Sambar powder

Homemade Sambar Powder, Made in Bangalore

This is the same sambar powder we grew up with — coriander, roasted dal, curry leaves and chillies, ground fresh in small batches. It is the kind of blend that turns a pot of toor dal into actual sambar, the way you remember it from a Karnataka home. We make it in our kitchen in Bangalore, in quantities small enough that every batch tastes like it was meant for one family, not a factory.

What Goes Into It

A good sambar powder is mostly about proportion. Too much chilli and you lose the flavour. Too little roasted dal and the gravy never has body. We use coriander seeds as the base, a careful amount of dried red chillies, chana dal and urad dal for nuttiness, fenugreek for the slight bitter note, black pepper for warmth, cumin and turmeric. Curry leaves go in dried, so the aroma stays.

Our chillies come from Andhra Pradesh, where chilli farming is taken seriously. We use a milder variety here — a Karnataka sambar should not bite, it should round out. The dals and coriander are sourced from regions known for them, not picked up cheap.

How We Make It

Each spice is roasted separately, on low heat, until it gives up its oils. Then it cools and goes through a small grinder. We do not use industrial mills because they heat the spice and dull the flavour. A small batch keeps it bright. Each batch is made to be sold within a few weeks, not stored for months. Nothing is added — no preservatives, no artificial colour, no anti-caking agents, no MSG.

How to Use It

For a sambar that serves four, two to three teaspoons of this powder is usually enough. Pressure-cook a cup of toor dal with turmeric. Soak a small lemon-sized ball of tamarind, extract the juice. In a kadhai, sauté your vegetables — drumstick, brinjal, pumpkin, whatever is in the kitchen — with the tamarind water. Add the cooked dal, salt, a small piece of jaggery (balances the tang) and the sambar powder. Let it simmer for ten minutes. Temper with mustard seeds, curry leaves and a dried chilli in ghee or coconut oil, and pour over. That is it.

It also works in idli sambar, a quick dal tadka, or stirred into rasam in a pinch.

Sambar Powder vs Sambar Masala

People often ask if sambar powder and sambar masala are the same thing. Short answer — no. Sambar powder is a dry roasted ground blend you add during cooking. Sambar masala usually refers to a wet paste or a tempering mix, more common in some North Indian and Western Indian preparations. We have written more about this in this guide.

Storage and Shelf Life

Keep it in an airtight container, away from direct sunlight and away from the stove. It stays fresh for about six months. If your kitchen is humid, drop a dry chilli into the jar — old grandmother trick, it absorbs moisture.

Ships Across India from Bangalore

We ship sambar powder online across India through Delhivery. Bangalore deliveries usually arrive in two to three days. Other cities, three to seven business days. Free shipping on orders above Rs 699. Cash on delivery is available.

Try also: our rasam powder and bisi bele bath powder. See our full range of authentic Karnataka masalas.