This spicy and hot gunpowder is going to spice up your boring meal! Sprinkle it over rice, stir fry / sauteed veggies or flavored rice dishes.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cook time: 20 minutes
  • Total time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 160 · 160 grams (⅔ cup)
  • Category: Side
  • Cuisine: Andhra

Ingredients

  • ½ cup (100 grams) toor dal ((split pigeon peas or use ¼ each toor & moong dal/ yellow skinned moong lentils))
  • ¼ cup (50 grams) chana dal ((Bengal gram or substitute with roasted chana dal/ fried gram))
  • 1 tablespoon (7 grams) cumin seeds
  • 10 (20 grams) dried red chilies ((I use byadgi, deseeded if required))
  • 4 medium (5 grams) garlic (cloves (peeled))
  • 1 to 2 sprig curry leaves ((optional, pat dry to remove moisture))
  • ¾ teaspoon sea salt ((adjust to taste, start with ½ tsp))

Method

How to make Spicy Gunpowder

  1. On a medium heat, dry roast red chilies in a heavy pan, until they begin to smell pungent and slightly crisp. Do not burn. Remove to a plate.
  2. Add toor dal and begin to roast on a medium heat until aromatic and evenly roasted to a golden brown color. It takes about 6 to 7 mins. Transfer to the plate, separate from the chilies. Repeat roasting chana dal and transfer to the plate.
  3. Dry roast curry leaves and garlic for 3 to 4 mins until the leaves turn crisp. Add cumin seeds and toast until aromatic. This should take a minute. Stir in the salt and let cool down completely.
  4. Grind the chilies, garlic, curry leaves, salt and cumin seeds to a fine powder. Add the lentils and grind to a fine powder, in intervals, scraping the sides as required. You won't get a super fine powder due to the lentils, a very little grainy texture is what is preferred here.
  5. Cool down completely and store the gunpowder in a air tight steel or glass jar. Serve it as a side in your South Indian meal. It can be mixed with hot rice and ghee and eaten at the start of the meal.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.