Easy homemade Sambar masala (Sambar powder)

A south Indian classic and the most regularly prepared item in my home is ‘sambar’. I make it atleast once a week and more often twice. Either for breakfast with dosa or idly or also for lunch along with rice, it is a very favorite at home. So, I make a large amount of sambar masala at once and store it so that I have it readily available any time. I prefer homemade masala for my sambar since it tastes so fresh compared to the store-bought ones and is also healthy.

Also, when we prepare such masala powders in bulk and store them, we save a lot of bucks on the store-bought packs. Many people have requested me to add recipes for rasam, pickles etc also, I will do so gradually 🙂

Now, everyone makes their own version of sambar masala. I do one that is very quick, simple and needs just a few ingredients. I will soon would also upload recipes for other masala powders used for bisibelle bath, kootu etc.

One most important tip though is do not let water touch the masala, in which case it will not last longer.

Ingredients:

Coriander seeds /dhania /dhaniyalu – 1 cup

Chana dal/senaga pappu – ¼ cup

Fenugreek seeds/menthulu – 1 tbsp

Raw rice – 1 tbsp

Whole dry red chili – about 15-20 (depending on the heat you desire)

Procedure:

1. Dry roast all the ingredients together on a medium-low heat until the spices turn into a golden brown color and start leaving a lovely aroma.
2. Transfer to a bowl and let them cool completely.
3. Blend them into a smooth powder.
4. Store in an air-tight jar and this can be used for a couple of months when kept at room temperature.

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