina Pudi is made using ingredients like dry red chillies, dry coconut, black pepper, fenugreek seeds and coriander seeds. It is a handy thing to have around the kitchen – it can be used to make delicious gojju any time, any day. Vegetables like okra, capsicum, tomatoes, onions and bitter gourd can be used in a gojju, as can fruits like grapes, pineapple and mangoes.

The Gojjina Pudi adds a flavour punch to gojju, while also lending it body. The coarsely ground pudi adds texture to the gojju, too.

This pudi can also be used to make Gojju Avalakki, the recipe for which I had shared some time ago.

The Shhh Cooking Secretly Challenge

I am sharing this recipe in association with the Shhh Cooking Secretly Challenge.

The Shhh Cooking Secretly Challenge is run by a group of passionate food bloggers, who share recipes based on a pre-determined theme every month. The group members are divided into pairs, and each pair exchanges two ingredients secretly, unknown to the rest of the group. These two ingredients are then used by each pair to create a recipe that fits into the theme of the month. The rest of the group members try to guess the secret ingredients that have gone into each dish – it’s a super fun game! 🙂

For the month of April 2022, Jayashree of Evergreen Dishes suggested the theme ‘spice mixes’. She prepared this fragrant and flavourful Pav Bhaji Masala for the theme.

I was partnered with Preeti of Cakes And Curries for the month. She suggested I make a spice mix using the ingredients ‘sesame seeds’ and ‘asafoetida’, and I decided to share this Gojjina Pudi recipe. Preeti made this beautiful Puliodharai Podi using the two secret ingredients I suggested – ‘pepper’ and ‘turmeric’.

Gojju Podi| Gojjina Pudi recipe

Here’s how to make the pudi.

Ingredients (yields about 1-1/4 cup):

1. 1/2 cup chana dal

2. 1/4 cup urad dal

3. 3/4 cup coriander seeds

4. 12-14 Bydagi dry red chillies

5. 12-14 Salem Gundu dry red chillies

6. 1 teaspoon black pepper

7. 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds

8. 1-1/2 tablespoons cumin seeds

9. 2 tablespoons sesame seeds

10. 1/2 cup dry grated coconut

11. 1 teaspoon turmeric powder

12. 1 teaspoon asafoetida powder

Method:

Top left and right: Steps 1 and 2, Below top right: Step 3, Bottom right and left: Step 4

1. Heat a heavy-bottomed pan on high flame. Add in the chana dal and reduce the flame down to medium. Dry roast the dal for a minute.

2. Add in the urad dal. Continue to dry roast on medium flame for 2 minutes.

3. Add in the Bydagi and Salem Gundu dry red chillies. Roast on medium flame for a minute more. By this time, the lentils would have started turning brown – take care to ensure that they do not burn.

4. Add in the coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, black pepper and cumin seeds. Roast on medium flame for 3-4 minutes or till the lentils brown nicely and the dry chillies crisp up. Again, ensure that the ingredients do not burn.

Top left and right: Steps 5 and 6, Below top right and bottom right: Step 7, Bottom left: The Gojjina Pudi, ready to be bottled

5. At this stage, reduce the heat a bit more and add in the sesame seeds. Allow them to sputter.

6. Now, add in the dry grated coconut. Continue to keep the heat at low-medium. Roast for about a minute or till the coconut turns slightly brown. At this stage, transfer all the roasted ingredients to a plate and allow them to cool down completely.

7. When all the roasted ingredients have fully cooled down, transfer them to a mixer jar. Add in the asafoetida and turmeric powder. Grind together to a coarse powder. Your Gojju Podi is ready. Allow it to cool down fully, then transfer to a clean, dry, air-tight bottle. Store at room temperature and use as needed.

Tips & Tricks

1. I have used a mix of the less spicy Bydagi and the hotter Salem Gundu dry red chillies. You can use any variety that you prefer. Adjust the quantity as per personal taste preferences.

2. Use dry grated coconut that is fresh and free of odour. I use the one by Right Recipe, which is available at MK Retail.

3. Using dry coconut (as opposed to fresh grated coconut) increases the shelf life of the Gojjina Pudi.

4. Make sure the ingredients do not burn while dry-roasting them.

5. This Gojjina Pudi stays well for at least a month when stored in a dry, air-tight bottle at room temperature. Refrigeration further increases its shelf life.

Did you like this recipe? Do tell me in your comments!

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