3 Ways to Use NISA Chicken Podi Beyond Plain Rice

Chicken podi mixed with hot rice and ghee is the default way most people use it, and it's hard to beat. But as a dry, roasted spice powder, it adapts well to a few other everyday dishes if you want variety.

1. Podi dosa: once your dosa is poured on the tawa and the edges start to crisp, sprinkle a thin, even layer of chicken podi over the surface before it fully sets, then drizzle a little ghee or sesame oil along the edges. Fold it over once the base is cooked through. The podi toasts slightly against the hot tawa, which brings out more of its roasted flavor than mixing it in raw.

2. Podi idli: steam your idlis as usual, then while they're still hot, press a spoon of podi mixed with melted ghee into the center of each one, or serve it on the side as a dip alongside the usual chutney and sambar. Works especially well with slightly dry, day-old idlis that could use the extra moisture and fat from the ghee.

3. Curd rice with podi: mix cooked rice with fresh curd, a pinch of salt, and a tempering of mustard seeds and curry leaves as you normally would, then stir through a spoon of chicken podi right before serving. The cooling curd and the roasted, spicy podi balance each other out — a common Andhra way to use leftover rice.

In all three, start with less podi than you think you need. It's concentrated and roasted, and it's easy to oversalt or overspice a dish by treating it like a garnish rather than a seasoning.