In search of the perfect podis

Podis are not only a quick fix for the reluctant cook, but also an easy escape into comfort and nostalgia. Now, home-based businesses, which began delivering them across the country during lockdown, are doing roaring business

Journalist and writer Subha J Rao launched her range of homemade spice powders in May this year, under the brand name Made In Mangalore. “During the second wave, I was sending homemade meals to COVID-19 patients in Mangaluru. Volunteering took its toll because I could not help beyond a point. I began to feel frustrated, and nothing felt like it was in my control. It was then that I decided to try making something where I could control the outcome. I ended up making different varieties of podi,” says Subha, adding “Until that point, I had never attempted to make any podi on my own. It was either my mother-in-law or mother who sent me a steady supply of podi round the year and I had assumed that this arrangement would continue. The second wave shook me up and the reality sunk in.”