Name: Sambar Powder
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: Yield: ~1 cup
Cuisine: Indian (Jain)
Ingredients: 1½ tbsp Chana dal (bengal gram); 1½ tbsp Urad dal, skinned (black gram); 1 tbsp Toor dal (split pigeon peas); 8–12 Dried red chilies; ¼ cup Coriander seeds; ¾ tsp Methi seeds (fenugreek); 2 tsp Cumin seeds; 1 tsp Black peppercorns, optional; 2 sprigs Curry leaves, optional; ⅛ tsp Hing; ¼ tsp Turmeric powder

Sambar · Spice Blend

Sambar Powder (Sambar Masala)

◆ Prep: 5 min ◆ Roast: 10 min ◆ Yield: ~1 cup

Makes ~1 cup — enough for many batches of sambar or rasam, keeps 3 months

Ingredients

Dals & chilies

Chana dal (bengal gram)1½ tbsp
Urad dal, skinned (black gram)1½ tbsp
Toor dal (split pigeon peas)1 tbsp
Dried red chilies8–12

Seeds

Coriander seeds¼ cup
Methi seeds (fenugreek)¾ tsp
Cumin seeds2 tsp
Black peppercorns, optional1 tsp

Aromatics & finish

Curry leaves, optional2 sprigs
Hing⅛ tsp
Turmeric powder¼ tsp

Method

1 Dry roast in stages

Heat a heavy pan on low flame — low heat the whole way through is what brings out the aroma, don't rush this
Add chana dal (1½ tbsp), urad dal (1½ tbsp), toor dal (1 tbsp) and dried red chilies (8–12); dry roast, stirring often, until the dals turn golden and the chilies darken slightly and smell toasty
Add coriander seeds (¼ cup) and methi seeds (¾ tsp); roast until the coriander turns crunchy and lightly golden, and the methi turns a shade darker and smells nutty
Once fragrant, add curry leaves (2 sprigs) if using; roast until they turn crisp and shatter easily
Add cumin seeds (2 tsp) and peppercorns (1 tsp) if using; roast until the cumin turns crunchy and fragrant, then turn off the flame
With the flame off, stir in turmeric (¼ tsp) and hing (⅛ tsp) — residual heat blooms them without scorching
Transfer everything to a wide plate and spread out to cool completely, at least 20–30 minutes

2 Grind and store

Once fully cooled, transfer everything to a blender or spice grinder jar
Grind to a fine, even powder
Let the ground powder cool completely — grinding generates heat, and trapping that warmth in a sealed jar invites moisture
Store in an airtight glass or steel jar at room temperature; keeps well for about 3 months

👶 Toddler note

This is a pantry ingredient, not a dish on its own, so there's no separate toddler portion here
It's spicy — dried whole chilies and pepper — so whenever you use it later in a sambar, rasam, or anything else, pull her portion before this powder goes in, same as with any other chili step

Equipment Stovetop pan for roasting, then a dry spice or coffee grinder for the final powder — no air fryer or pressure cooker needed here.