Sambar is the inevitable part of South Indian Thali and sometimes served with breakfast also. Prepared using Toor dal and vegetables, Sambar is consumed with rice, Idli, Dosa, Chapati, and so on. It is a must of every South Indian kitchen every day! Sambar made using homemade Sambar Powder is the best in taste.
Sambar gets its special taste from the spices used in making it and the vegetables used in it. The earlier practice was to make sambar powder fresh every day and it was not stored. Now due to other compulsions, sambar powder is kept in stock for easy cooking. Many branded sambar powders are available in the market, but nothing like the one prepared in your own kitchen. Here you get the option to customize and make it to your taste.
Here I am teaching simple sambar masala recipe in very easy steps. In 15 minutes you can make this powder which will last for at least one month.
Now let us start preparation.
Ingredients for Sambhar Powder
- Coriander seeds (dhaniya) – 3 cups
- Gram Dal – 1/2 Cup
- Rice – 1/3 cup
- Guntur red chilies – 2 Cups
- Byadagi red chilies – 1 Cup
- Oil to fry – 4 small spoon
Preparation of Sambar Powder
- Take a pan and add 4 spoons of oil. Let this get hot. Now add Gram Dal and fry for 2 minutes on low heat with continuous stirring.
- Now add rice and fry for two minutes.
- Now add coriander seeds, chilies and fry for 10 minutes on low flame only with continuous stirring. It gives out a nice aroma that you can feel in the entire house.
Now switch off the stove and allow it to cool. When it comes to room temperature, make it into a fine powder in the mixer.
Sambar Powder is ready. Store it in an airtight container. It has a long shelf life of around a month. However, the freshly made powder is always the best. Earlier, it was a practice to make fresh powder every day. With nuclear families shooting up, the practice of making powder and storing has come into practice.
One tablespoon of this powder should be ground to a smooth paste with 2 spoons of grated coconut to make 1/2 Ltr. sambar. However, the quantity of Powder can be varied as per individual taste.
Experience Speaks:
- I have not used any spices like cinnamon, clove, etc. because the sambar should have the flavor of the vegetable used and not of the spices.
- I have used a mixture of Byadagi and Guntur chilies for the reason that Byadagi chilies give a nice color and Guntur makes it spicy and gives a nice taste.
- If you get bored of eating the same taste every day, you can change the taste by adding 4-5 black pepper seeds or a small piece of Cinnamon or 1 or 2 clove.
- For some vegetables, you can add asafoetida to get a unique aroma.
- For Idli and Dosa, I suggest using onion, tomato as the main vegetables. You can add small quantities of carrot, beans, peas, drumstick, cabbage, etc. depending on your personal taste.
