What makes them Telugu
Bolder chilli.
Telugu podis are made to stand up to hot rice and a generous pour of ghee.
ఇల్లు మారినా, ఆ రుచి వెంట వస్తుంది.
Home travels with you.
Six Telugu podis, each made for one simple job. Open a tin in Hyderabad, Gurgaon or New Jersey, and the table feels familiar.
The name
Parnasala sits on the banks of the Godavari, near Bhadrachalam. Local belief holds it's where Rama, Sita and Lakshmana made their home in exile, a home made far from home. We named our podis after it for everyone who has packed a tin for a new city.
What is podi?
పొడిpodipoh-dee
A dry, roasted blend of lentils, chilli and spices, eaten by the spoonful.If you've had "gunpowder" at a dosa place, you've already met one. In Tamil homes it might be paruppu podi or milagai podi.Every South Indian kitchen has its own version, these are the Telugu ones.
Why we make it this way
Podi's flavour comes from roasting.
SIXTY YEARS•TWO GENERATIONS•ONE TELUGU KITCHEN
The recipes haven't changed.
How hot is hot?
Our heat scale is Telugu-calibrated.
- 1 Karivepaku Gentle enough for anyone
- 2 Kandi Palli
- 3 Idli Kaaram KooraA proper Telugu table
- 4 Vellulli Kaaram Reserved for the brave
New to podi? Start with Karivepaku or Kandi.
ONE SPOON • MANY WAYS
One spoon is a starting point. Each podi below opens with its own move — meet them one at a time ↓
01 · Roasted Garlic Podi
Vellulli Kaaram·vel-lul-li kaa-ram
FIERY · Contains garlic
FOLD into soft butter or ghee. Spread on toast or a hot paratha.
Sweet at first, then the heat lands.
Roasting mellows garlic's sharp bite into sweetness, and chilli heat dissolves in fat, so butter carries it evenly into every bite.
02 · Lentil Podi
Kandi·kun-dee
WARM · You may know it as paruppu podi · Contains garlic
MIX into hot rice with ghee. It's also good stirred into dal or sprinkled on eggs.
Warm and nutty, never sharp.
Dry-roasting toor dal creates the deep, toasty flavours that make this the first podi most Telugu children eat.
03 · Idli Podi
Idli Kaaram·id-lee kaa-ram
HOT · The one dosa places call gunpowder · Garlic-free
SPRINKLE over hot idli or dosa with butter, ghee or gingelly oil.
Crisp enough to hear.
The crunch comes from roasted sesame and dal, so add it at the table to keep that texture.
04 · Curry Leaf Podi
Karivepaku·ka-ri-vay-paa-ku
GENTLE · You may know it as karuveppilai podi · Garlic-free
FINISH any dish off the heat, or mix it into rice with ghee.
You smell it before you taste it.
Curry leaf's fragrance is delicate and cooks away quickly, so add it at the end, while the aroma still has somewhere to go.
05 · Peanut Podi
Palli·pul-lee
WARM · Contains garlic
WHISK with yogurt and lime for a dip, or stir it into raita.
Nutty first, then a slow burn.
Roasted peanuts bring their own richness, turning plain yogurt thick and savoury in under a minute.
06 · Curry Finishing Podi
Koora·koo-ra
HOT · Garlic-free
COAT vegetables in oil and podi, then roast. Works on paneer and potatoes too.
Tastes like it cooked all afternoon.
High heat browns the vegetables and toasts the podi against them, so the coating becomes a crust instead of a sauce.
Find your podi
Which one starts at your table? Three quick questions, and we'll point you to the right tin.
01 / 03
Who's it for?
Pick one to continue
02 / 03
What do you eat most?
Pick one to see your podi
03 / 03
How much heat?
Pick one to see your podi
YOUR STARTING POINT
Vellulli Kaaram Podi
Roasted Garlic Podi
FOLD
Fold into soft butter.
Sweet at first, then the heat lands.
YOUR STARTING POINT
Kandi Podi
Lentil & Chilli Podi
MIX
Mix through while hot.
Warm and nutty, never sharp.
YOUR STARTING POINT
Idli Kaaram Podi
Sesame & Lentil Podi
SPRINKLE
Butter first. Sprinkle while hot.
Crisp enough to hear.
YOUR STARTING POINT
Karivepaku Podi
Curry Leaf Podi
FINISH
Finish hot, off the heat.
You smell it before you taste it.
YOUR STARTING POINT
Palli Podi
Peanut Podi
WHISK
Whisk with yogurt and lime.
Nutty first, then a slow burn.
YOUR STARTING POINT
Koora Podi
Curry / Vegetable Finishing Podi
COAT
Oil and podi. Coat, then roast.
Tastes like it cooked all afternoon.
The pantry
Start with one. Or bring home all six.
The Taster
All six in small tins, so you can find your favourite first.
₹599
6 × 50 g
Build Your Shelf
Pick any three, or repeat a favourite. The saving applies automatically.
The Signature Six
One of each, for ₹275 less than buying them separately.
Good to know
What's in it?
The full ingredient list is on every tin.
No added preservatives.Which ones have garlic?
Vellulli Kaaram, Kandi and Palli.
Idli Kaaram, Karivepaku and Koora have no garlic.
How should I store it?
Keep it airtight and use a dry spoon, since moisture dulls a podi fastest.
Why the Telugu names?
Because they're the names we grew up with. The English name and a pronunciation guide sit right beside each one.
Where can I buy it?
Here, with free shipping across India.