Sambar powder / Sambar podi (in Tamil) / Sambar masala (in Hindi) is a magical spice blend in every South Indian pantry. This versatile spice blend can be used to make many South Indian dishes – sambar, rasam, vathal kuzhambu, vendhaya kuzhambu, kaara kuzhambu, kootu, roasted vegetables…the list can go on for a creative chef. The basic ingredients for this spice blend are quite simple and easily available, but the key to the best flavor is their right mix, with different families adopting different proportions of the ingredients. Here is our family favorite recipe.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

Ingredients

Note: 1 cup = 240 ml

1. 1 cup coriander (dhaniya) seeds
2. ¼ cup pigeon peas (toor dal)
3. ¼ cup split chickpea / Bengal gram (chana dal)
4. 1 ¾ tsp. fenugreek (methi) seeds
5. 1 ¾ tsp. turmeric (haldi) powder
6. Approx. 1 cup red chili powder

Note: You can adjust the spice level to your family’s taste buds by adjusting the red chili powder to the ground powder ratio in Step 9 below
🌶Mild: 1 cup chili powder to 3 cups ground powder
🌶 🌶 Medium: 1 cup chili powder to 2 ½ cups ground powder [this is what I use in the recipe below]
🌶 🌶 🌶 Hot: 1 cup chili powder to 2 ¼  cups ground powder

Kitchen Tools

1. Medium size flat bottom pan
2. Flat ladle
3. Medium size mixing bowl
4. Blender with small-medium spice jar
5. Air-tight container for storage

PREPARATION (with step-by-step photos)

Step 1 – Place a pan on medium heat setting for about 1 minute

Tip – Throughout the entire roasting process in the following steps, do not set the heat on a setting higher than medium or else the ingredients will get burnt

Tip – While roasting dry ingredients aroma of each ingredient being roasted is your alert for doneness if differentiating roasted color is difficult for you. Each ingredient has a unique aroma that fills the room when being roasted and it will start to fade. Do not roast beyond this point

Step 2 – Add 1 cup coriander seeds and roast with a flat ladle until it starts to give out a beautiful aroma and the color turns dark. This will take about 3 minutes. Move it to a mixing bowl to cool down

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Step 3 – Now roast ¼ cup of toor dal for about 2 minutes or until it changes color and move it to the bowl with the roasted coriander seeds

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Step 4 – Repeat the same with ¼ cup of chana dal for about 1 ½ minutes or until it changes color and move it to the bowl with the other roasted ingredients

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Step 5 – Roast 1 ¾ tsp. fenugreek seeds for about 1 minute or until it changes to a dark brown color and move it to the bowl with the other roasted ingredients

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Step 6 – Allow all roasted ingredients to cool down for about 15 minutes

Step 7 – Now place the ingredients in a blender and grind to a coarse powder

Step 8 – Add 1 ¾ tsp turmeric powder and give it a pulse

Step 9 – Bring this powder back to the mixing bowl and measure it. Add 1 portion of red chili powder for every 2 ½ portions of the powder we just ground

Step 10 – Pulse again in the blender to a fine texture. Set aside in the bowl to allow it to cool

Step 11 – Store in an air-tight container and use this sublime Sambar powder to create South Indian magic 😋

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Until the summer of 2012, I used to bring Sambar powder from home in India and preserve it in the freezer till my next visit to India. Over time, the taste of the recipes that I prepared with the spice blend lost their flavor – they just didn’t seem ‘fresh’. Buying store-brands in the US or in Canada was out of the question since we consume a lot of this powder in our cooking and buying small packets from stores ends up being quite expensive. In addition, the taste of a store-bought packet could never match the flavors of our home-made blends. During the summer of 2013, I spent a month with my sister and her family, and I experienced the amazing taste of freshly made Sambar powder in every dish. My sister’s mother-in-law, Sankari mami was happy to share her recipe and the tip of mixing red chili powder with the rest of the coriander-lentil powder. Since then, I stopped buying this at grocery stores and I not only made it for my family at home but also saw growing demand from others within my close circle of friends. It gives me immense pleasure to share this recipe with you. Thanks Sankari mami for this sublime Sambar podi!

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Related Recipes

Onion Sambar

Tomato Rasam

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Other yummy recipes that use Sambar Powder

• Onion Sambar

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