The recipe for Sambar powder differs from family to family, and depends on caste, community and place of origin. This recipe is my mother’s, tried, tested and perfected over the years. Don’t give me credit. I just blindly follow what she tells me to do!

All ingredients need to be added in the right proportions. Use whatever measure you want; just make sure you use the same measure for all the ingredients. A standard measuring cup would be ideal. My mother and grandmother use the “aazhaakku”, a standard South Indian measure of volume.

Ingredients

Dhania seeds – 1 measure
Red Chillies (dried) – 3 measures
Fenugreek seeds – ¼ measure
Cooking oil – 2 teaspoons

Preparation

1. Add one teaspoon of oil and heat a Kadai or a deep frying pan (use a Chinese wok if you don’t have this) over an open flame.
2. Add the red chillies and fry until it turns a dark shade of red. Remove into a food processor.
3. Check to see of the wok is still greasy. If not, add one more teaspoon of oil and heat. Add the dhania seeds and fry for about 3-5 minutes. Remove into the food processor.
4. Finally, roast the fenugreek seeds. They can be dry roasted if the wok is not greasy. Just keep stirring to ensure that it doesn’t burn. Remove the roasted fenugreek into the food processor.
5. Grind well and store in an airtight container.

This powder is used to make all kinds of sambars and can be stored for a fortnight at least. While it won’t spoil after that, it tends to lose its freshness after a while. If that happens, just dump the powder back into a hot, dry wok and dry roast. The final result must resemble what is in the picture above. It smells delicious provided you haven’t yet been distracted by the milkman at the door, the latest episode of Desperate Housewives or the maid servant wanting to mop the floor at precisely this point, and ended up burning the powder to a blackened mess! Happy cooking!

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