Sambhar Powder

During our stay in Bangalore, I had a fabulous time in enjoying various types of dosa, idlis with sambhar. I used to prepare sambhar from those ready made packs, but learnt to prepare authentic South Indian homemade sambhar with typical sambhar powder from my neighbor.

Typical ingredients of the sambar powder include toovar / toor daal, roasted lentils, coriander seeds, dried whole red chili, fenugreek seeds, coriander leaves and curry leaves. Regional variations may include versions with mustard seeds, cumin, black pepper, white pepper, cinnamon, or other spices. This powder is prepared by pan roasting the whole spices and grinding them to a coarse powder.

Ingredients:

• 100 gms coriander seeds / saboot dhania
• 25 gms channa daal / chhola daal
• 25 gms toovar daal
• 25 gms urad daal
• 100 gms dried red chilli
• 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds / methi seeds
• 25 gms cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp whole black pepper
• 1/2 tsp asafoetida / hing
• 5-6 curry leaves

Procedure:

1. Dry all the ingredients (ensure the ingredients are completely free of moisture).
2. Heat a non-stock tawa and dry roast each of the ingredients on low flame. Let the roasted spices come down to room temperature.
3. Put in a blender and grind together to form a coarse powder. Store in a tight container and use as required.