An authentic sambar powder recipe, shared with clear step by step instructions / photos, and a recipe video too, that will help you make fresh, fragrant and flavorful sambar masala powder at home, which you can then use to make delicious South Indian style sambar, and many other dishes!
And trust me it's simpler than you think. Plus a big batch of this sambar powder will take only about an hour to make, and last an entire year!
I got this recipe for sambar powder from my mom, who got it from her aunt (Prema ajji), and ever since the first time my mom & I tried it, this recipe for homemade sambar masala powder has been an instant hit - with everyone in the family!
Since then many of us in the family regularly make and stock up on it. And so it's been on my list to share it here on the blog too.
Though I also realize that these days, many choose to go with the store bought masalas and spices. And I get it. I myself still buy some spice powders from the store.
But whenever I get an authentic, fail-proof recipe like this one, I am usually a convert. Because no store bought masala, usually that comes with added preservatives, can compete with a fresh, flavorful and fragrant homemade spice blend.
Plus, making fresh homemade masalas doesn't take as much time as we think it will take. A big batch of this sambar powder for instance takes a little over an hour to make, and lasts me almost a year!
Jump to:
Sambar Powder Ingredients
Ingredient notes
Exact quantities of all required ingredients have been shared in the recipe card below. One thing to note is that the measurement for chillies has been given in cups.
This is intentional, because for this recipe it's best to measure chillies by volume and not by number. I tried doing it by number, but it did not work out, because the shape and size of chillies can vary, so it's more reliable to measure it by volume.
How to Make Sambar Powder at Home
Dry roasting the ingredients
- Using wide, flat pans, dry roast chana dal, toor dal, and urad dal (separately) on low flame, till they get well roasted. Chana dal will take the most time to roast, and urad dal will be done the quickest, because of the size of the lentils. When well roasted - chana dal & toor dal will turn darker in color, and urad dal will turn darker cream, very lightly brown in color, and if you eat the roasted lentils, you will feel the crispness, and it will not taste raw.
- Then in another wide pan, dry roast fenugreek seeds and mustard seeds together, in the same pan, on a low flame, till they get well roasted. But because fenugreek seeds are larger in size, dry roast them for 1 minute, before adding mustard seeds to the pan. When well roasted - fenugreek seeds will turn lightly red-ish, and mustard seeds will turn white-ish in color.
Roasting in oil
- In a wide pan, add a little oil, and the dry red chillies and byadagi chillies. Roast on low flame till the chillies get roasted. Ensure to not burn the chillies. When well roasted - they will turn deeper in color.
- In another wide pan, add some oil, and the coriander seeds. Roast on low flame till the coriander seeds get well roasted. When well roasted - the coriander seeds will turn lightly reddish, and also leave a light aroma.
- And finally, using a wide flat pan, roast turmeric powder, and asafoetida powder using little oil, for about 3-5 minutes, till the spices get lightly roasted. When roasted - they will deepen in color.
Grinding the roasted ingredients
- Before grinding the ingredients, ensure they have all cooled to room temperature.
- Then in a dry mixer, add the roasted dals first (chana dal, toor dal, uard dal), and grind them into fine powder. When done, take the powder out of the mixer, and set it aside.
- In the same mixer, first add the roasted red chillies, and give it a quick pulse to crush the chillies into flakes. Then to the crushed chillies, add roasted fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds, and coriander seeds, and grind them into powder.
- Do not over-grind this chilli & spice mixture, else it might turn into a paste-like mix, because of the moisture present (in the form of leftover oil from roasting chillies & coriander seeds). It's okay if it's a coarser mixture compared to the ground dals, but it should still be a dry powder.
Blending everything together
- In a wide bottomed utensil (paraat), mix together the roasted dal powder, and the roasted chillies & spice powder.
- To this mixture, add roasted asafoetida powder, turmeric powder, and salt, and mix everything together.
- Then once again, grind this mix in the dry mixer, to ensure it's all ground into a fine powder, and everything is well blended together. Depending on the size of your mixer, you may need to do this in 2 batches.
- Sambar powder is ready to use or store.
Pro Tips to Save Time & Effort
- Low flame is critical to get a good even roast on the ingredients, so do not try and speed up the process by increasing the flame. Better to use flatter wider pans to speed up the roasting process. It will help in getting a more even roast too.
- You can also dry roast everything (especially the dals) simultaneously, on different burners, to save time. And since different ingredients have different roasting times, you can plan accordingly, and also then re-use pans, to save time as well as number of utensils required.
- For instance, I always start roasting dals first, 3 dals on 3 burners. Urad dal gets done the quickest, so I reuse that pan for dry roasting fenugreek & mustard seeds. And once the dry roasting is done, I use the same pans to roast chillies and coriander seeds & other spices in oil.
- If you have roasted chillies, it's best to use them versus roasting them just in time to make sambar powder. Because sometimes pre-roasted chillies don't have as much oil on them, and lesser moisture on the ingredients makes it easier to grind them into a powder versus paste. But you can always just quickly pat down the freshly roasted chillies with paper towel to remove excess moisture, and that should work too. I do the same with roasted coriander seeds, to pat down any excess moisture.
How to Use Sambar Powder
There are many ways to use sambar powder in many different dishes. Of-course it is most commonly used as flavoring to make South Indian style sambar. But it can also be used to flavor rasam, and some breakfast and snack dishes too! I'll share those in the coming months.
How to Store Sambar Powder
Sambar powder is best stored in a dry and air tight glass container at room temperature.
Does Sambar Powder Expire
Spices in general last a long, long time. Though after a while they start to lose their potency.
This sambar powder is no exception. As long as it is stored well, it lasts for about 2 years. Though I usually run out of it within a year.
Depending on the batch size, and how frequently you use it, it might last you longer. But it's still best to use it up within 2 years. And then plan to make a smaller batch the next time.
Related recipes..
⭐️ Delicious Sambar (using this sambar powder)
⭐️ Fool Proof Idli Batter ( ingredients + ratio + tips)
⭐️ South Indian Coconut Chutney (classic white chutney)
⭐️ Red Coconut Chutney (with red chillies & garlic)
As always, I hope you found this recipe useful. If you did, please let me know your rating ⭐️ and feedback ? in the comments below, or simply rate the recipe right on the recipe card. I'd really appreciate it. ❤️
Sambar Powder Recipe (Homemade Sambar Masala)
Equipment
Ingredients
For dry roast
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoon chana dal (split bengal gram /chickpeas)
- ½ cup toor dal (split yellow pigeon peas)
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoon urad dal (split & skinned black gram / matpe beans)
- ½ tablespoon black mustard seeds (rai)
- ½ tablespoon fenugreek seeds (methi)
For roasting with oil
- 2 tablespoon oil divided
- 2 cup dry red chillies *measure in volume not number (see notes)
- 2 cup byadagi chillies *measure in volume not number (see notes)
- 1½ cup coriander seeds (dhania)
- 2 tablespoon turmeric powder (haldi)
- 1½ tablespoon asafoetida powder (hing)
Other ingredients
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
Dry roasting ingredients
- In a wide pan, take ½ cup & 2 tablespoon chana dal, and dry roast on low flame, till it gets well roasted. When well roasted - chana dal will turn darker in color, and if you eat it, you will feel the crispness, and it will not taste raw. It usually takes 40 minutes to roast chana dal on low flame.
- In a wide pan, take ½ cup toor dal, and dry roast on low flame, till it gets well roasted. When well roasted - toor dal will turn darker in color, and if you eat it, you will feel the crispness, and it will not taste raw. It usually takes 25 minutes to roast toor dal on low flame.
- In a wide pan, take ¼ cup & 2 tablespoon urad dal, and dry roast on low flame, till it gets well roasted. When well roasted - urad dal will turn darker cream, very lightly brown in color, and if you eat it, you will feel the crispness, and it will not taste raw. It usually takes 20 minutes to roast urad dal on low flame.
- In a wide pan, dry roast ½ tablespoon fenugreek seeds and ½ tablespoon mustard seeds together, in the same pan, on a low flame, till they get well roasted. But because fenugreek seeds are larger in size, dry roast them for 1 minute, before adding mustard seeds to the pan. When well roasted - fenugreek seeds will turn lightly red-ish, and mustard seeds will turn white-ish in color. It usually takes 5 minutes to dry roast them on low flame.
Roasting using oil
- In a wide pan, add 1 tablespoon oil, and 2 cups dry red chillies and 2 cups dry byadagi chillies. Roast on low flame till the chillies get roasted. Ensure to not burn the chillies. When well roasted - they will turn deeper in color. It usually takes 3-5 minutes to roast them on low flame.
- In a wide pan, add ½ tablespoon oil, and 1½ cups coriander seeds. Roast on low flame till the coriander seeds get well roasted. When well roasted - the coriander seeds will turn lightly reddish, and also leave a light aroma. It usually takes 10-15 minutes to roast them on low flame.
- In a wide pan, add ½ tablespoon oil, and add in 2 tablespoon turmeric powder, and 1½ tablespoon asafoetida powder. Roast on low flame for 3-5 minutes, till the spices get lightly roasted. When roasted - they will deepen in color.
Grinding the roasted ingredients
- Before grinding the ingredients, ensure they have all cooled to room temperature.
- Then in a dry mixer, add the roasted dals first (chana dal, toor dal, urad dal), and grind them into fine powder. When done, take the powder out of the mixer, and set it aside.
- In the same mixer, first add the roasted red chillies, and give it a quick pulse to crush the chillies into flakes. Then to the crushed chillies, add roasted fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds, and coriander seeds, and grind them into powder.
- Do not over-grind this chilli & spice mixture, else it might turn into a paste-like mix, because of the moisture present (in the form of leftover oil from roasting chillies & coriander seeds). It's okay if it's a coarser mixture compared to the ground dals, but it should still be a dry powder. (see notes below)
Blending everything together
- In a wide bottomed utensil (paraat), mix together the roasted dal powder, and the roasted chillies & spice powder.
- To this mixture, add roasted asafoetida powder, turmeric powder, and 1 teaspoon salt, and mix everything together.
- Then once again, grind this mix in the dry mixer, to ensure it's all ground into a fine powder, and everything is well blended together. Depending on the size of your mixer, you may need to do this in 2 batches.
- Sambar powder is ready to use or store. For storing - store it in a dry and air tight glass container at room temperature.
Notes
- Low flame is critical to get a good even roast on the ingredients, so do not try and speed up the process by increasing the flame. Better to use flatter wider pans to speed up the roasting process. It will help in getting a more even roast too. All roasting times mentioned above are using a flat wide pan on a low flame.
- You can also dry roast everything (especially the dals) simultaneously, on different burners, to save time. And since different ingredients have different roasting times, you can plan accordingly, and also then re-use pans, to save time as well as number of utensils required.
- For instance, I always start roasting dals first, 3 dals on 3 burners. Urad dal gets done the quickest, so I reuse that pan for dry roasting fenugreek & mustard seeds. And once the dry roasting is done, I use the same pans to roast chillies and coriander seeds & other spices in oil.
- Always measure chillies by volume and not by number. I tried doing it by number, but it did not work out, because the shape and size of chillies can vary, so it's more reliable to measure it by volume.
- If you have roasted chillies, it's best to use them versus roasting them just in time to make sambar powder. Because sometimes pre-roasted chillies don't have as much oil on them, and lesser moisture on the ingredients makes it easier to grind them into a powder versus paste. But you can always just quickly pat down the freshly roasted chillies with paper towel to remove excess moisture, and that should work too. I do the same with roasted coriander seeds, to pat down any excess moisture.
Nutrition
Video Recipe
This post was first published in 2021, and has been republished with updated instructions & images in May 2024.
If you'd like FREE recipes and meal prep ideas delivered directly to your email inbox every Friday in one short email, then subscribe to the Foodie Friday list HERE, and never run out of ideas on what to cook over the weekend or prep for the week ahead. 🙂
Elieana Singh
Very informative and direct on how to properly nmix the masala together. My husband is punjab and loves a good dosa and sambar. This was my very first attempt at sambar at home. This made a medium to large portion of masala and I’m very happy. Taste gives such a nice light roast flavor to the sambar. If you haven’t tried this yet? My dear you’re missing out !!!
The Love of Spice
Thank you! So glad you liked it!
Sunil
Terrific
The Love of Spice
Thank you!