Spiced Oats, Flaxseeds & Lentils Powder (A healthy kick to the regular fare)

I am partial to the staple South Indian fare of idlis and dosas. Besides the health factor and the variety the two dishes can bring to the table, having a batter is a God sent when the I-do-not-feel-like cooking bug hits me. And it attacks me more often than not ! So precisely those times the brain is saved the trouble of being racked and hacked and instead the fluffy rice cakes or crispy rice crepes/pancakes are served with a flourish.A spicy powder complements these dishes. This spicy powder aka milagai/kara podi with the tiffin is a match made in heaven. 

Besides the usual way of combining lentils with chillis for the spicy powder, why not try adding oats and flaxseeds to it ?. A healthy kick to a regular fare indeed.

Inspired from a recipe in Priya's blog, I gave the spiced mix my own twist with the addition of few other ingredients like curry leaves,sesame seeds and grated coconut besides a few cardamom pods. 

What's in it :-
{I cup measured 125 grams}

• Bengal Gram/Chana Dal - 2 cups
• Urad Dal - 1/2 cup
• White Sesame Seeds - 2 to 3 tbsp
• Red Chillis - 12 to 15
• Curry Leaves - from a few sprigs (washed & dried)
• Oats - 1 cup (I used quick cooking)
• Flax Seeds - 3/4 cup
• Cardamom Pods - 5 pods
• Grated Coconut - 2 tbsp (you can use either fresh/dessicated)/I used fresh
• Salt - to taste

Here's How:-

Dry roast the lentils till they slowly start turning in to a golden hue. Now add the white sesame seeds and the red chillis and let the whole lot turn a golden brown. Transfer to a plate. In the same pan add the curry leaves and let it shrivel and crisp and transfer to the plate. 

Now gently dry roast the oats and the flaxseeds. Add the cardamom pods and stir for 2-3 minutes. Transfer the contents to the plate. Now add the fresh scrapings of the coconut and dry roast till the mix becomes slightly brown and sheds its moisture content. Take off flame. Let all the ingredients on the plate cool off completely before transferring them to the mixer

Add the salt to the dry roasted ingredients and grind as coarse powder. Store in an airtight container for further use.

1.	Store the contents in an airtight container for further use.
2.	If you want to retain freshness of the spices and ensure it stays longer refrigerate the same.
3.	The powder is also perfect for those stir-fries as well as making dry curries.
4.	You can adjust the ingredients to taste.

This is off to AVC January . Oats was my secret ingredient as buzzed by Radhika.
Enjoy !