Sambar Powder
Tamil-style sambar podi of roasted coriander, red chillies, dals, fenugreek and curry leaves. One batch makes about 20 pots of sambar that taste like home.
Prep 5 min · Cook 15 min · Total 20 min + 20 min cooling · Serves 48
Ingredients
To roast
- ½ cup Coriander seeds
- 20 Dried red chillies
- 2 tbsp Chana dal
- 2 tbsp Toor dal
- 1 tbsp Urad dal
- 1 tbsp Cumin seeds
- 1 tsp Fenugreek seeds (methi)
- 1 tsp Black peppercorns
- 2 sprigs Curry leaves
- 1 tsp Oil
To finish
- 1 tsp Turmeric
- ½ tsp Asafoetida
Method
- Roast the chillies. Heat the oil in a heavy pan over low heat. Roast the red chillies, stirring, until they puff up and turn crisp but not black. Tip onto a plate.
- Roast the dals. In the same pan, dry roast the chana dal, toor dal and urad dal until golden and nutty. Add to the plate.
- Roast the seeds. Roast the coriander seeds, cumin, fenugreek and peppercorns together over low heat until the coriander turns a shade darker and the fenugreek is reddish brown. Burnt fenugreek turns the whole batch bitter, so go slowly.
- Crisp the curry leaves. Add the curry leaves and stir until they crumble when pressed. Turn off the heat and stir in the turmeric and asafoetida for a few seconds in the warm pan.
- Cool, grind and sieve. Spread everything out and cool completely. Grind the chillies first, then everything together, to a fine powder. Sieve through a medium sieve and regrind any coarse bits.
- Store. Store in an airtight jar away from light. It keeps its colour and aroma for 3 months, or up to 6 in the fridge.
Tips
Use about 2 tbsp for a pot of Sambar for four. It is also the spice in One-Pot Tomato Rice, and good in kuzhambu, poriyal and vegetable kootu.