Sambhar Powder

One of the reasons why I enjoy cooking is the aroma of spices. The aromas wafting around the home are heady.

I try to make most of my freshly ground spices at home like cumin/jeera powder, coriander/dhaniya powder and various other condiments that are a part of South Indian cuisine.

Sambhar is an important part of our cuisine. I tried the ready to cook powder initially and somehow it never matched up to what mom made. Since the first time I made the powder at home, I swore never to buy the it from the stores.

You need:

• 3 cups coriander / dhaniya seeds
• 1 cup split gram dal / channa dal
• 1 cup split black dal / urad dal
• 1/8 tsp fenugreek seeds / methi seeds
• 1/4 heaped tsp pepper corns
• 5 whole red chilies
• Few sprigs of curry leaves

Steps:

• In a deep pan, dry roast the first three ingredients on a low flame, one by one, till fragrant and slightly brown. Keep stirring continuously to avoid it getting burnt.
• Spread them out on a large plate or tray to cool.
• Roast the methi seeds and peppercorns till the methi changes colour.
• Turn off the heat and then roast the curry leaves and red chilies on the pan. Keep stirring continuously till the curry leaves become crisp.

• Once cooled, grind to a fine powder.
• Store it in an airtight container to retain freshness.
• Use as required to make delicious sambhar.

And that is my daughter in the red, she wanted to pose with the sambhar powder :)

Notes:

• Always use a dry spoon.
• Keep the container tightly closed when not in use.
• Using a tsp or two of the powder while making potato or brinjal roast makes it more flavorful.
• Use as curry powder to flavour noodles.
• Please adjust the quantities of pepper corns and red chilies depending on how spicy you like your sambhar.