Sambar Powder | Home made Sambar Powder

Sambar powder is a flavorful South Indian spice mix made from coriander seeds, cumin seeds, mustard, lentils and red chilies. It's used in many South Indian curries and vegetable stir fries.. Each household in Tamilnadu has their own recipe for making sambar powder. 

When I was in India,  Amma made the sambar powder in large batches and passed it to me therefore I never had the chance to make on my own or even tried the store bought sambar powder until i was in India. 

But after moving here in the US, I tried a few brands of sambar powder available here and i was not impressed with any one of those. Hence I thought of making it on my own and searched for recipes online.

That's when i happened to see the latest recipe from Chef Venkatesh Bhat for sambar powder. It sounded promising so immediately gave it a try. Though it's flavor is a bit strong  from my mom's sambar powder, it tastes good and very flavorful.  

Related : How to make Idli Sambar/Tiffin sambar

It's perfect for a small family and can easily make it in mixie which is a big plus for me now. It lasts me for about one month which is again so perfect for me because the flavor fades away when stored for a longer time. I personally prefer small fresh batch of any spice mix. 

As i said earlier, Amma's sambar powder is very subtle and she used to grind all kinds of spice mix in grind mill back in India, will share that recipe  next time when i'm in India. 

If you're looking for flavorful sambar powder recipe in small batch, then give this recipe a try. Now let's check out on how to make this sambar powder

Sambar Powder

Preparation Time : 10 mins | Cooking Time : 15 mins | Makes : 1 cup 
Recipe Category: Powder | Recipe Cuisine: Indian
Sambar Powder,Indian Spice Powder, Sambhar Powder, How to make sambar powder, Sambhar powder in mixie Sambar powder, a must have masala powder for making sambar and many other South Indian dishes.

Sandhiya https://www.facebook.com/SandhiyasCookbook https://www.instagram.com/sandhiyascookbook/

Ingredients
Coriander seed - 3 tbsp
Toor Dal - 1&1/4 tbsp
Chana dal - 1/2 tbsp
Urad dal - 1/2 tbsp
Fenugreek seed - 1/4 tbsp
Pepper corns - 1/4 tbsp
Mustard seed - 1/4 tbsp
Cumin seed - 1 tbsp
Curry leave - 1 spring
Red chili - 15
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Asafoedita powder - 3/4 tsp

Procedure

Measure all the ingredients and keep it ready. Heat the pan , first add coriander seed and roast till it's aromatic, remove it on plateThen add all the dals(toor dal, chana dal & urad dal) and roast till the dal have sightly changed its color.Remove it on plate.Add fenugreek seed, peppercorns, cumin seed & mustard in the pan, roast till the mustard stops spluttering and nice aroma comes from fenugreek seed and cumin seed.Remove it on plate.Then add the curry leaves, roast till it becomes crispy.Finally add red chili and roast till it becomes crispy.

Spread all the ingredients in the plate and allow to cool completely. Then put all the roasted ingredients into mixie jar.Add asafoedita powder & turmeric powder in the mixie jar.

Related : How to make South Indian Mix Veg Sambar with Coconut

Grind into smooth powder, cool it completely and then store in masala box.Flavorful sambar powder is ready.

More basic recipes like basic spice mix and other Indian masala

Related : How to make small onion sambar 

Notes:

• Roast all the ingredients in low flame to ensure even roasting.
• If you're making in large quantity, grind it in mill.
• If the sambar powder is not smooth, sieve it to get fine powder and grind the leftover once again.
• All masala powder loses its aroma when you keep it for longer days, so it's better to make in smaller batches and try to finish within few months.