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Masala Powders: Sambar Powder Recipe
An Outlook of Sambar and Sambar powder
What is Sambar?
Sambar is a type of curry made using single vegetable or mixed vegetables, pigeon peas, tamarind pulp, and sambar powder. Using coconut for making its gravy is optional. Coconut gives distinct flavor and thickness to sambar. In coastal Karnataka and Kerala, people use coconut to make this gravy because plenty of coconut grows in this region.
Sambar is a delicious spicy curry which is considered very healthy. There are many sets of vegetable combinations that give special taste to the sambar. For example, potato and onion , green leafy vegetables and garlic tempering etc
How to make Sambar powder:
Sambar powder is an aromatic spicy powder that is made by grinding the roasted spices like coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and fenugreek seeds with Bengal gram split, black lentil split, copra, dry red chilies, curry leaves, and hing.
If you want to store sambar powder for more than a month, don't add coconut or store it in the refrigerator for longer shelf life (six months). The powder without coconut stays fresh for years in normal temperature when stored in air-tight container.
Having this spice powder in the kitchen serves many purposes. You can use it to make curries, vegetable stir-fries, raw snacks, bajjis, and pakoras.
Cook Time
- Prep time: 10 min
- Cook time: 10 min
- Ready in: 20 min
- Yields: 250-300 g sambar powder
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups coriander seeds (daniya)
- 1/2 cup cumin seeds (jeera)
- 2-3 tsp fenugreek seeds (methi)
- 3/4 cup dehusked black lentil split (urad dal)
- 1/2 cup Bengal gram split (chana dal)
- 4 1/2 cups dry red chili, broken, mix of byadigi (bright red but not so hot) and guntur (hot variety)
- two fistful curry leaves
- 2 tbsp copra, optional, gives nice flavor and thickness to the curry
- 2 tsp coconut oil or any other oil, coconut oil preferred
Step-By-Step Instructions and Images for Making Sambar Powder
- Keep all the ingredients handy.
- Heat a teaspoon oil in a pan. Add fenugreek seeds. Saute on very low fire till it changes color. Throw in Bengal gram split. Continue roasting for a few seconds. Add dehusked black lentil split. Stir roast till black lentil turns honey color. Transfer the content to a plate.
- In the same pan, add few drops of oil. Throw in cumin seeds. Fry for 30 seconds on a very low fire. Add coriander seeds. Continue stir-frying for a minute. Transfer it to the same plate.
- Add chopped copra to the empty pan. Dry fry till it becomes crispy. Transfer it to the plate.
- Add remaining oil to the pan. Throw in curry leaves. Stir fry for 20 seconds. Add broken red chilies. Roast them on very low fire for 1-2 minutes.
- Turn off the fire. Add the contents on the plate to the pan. Mix well. Leave it for cooling.
- When it cools down completely, grind them to get a coarse or near smooth powder.
Other Similar Recipes
- Garlic Chutney Powder Recipe
Garlic is a super food, lauded for its potential health benefits. Though it has a tendency to give bad breath, when cooked with spices, it will be fine. Use garlic chutney powder daily in your meals.
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Comments
- Author
I grind them in a mixer grinder. People use sambar powder daily to make sambar. It is a staple food of many regions in India.They make this powder in large quantity and use it for months. I appreciate your interest for new recipes.
I love to make my own spice mixes! Sambar is a new one for me.
Do you grind your spices by hand in a mortar and pestle? Or do you put them in an electric grinder?