Grandma's Sambar Powder / Sambar Spice Blend

This is my grandma's recipe for sambar powder. Actually, this is my great grandmother's sambar powder recipe. It has come down all the way to me.

Spice blends are slightly different in each family, although the overall ingredients remain the same. The quantities are adjusted slightly, and this creates a whole slew of different variations in essentially the same spice blend.

This sambar powder defines my childhood meals. Every sambar, kootu, and vegetable curry was spiced with this blend, so this evokes my sensory memory of childhood the most. My mom made a fresh batch of this sambar powder before coming, so it is wonderfully aromatic and delicious when added to sambar!

Please refer to my Glossary page if you'd like more information about the Indian ingredients listed in this recipe

Ingredients:

1. 1/4 Kilogram dry red chillies
2. 1/2 Kilogram coriander seeds / dhania
3. 3/4 cup toor dal / thuvaram paruppu / yellow lentils
4. 1/2 cup bengal gram / kadala paruppu / channa dal
5. 1/4 cup black peppercorns
6. 3/4 cup turmeric roots (if you can't find turmeric root, just use turmeric powder)
7. 1 tablespoon fenugreek seeds / vendhayam

Preparation:

1.  Traditionally speaking, all these ingredients are kept under the hot sun for about 6 hours. Then, they are ground to a fine powder. Since we are not always blessed with sunshine, keep all these ingredients in a warm oven (at its lowest temperature setting) for 1-2 hours, depending on the temperature of the oven. When the ingredients are warm and fragrant (the ingredients should not change color), take out and grind to a fine powder.

 
Use in sambars, kootus, dals, and vegetable stir fries.

My in-law's recipe for sambar powder is here.