Homemade South Indian Sambar Powder

Name: Homemade South Indian Sambar Powder
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 24 servings
Cuisine: South Indian
Ingredients: ¾ cup (40 g) coriander seeds, whole, dry; 2 tablespoons (25 g) toor dal (split pigeon peas), dry, picked over for debris; 2 tablespoons (25 g) chana dal (split chickpeas), dry, picked over for debris; 1 teaspoon (4 g) fenugreek seeds, whole; 15 chilies (20 g) dried red chilies, stems removed, broken in half (Byadgi and Guntur mix, or any medium-hot variety); 1 tablespoon (6 g) cumin seeds, whole; 1 teaspoon (3 g) black peppercorns, whole; 1 teaspoon (3 g) yellow or brown mustard seeds, whole; ½ cup (10 g) fresh curry leaves, stems removed, leaves washed and fully dried on a towel; 1 tablespoon (7 g) ground turmeric; ½ teaspoon (1½ g) asafoetida (hing) powder (optional); ½ teaspoon (2½ ml) neutral oil or sesame oil

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

A fragrant, medium-hot sambar masala made by dry roasting coriander, lentils, chilies and spices separately, then grinding to a fine powder. Stir it into lentil-vegetable sambar for deep, toasty flavor far beyond store-bought.

Prep: 10 min
Cook: 15 min
Wait: 30 min
Total: 55 min
Makes: About 1½ cups (150 g) powder, enough for roughly 12 pots of sambar (2 tablespoons per pot)

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Ingredients

24 servings

¾ cup (40 g) coriander seeds, whole, dry
2 tablespoons (25 g) toor dal (split pigeon peas), dry, picked over for debris
2 tablespoons (25 g) chana dal (split chickpeas), dry, picked over for debris
1 teaspoon (4 g) fenugreek seeds, whole
15 chilies (20 g) dried red chilies, stems removed, broken in half (Byadgi and Guntur mix, or any medium-hot variety)
1 tablespoon (6 g) cumin seeds, whole
1 teaspoon (3 g) black peppercorns, whole
1 teaspoon (3 g) yellow or brown mustard seeds, whole
½ cup (10 g) fresh curry leaves, stems removed, leaves washed and fully dried on a towel
1 tablespoon (7 g) ground turmeric
½ teaspoon (1.5 g) asafoetida (hing) powder (optional)
½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) neutral oil or sesame oil

Equipment (6)

12-inch (30 cm) heavy skillet or kadai
Wooden spoon or spatula
Large rimmed plate or baking sheet for cooling
High-speed spice grinder or blender with a dry jar
Fine-mesh sieve (optional)
Airtight glass jar (about 2-cup / 500 ml)

Steps

Before you start

Measure and group all spices before heating anything, because roasting moves fast and the spices can't be left unattended.
Use a wide, heavy-bottomed skillet or kadai and keep the heat low to medium-low so nothing scorches; burnt spices turn bitter.
Open a window or turn on the exhaust fan, since roasting chilies releases pungent fumes.
Make sure the grinder jar is completely dry; any moisture makes the powder clump and spoil faster.

1
Set up the pan
- Place the dry skillet over low heat.
- Have all spices measured in separate piles beside the stove, and a large plate ready for cooling.
- Dry skillet should be warm, not smoking, before you start.
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Ready when: Pan feels warm when you hold your palm 2 inches above it
Tip: A heavy pan holds even heat and prevents hot spots that scorch small seeds.
2
Roast the dals
- Add the oil, toor dal and chana dal to the pan.
- Stir constantly for 3 to 4 minutes until the dals turn light golden and smell nutty.
- Tip onto the cooling plate.
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Ready when: Dals are light golden brown with a nutty aroma
Tip: The dals are the slowest to roast, so they go in first. Don't let them go dark brown or the powder tastes bitter.
3
Roast the coriander
- In the same pan, add the coriander seeds.
- Stir for 2 to 3 minutes until they darken slightly and smell warm and citrusy.
- Move to the plate in a separate pile.
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Ready when: Seeds turn a shade darker and release a strong citrusy aroma
4
Roast small spices
- Add the fenugreek, cumin, peppercorns and mustard seeds together.
- Stir for 60 to 90 seconds until the cumin darkens and the mustard seeds just begin to pop.
- Move to the plate immediately.
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Ready when: Cumin is deep brown, fenugreek turns golden, mustard seeds begin to pop
Tip: Fenugreek turns bitter fast. Pull it off the heat as soon as it goes golden, not brown.
5
Roast the chilies
- Add the broken chilies and stir for 1 to 2 minutes until they darken slightly, puff, and become crisp.
- Move to the plate.
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Ready when: Chilies are a deeper red and crackle when pressed, with no blackened spots
Tip: Keep your face back from the pan; chili fumes are sharp and make you cough.
6
Crisp the curry leaves
- Add the dry curry leaves and stir for 1 to 2 minutes on low heat until they shrivel and turn crisp.
- Then add the turmeric and asafoetida (if using) and stir for 10 seconds only, then turn off the heat and tip everything onto the plate.
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Ready when: Leaves crumble easily between your fingers
Tip: Leaves must be fully dry or they will steam, not crisp, and shorten the powder's shelf life.
7
Cool completely
- Spread everything out on the plate and let it cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
- Do not grind warm spices.
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Ready when: Spices feel completely cool to the touch
Tip: Grinding warm spices releases moisture and causes clumping and faster spoilage.
8
Grind to powder
- Grind in two batches in a dry spice grinder, pulsing in 20-second bursts with pauses, for about 1 to 2 minutes per batch, until a fine, uniform powder forms.
- Shake the jar between pulses.
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Ready when: Powder is fine and even with no whole pieces of dal or chili visible
Tip: Pause between pulses so the motor doesn't heat the spices and turn the powder gummy.
9
Sift and store
- Sift through a fine-mesh sieve and re-grind any coarse bits.
- Mix the two batches well.
- Let the powder sit 10 minutes uncovered to release residual heat, then transfer into an airtight jar.
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Ready when: Powder is uniformly fine and rust-orange in color

Good to know

Tips

Roast each group separately because they cook at different speeds; this prevents bitterness and uneven flavor.
Grind in small batches for a finer, cooler grind and better aroma.
Use a dry spoon every time to keep moisture out of the jar.
For a sweeter, rounder blend, add 1 tablespoon of dried grated coconut roasted until golden, but refrigerate and use within 1 month.

Make ahead

"Make up to 3 months ahead; flavor is best in the first month and the blend is ready to use as soon as it is cooled and stored."

Storage & reheating

"Room temperature in an airtight glass jar away from heat and light: up to 3 months. Fridge: up to 6 months. Freezer: up to 1 year; spoon out what you need with a dry spoon and no thawing is needed. To use, add 2 tablespoons per pot of sambar (about 1 cup dal) and bloom briefly in hot oil or simmer in the tamarind broth for 10 minutes."

Substitutions

dried red chilies → Kashmiri chilies for color with mild heat, or reduce to 8 chilies. Adjust to taste; Kashmiri gives deep red color but less heat.
fresh curry leaves → 1 tablespoon dried curry leaves. Dried leaves skip the drying step but are less fragrant.
toor dal (split pigeon peas) → Additional chana dal or moong dal. Gives similar thickening and nutty body.
asafoetida (hing) powder → Omit. It is optional; add it to the sambar tempering instead.