Prateek Tanmay
4 min readNew DelhiJul 17, 2026 05:56 PM IST
Dried neem flowers, dried red chilis, black lentils, split chickpeas, pigeon peas, black peppercorns, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, sesame seeds, tamarind, asafoetida, curry leaves, salt. This is not the combination for a very spiced-up version of bouquet garni. It’s the making of Gunpowder! Veppampoo Paruppu Podi to be specific.
This week’s article isn’t about the history of food – it’s all about taste. And one of my favourite ingredients. Gunpowder Masala. The wonder mix that South India has given to us.
When you order dosa – especially a Mysore Masala Dosa or a Masala Dosa- or cocktail idlis (the new cool appetiser on the menus of even luxury hotels), you’ll have noticed a spicy, reddish masala that either coats the inside of the dosa or the idlis. In traditional restaurants, be it Tamilian, Malayali, or Andhra, you will notice a bowl of oil or ghee, and a bowl of reddish powder served at the table. The powder is spicy, tangy, and as umami as it gets. This is Gunpowder Masala. Or “Milagai Podi”. In Tamil, milagai means “chili” and podi means “powder”. To be fair, Gunpowder isn’t ever spicy, but it does add a certain heat when added thanks to its mix of masalas.
The most basic Gunpowder is a dry powder (often referred to as a dry chutney) which is made by toasting and grinding spices along with dried red chilies, coconut, sesame, and fresh curry leaves. It is supposed to have a kick to it, be nutty and slightly fiery. All my friends from across South India have jars of homemade Gunpowder in their kitchen.
I also have a Karnataka-style Puliyogare Powder in my pantry. It has red chili, bydagi chilis, sesame seeds, cumin, coriander, black pepper, fenugreek, tamarind, turmeric powder, peanuts, dried coconut, jaggery, mustard seeds, chickpea dal, urad dal, curry leaves, and salt. This is a different take on Gunpowder and can be consumed in a different manner – you heat oil in a pan, add the powder, add cooked rice, and mix. Like a hot rice!
Gunpowder has its roots in South India, specifically in Tamil Nadu’s culinary repertoire (Photo: AI Generated)
South Indian roots
Gunpowder has its roots in South India, specifically in Tamil Nadu’s culinary repertoire. Traditionally, the blend was used as a condiment. It was prepared by crushing the roasted spices in a traditional stone grinder known as “ammikal”, which gives the gunpowder a grainier texture and brings out the essential oils of these roasted spices in a totally different manner than an electric mixer-grinder would.
There are certain spices or ingredients which you will find in every gunpowder mix.
Story continues below this ad
The umami punch
Urad dal or split black gram – which provides a nutty flavour and a graininess to the texture of the powder. Dried red chilies – this is what adds the heat and a reddish colour. The choice of dried red chili variety will influence how spicy the gunpowder is. Salt – always, because gunpowder never requires you to season the powder while using it. Cumin seeds add a very earthy fragrance and a slightly nutty flavour too. A pinch of asafetida or Hing is present across gunpowder mixes. This adds an umami punch and a much-needed pungency.
The variations of Gunpowder are usually a sign of which region they are from. Shredded coconut is usually added in the coastal regions. Sesame seeds, which add a distinctive nutty flavour, are also often included.
I would recommend ordering some Gunpowder masala from any store you can find which stocks it. Keep a jar of it in the fridge. If you’re not a fan of dosa or idli, fret not. What you need to do is take a spoonful of vegetable oil – I prefer ghee – add some powder to it, and make a slightly runny chutney. Then eat this Gunpowder and ghee mixture, with either parathas or even mixed into plain steamed rice. You can thank me later.
Next week, I’ll writ on how across India, we’ve been practitioners of the waste not-want culinary movement, way before it became cool and all the vegetable peels you should be cooking with.
