SAMBAR MASALA/SAMBAR
POWDER
Sambar masala/powder is a flavorful South Indian style spice powder, prepared using very
basic ingredients found in our pantry.
This sambar masala can also
be used as a curry powder.
Having lived in many places I have tasted various types of sambar be it North
Indian,Maharashtrian, Udupi restaurant, Indian
railway, Andhra, tiffin center or Tamil nadu style, all of them are perfect in their own right
but the one which converted me to be a sambar loyalist was the Tamil Brahmin/Iyengar style sambar. I tried many local brands in Chennai but none
of them gave that taste so finally I took up the challenge and started trying
various recipes for the perfect taste. Voila!!!one fine day a friend of mine
shared her mother’s sambar recipe and I got the taste I was looking for. Here, sharing the Tamil Brahmin/Iyengar sambar powder recipe.
Preparation Time : 10 mins
Cooking Time :
10 min
Yields :
Little more than 1.5 cups
Ingredients:
·
1 cup coriander seeds
·
4 tbsp cumin seeds
·
25 – 27 dried red chillies
·
3 tsp fenugreek seeds
·
3 tbsp black peppercorns
·
4 tbsp chana dal
·
2 tbsp urad dal
·
½ cup curry leaves
·
1.5 tbsp mustard seeds
·
3 tsp turmeric 1 tsp
·
6 tbsp raw rice
Method:
Measure all the
ingredients. You can half the recipe or
even double it.
On a medium flame dry roast
the coriander seeds until brown and aromatic.
Dry roast the curry leaves
until crisp.
Dry roast the chana dal
& urad dal till they turn golden brown.
Now dry roast the cumin
seeds and peppercorns till nice aroma comes out.
Dry roast the fenugreek
seeds until they stop popping. Likewise
also dry roast the mustard seeds.
Now dry roast the dried red
chillies until crisp. (Caution- keep the windows open and your chimney/exhaust
fan on, since you don’t want a sneezing & coughing attack!!!)
Dry roast the raw rice till
they turn opaque.
Cool down the ingredients
completely.
Blend all the ingredients
along with the turmeric to a nice powder.
If required sieve it (Optional)
Spread the sambar masala or
powder and cool it down completely before storing it.
Transfer it to an airtight
container and store it in a dry place.