Care for some gunpowder

A few years ago, we were driving to Corbett and kept stopping to ask for directions. To our horror, nobody appeared to know where Corbett Park was. When we finally reached&mdashthanks to our map&mdashour hotel manager was amazed that we could be stupid enough to ask for Corbett Park. &ldquoGarjia is what you should have been asking for. No wonder nobody could help you&rdquo Garjia is the miniscule village outside the park&rsquos first gate.

In a similar vein, if you want gunpowder to blast off your insides, don&rsquot bother to ask for anything other than mullaga podi if you&rsquore in Tamil Nadu and parippu podi in Andhra Pradesh. All four South Indian states have their own repertoire of podis&mdashdry powders which are made with a multitude of ingredients. A podi usually has lentils, red chillies and other spices in its mix. Some varieties have more dal, others have a preponderance of spices. Podis are either eaten with idlis and dosas or with rice and a dollop of ghee.

It&rsquos known as gunpowder in the rest of India, partly as Chef K. Natarajan of the Taj Group speculates, because mullaga podi is difficult to pronounce. &ldquoIt&rsquos not even that spicy,&rdquo he says dismissively. &ldquoThere are other dishes that are far spicier.&rdquo Doubtless they&rsquore called Kalashnikov fire.