Mint Podi / Pudhina Podi !

Refreshing, zingy and delightful, a dash of mint can set almost anything right. Mint is one of the oldest culinary herbs known to mankind. Its remarkable medicinal properties have made it one of the most commonly known and used herbs ever. Indians, especially are no stranger when it comes to mint.

There are numerous options to use mint. Mint Rice, raitha, chutney, thogayal, salad, vegetable pulao, tea (excellent digestive drink), buttermilk, and last but not the least, dry podi. A huge fan of mint, and being in a country where mint is similar to a jewel, you have to grow on your own to enjoy it whenever you crave for. I am a beginner in gardening and i seriously did not have any knowledge in it before growing it. So i thought i should start with a few "easy to grow" plants. I did some research online and listed down few plants which needs less maintenance. Everywhere, mint topped the list under the easy to grow and less maintenance plants. So, my joy knew no bounds. Because, a favorite herb which i can eat even almost everyday and takes very little effort to grow it on your own. I decided to start my gardening with "MINT". I bought a tiny plant for 3 dollars during the start of summer and planted it in my backyard. Mint is a weed, it spreads easily. Trust me, the whole summer , i used a lot of mint, made variety of dishes using it without buying it from shop even for a single time. Another amazing advantage is that, you can leave the plant without the leaves (the thick stalks) in the same place during the winter. It comes back again during summer. A perennial herb, which has so many types (sweet, pepper, cinnamon, lemon, apple, orange etc..) and amazing health benefits, from boosting digestion to keeping your breath fresh for long, mint is packed with a number of benefits and is a must plant in every garden. (Regular one is the sweet mint.)

Here are a few benefits from a doctor's blog :

1. Aids Digestion

2. Treats Asthma

3. Treats Common Cold

4. Cures Headache

5. Oral Care

6. Aids Weight Loss

7. Improves Brain Power

8. Skin Care

9.  Help ease symptoms Of Morning sickness or Nausea during pregnancy

10. Beats stress and depression

So, the season is going to end and I had to harvest all the mint leaves to prevent it from drying. I thought of making a staple which lasts at-least for a couple of months. Then, i got reminded of eating a delicious podi, a year back in my friend's place, here in Tulsa. She is our dear friend, her name is Brinda (Aunty). An excellent cook, who has so much passion in cooking. I called her immediately to get the recipe. She gave me the ingredients, measurements and the procedure. Thank you aunty for the recipe.

Preparation Time : 5 minutes + a day for drying the mint leaves

Cooking Time : 15 minutes

Ingredients : 

Mint leaves - 2 to 3 cups

Whole Urad dal - 1 cup

Channa dal - 1/2 cup

Whole black pepper - 1 tbsp

Tamarind - lemon sized ball

Hing - 1/4 tsp

Salt - as per taste 

Dry red chili - 7 to 8 long chilies (low to medium spice, increase or decrease accordingly)

Oil - 2 tsp 

Method :

Wash and dry the mint leaves. Mint will have sand. I washed it 4 to 5 times by soaking for 5 minutes each time until the sand gets deposited at the bottom. Repeat this process until the mint is completely sand free and is safe to consume. 

washed mint leaves!

Put it in a dry towel and allow it to completely dry. It might take 24 hours or at-least an overnight.

You can even sun dry it. That should take just half a day. I did not do it.

drying in a towel and close it with another towel , leave it for a day!

Now, start dry roasting the ingredients.

 

Ingredients before roasting!

Dry roast urad dal, channa dal , pepper, dried mint leaves separately and keep aside to cool.

Black pepper will crackle. Once it starts crackling, remove it from pan. Otherwise it will alter the taste.

In the same pan, add a tsp of oil and roast dry red chilies. Remove it and keep aside in the same bowl.

Again, add a tsp of oil, add hing and tamarind. roast it for a couple of minutes. Add salt to the hot pan. Keep it aside in the same bowl.

Roasted ingredients!

Allow the ingredients to cool down completely.  

Blend it to a fine powder. I prefer a finely ground powder rather than coarse one for this podi.

Store it in an air tight container. The shelf life is similar to idli podi and other dry podi's.

This podi is similar to paruppu podi. You can mix a tbsp of it with hot rice and ghee. Mint podi rice along with a fried curry or papad ! Awww.. Yumm :) 

You can use it like idli podi too, pairing it up with dosa, idli etc..

Enjoy !!