Sambar powder
Preparation Time
12 minutes
Cooking Time
15 minutes
Difficulty Level
easy
Meal Type
Lunch
Serves 15
Key Ingredients
- Coriander seeds
About This Recipe
South Indian kitchens usually grind their own sambar powder, and the home ratio is coriander-heavy: coriander seeds carry the blend, with the dals, dried red chillies and fenugreek playing support. This recipe follows that classic ratio, roasts everything in one pan, and weighs the spices because a gram either way on the fenugreek or the chillies changes the bitterness and the heat.
Each ingredient roasts for its own time in the same pan: chana dal first because it is the hardest, then the split dals, then the chillies and curry leaves, and the seeds last. The roasted mix cools fully before grinding, so the powder stays dry and free-flowing in the jar. The finished powder is a fine, deep brick-red with a roasted coriander aroma and a warm citrus edge; whole seeds hold their volatile oils until they are ground, so the blend smells fresher than a powder that has sat on a shelf.
The blend is easy to adjust. Use hotter red chillies of the same weight for more heat, or drop a few for a mild powder. Leave the hing out if you do not keep it. The yield is about 15 level tablespoons, and a pot of sambar using 100 g (about half a cup) of toor dal takes one heaped tablespoon of it; start with a level spoon and taste before adding more.
Ingredient List
Serving Size:
1x
2x
3x
Dals and red chillies
- Chana Dal — 20 g
- Toor dal — 10 g
- Urad dal (split) — 10 g
- Dried red chillies — 12 g
Whole spices
- Coriander seeds — 40 g
- Fenugreek Seeds — 3 g
- Cumin Seeds — 3 g
- Black peppercorns — 3 g
- Curry leaves (dry) — 2 g
Ground spices
- Turmeric Powder — 5 g
- Asafoetida (hing) — 1 g
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Serving Suggestions
The obvious use is sambar: stir one heaped tablespoon into the pot after the dal and vegetables have boiled, about five minutes before the tamarind, and let it simmer so the powder cooks out. The same powder seasons potato and mixed-vegetable curries, a spoonful roasted in oil for poriyal-style stir-fries, and a sprinkle over roasted vegetables. For a quick podi, mix a tablespoon with warm ghee and eat it over rice with a papad.
Tips for Cooking Sambar powder
Keep the flame at medium-low and stir from the first minute: the dals and seeds must brown through, and a hot pan darkens the outside while the inside stays raw. Follow the roasting order instead of tipping everything in at once, because each ingredient needs a different time. Roast in the widest pan you have so everything sits in one thin layer, and always cool the mix fully before grinding.
Chef’s Note
Weigh the spices rather than guessing by eye; the coriander-heavy balance is what makes this blend sambar powder and not a generic masala. Powdered spices lose their aroma faster than whole seeds, so grind small lots, keep the jar tightly closed and mark it with the date. The deep red of the powder comes mostly from the roasted chillies, and the fenugreek should stay a background note, never a bitter one.
Per serving (approx.): 21 kcal, protein 1.1 g, carbs 2.3 g, fat 0.7 g, fibre 2.1 g. Computed from IFCT 2017 / USDA values for the listed quantities. Measures: 1 cup = 240 ml, 1 tbsp = 15 ml, 1 tsp = 5 ml.
Happy Cooking
!!
ByCOWBERRY
Sep 14, 2026
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