Learn to make South Indian Sambar Powder with easy steps. I guarantee, you will never buy store bought sambar masala again!
Sambar powder recipe, Sambar Podi or Sambar Masala is a South Indian spice blend made with roasted and ground lentils, red chilies and other spices. It is used to make Sambar - Vegetable and lentil based stew.
You must be wondering why make Sambar Powder at home when you can use store bought? Let me tell you that there is no match to homemade Sambar Masala. Made without preservatives or additives, homemade version uses best ingredients.
This is how I make Sambar powder at home. The recipe varies in each household. You can store masala for couple of months and use as required.
The aroma of freshly ground sambar podi is unmatched.
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Sambar Powder Ingredients
Lentils - Chana Dal and Toor Dal are used. Chana dal adds nutty taste and toor dal provides thickness to sambar.
Coriander Seeds - Aroma of sambar comes mainly from coriander seeds. If you have stored coriander seeds in your pantry for some time, please sun dry for 1 hour before proceeding with the recipe.
Black Peppercorns - Use whole black peppercorns. Do not substitute with black pepper powder.
Cumin Seeds (Jeera) - The quantity is quite negligible. In case of Rasam powder, the quantity of cumin seeds increases.
Methi Seeds (Fenugreek) - You need to be careful with this ingredient. Add extra and you will end up making sambar powder that tastes bitter.
Red Chilies - I have used a combination of Pandi chilies and Byadgi chilies. Pandi chilies is a medium spicy South Indian variety of red chili. Byadgi adds color. Substitute pandi chilies with any suitable "hot" variety. Substitute Byadgi with Kashmiri red chili.
Turmeric Powder - I have used good quality Organic Turmeric powder.
Oil is not used to roast the spices. All the ingredients are slow roasted, cooled and ground.
How to make Homemade Sambar Powder recipe
- Before you begin making Sambar Masala, measure and keep all the ingredients ready.
- If possible, sun dry the ingredients. Increases shelf life.
- Each Ingredient is roasted individually (except turmeric).
- Keep a bowl aside so that the roasted ingredients can be transferred easily from the hot pan.
Heat a pan, add coriander seeds and dry roast on low heat until its aromatic. Remove from heat, add to a bowl and keep aside to cool.
Place the pan back on heat, add chana dal. Dry roast until the lentils appear brown. Set it aside to cool with the rest of the ingredients.
Repeat the process with toor dal and roast until brown.
Add black peppercorns and cumin seeds. Roast until aromatic.
Dry roast methi seeds and keep aside to cool. Careful not to burn.
Remove stems from red chilies and dry roast.
Allow the ingredients to cool completely.
Add the ingredients to a mixer grinder jar with turmeric powder.
Grind the masala in small batches. It ensures the grinder doesn't heat up which affects quality or aroma of the masala.
Mix and store in an airtight container.
How to use Sambar Podi
Other than making Sambar, Sambar Podi can be used in a variety of recipes. Below are some of recipes / dishes which use this spice blend.
Stir Fries - Sambar Powder blends perfectly with veggies like Aubergine (Baingan, Kathirikkai), Okra (ladyfinger, bhindi), Potatoes, Ivy Gourd (Tendli).
Use for making Kootu - Replace Coconut gravy with sambar powder. Makes it spicy and delicious.
Variety Rice - Use it to cook Tendli Bath, Kathirikkai sadam (Brinjal Rice) etc.
Shelf Life | Storage
Sambar Powder stays fresh for 2 months. You can double the recipe. We prefer grinding fresh.
Store the podi in an airtight container. The jar used for storage should be sterilized in hot water and dried completely. Moisture affects shelf life.
Avoid keeping a spoon inside the container. Use clean, dry spoon every time you want to use sambar podi.
In the freezer, the podi has a shelf life of 3-4 months.
More Homemade Masala recipes to try
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Sambar Powder Recipe | Sambar Podi
Equipment
- Mixer Grinder Chutney Jar or Spice Grinder
Ingredients
- 2 cups Coriander Seeds (Sabut Dhania or Varakothamalli)
- 1 cup Chana Dal or Bengal gram dal (Kadala Paruppu)
- 1 cup Tur Dal or Arhar Dal or Thuvaram Paruppu
- 1 tablespoon Milagu or Peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon Jeera or Cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon Methi Seeds, Fenugreek Seeds or Vendayam
- 1 tablespoon Turmeric Powder or Haldi Powder (Manjal Podi)
- 40 Whole red dry chillies (30 Pandi chilies + 10 Byadgi chilies)
Instructions
- Heat a pan, add coriander seeds and dry roast on low heat until its aromatic. Remove from heat, add to a bowl and keep aside to cool.
- Place the pan back on heat, add chana dal. Dry roast until the lentils appear brown. Set it aside to cool with the rest of the ingredients.
- Repeat the process with toor dal and roast until brown. Transfer to a bowl
- Add black peppercorns and cumin seeds. Roast until aromatic.
- Dry roast methi seeds and keep aside to cool. Careful not to burn.
- Remove stems from red chilies and dry roast.
- Allow all the roasted ingredients to cool completely.
- Once cool, transfer the ingredients to a mixer grinder jar. Add turmeric powder.
- Grind the masala in small batches. It ensures the grinder jar doesn't heat up which affects quality or aroma of the masala.
- Mix and store in an airtight container.
Notes
-
- Before you begin making Sambar Masala, measure and keep all the ingredients ready.
- If possible, sun dry the ingredients. Increases shelf life.
- All ingredients are roasted individually on medium to low heat (except turmeric).
- Keep a bowl aside so that the roasted ingredients can be transferred easily from the hot pan.
- Hing or asafoetida is not added to the sambar masala. I add it while making sambar.
- This is a Tamil Brahmin Style Sambar Podi. Contains no Garlic.
- Sambar Powder stays fresh for 2 months. You can double the recipe. We prefer grinding fresh.
- Store the podi in an airtight container. The jar for storage should be sterilized in hot water and dried completely. Moisture affects shelf life.
- Avoid keeping a spoon inside the container. Use clean, dry spoon every time you want to use sambar podi.
- In the freezer, the podi has a shelf life of 3-4 months.
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We will be back again with yet another exciting recipe .. Until then, stay healthy and happy!
Vidya Narayan
nice recipe...sure going to try next time
Thank you so much, sure
RUSTIC & MOUTHWATERING
thank you so much
You forgot asafoetida..
Which is very important.
Hello Meera,
We add hing or asafoetida when cooking the sambar. It helps retain flavors more than just adding a meagre amount in the powder. For both rasam and sambar, we prefer following the same process and yes, it is important, like you mentioned.
I don't think pepper and cummin is needed for a sambhar.
For rasam ...yes its needed.
Hello Meera,
Like I mentioned in the post, each family has their own version. This is ours.
Looking forward to make this weekend - both sambar and rasam podi. I have been looking for an authentic family recipe, so thank you for sharing. However, I did not find recipes of sambar and rasam to use these ? Sorry question from a non- South Indian but a lover of South Indian food. Thanks you.
Hi Ishita,
Thank you for appreciating the effort. Please do check out Drumstick Sambar (you can add other vegetables too) for using the Sambar Powder and I have atleast 3 - 4 Rasam varieties on the blog that you can try using the homemade rasam powder. Hope this helps.