Vellulli karam (garlic karam podi)

About this podi

Vellulli karam is the most direct podi we make: garlic and red chilli lead, and everything else stays in the background. It's a coarse red powder that smells of garlic the moment the pack opens. It's 3 of 3 on our chilli scale and meant to be used by the pinch, not the spoon. In many Telugu homes a small bowl of vellulli karam on the table is how a plain meal gets rescued: a little on hot rice, a little ghee, and dal and rice suddenly has a kick. It's also the podi to keep for days when you want strong flavour with almost no effort. Compared with our vellulli pachadi, which keeps the garlic as whole cloves in a wet pickle, this one is dry, punchy and quick. If you want garlic with less heat, the pachadi is the gentler choice.

How to enjoy

• A pinch over hot rice with a spoon of ghee, mixed well before the first bite.
• Sprinkle on a ghee dosa or an onion uttapam.
• Add a pinch to dal rice or rasam rice at the table.
• Keep it beside a bowl of curd rice as the hot side.