How To Make Sambar Powder At Home? An Authentic Sambar Masala Powder Recipe!

Directions

• Preparation
• Start by cleaning your spices and lentils-  wash your whole spices and lentils (urad dal, chana dal, red chiles, coriander, cumin, curry leaves, fenugreek, mustard seeds, and black peppercorns) thoroughly. Even though you bring home cleaned spices, make this a habit before making your homemade spice blend to elongate the shelf life.
• Dry your spices really well until no water or moisture is left, and set them aside.
• Wipe the jar of your spice grinder using a clean paper towel and set it aside until ready to use.
• Toasting the spices, herbs, and lentils:
• Keep the frying pan on the stove over low heat and add the cleaned coriander and cumin seeds to it when it is heated. Stir occasionally and toast these two spices for about 1-2 minutes until the seeds change color and turn fragrant. (Do not brown them too much or let them burn)
• Remove cumin and coriander seeds from the pan and transfer them to a plate to cool down.
• Then, add the cleaned red chiles to the same pan and toast them over low heat until they start to emit a pungent, smoky aroma and change color.
• Remove from the pan and put them on the same plate with coriander and cumin.
• Next, put black peppercorns and fenugreek in the pan and toast them over low heat until these spices also change color and turn aromatic. Remove them from the stove, and transfer them to the same spice plate.
• Now add the mustard seeds and toast them for about 1 minute. Mustard seeds will not take too long to toast as they are small seeds when compared with other spices. Remove them from the pan when they start to pop, and put them down on the spice plate to cool down.
• Proceed with the curry leaves and toast them until the leaves are crispy, turn color, and emit their fragrance. Remove from the pan and put them away on the same spice plate.
• Next, take your cleaned chana dal and put them in the same pan. Toast them, occasionally stirring, until they turn aromatic and change color to golden or brown. Chana dal takes longer to toast than spices. Take them out of the pan and transfer them to another separate plate to cool down.
• Now, take your cleaned urad dal and toast the same way you did with chana dal. Remove them when they also turn golden or brown and aromatic and transfer them to the same plate where you put chana dal.
• Clean the pan with a clean kitchen towel and add the desiccated coconut to it. Roast the coconut until the moisture evaporates and it turns brown and fragrant. Remove from the pan and transfer the roasted coconut to another plate to cool down.
• While the pan is hot, add asafoetida and gently toast until it turns color and emits the fragrance.
• Remove it to a small bowl and repeat the same with turmeric powder. Powdered spices don’t need to be toasted excessively; they just need to release their volatile oils exposed to heat. Transfer turmeric powder to the same bowl with asafoetida.
• Grinding
• You can start making our sambar powder when all the ingredients come to room temperature.
• You can work in several batches, depending on the size of the grinder jar. Start by grinding the coriander seeds and cumin seeds. Once they become a fine powder, add in the rest of your spices accordingly.
• Mix in the dal and roasted coconut when all the spices are well-ground.
• Give a good pulse until all the ingredients are well combined.
• Run the sambar powder through a fine mesh sieve and re-grind if any lumps are left.
• Transfer your spice mixture to a large plate, level it, and let it come to room temperature since grinding can heat up the ingredients.
• Once the sambar powder is cooled down, use it immediately or spoon it down carefully into a well-fitting spice container and close the lid tightly.