Best Sambhar Masala Recipes

SAMBHAR MASALA

Sambhar Masala image

Raghavan Iyer, the author of "The Turmeric Trail" and teacher who was born in Mumbai and came to the United States as a young man, says there as many sambhar masalas as there are kitchens in south India. The spice mix is used to flavor sambhar, the ubiquitous thin stew of Southern India. If you can't find the curry leaves, you can leave them out, but it's worth it to search out a South Asian or international grocery or order some online. Use it in curries, stir-fries or simple dishes of roasted or grilled vegetables. It can be rubbed onto meat before grilling or stirred into mashed potatoes enriched with melted butter. The recipe can easily be doubled and keeps well. Do not refrigerate as it will cake.

Provided by Kim Severson

Categories condiments

Time 10m

Yield About 3/4 cup

Number Of Ingredients 10

Ingredients

1/4 cup firmly packed medium to large curry leaves
1/4 cup dried Thai or cayenne chiles, stems removed
2 tablespoons dried yellow split peas, picked over for stones
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons fenugreek seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons black or yellow mustard seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons white or black poppy seeds
1 cinnamon stick, about 3 inches long, broken into three pieces
1 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil or vegetable oil

Steps:

Combine leaves, chiles, peas and spices in a bowl and drizzle with sesame oil, tossing to coat evenly.
Heat medium-sized skillet over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add coated spices and toast, stirring constantly, 2 to 4 minutes, until the leaves appear dry and brittle, the chiles begin to blacken slightly, the split peas turn dark brown and the mustard seeds begin to pop. Watch carefully, so the mixture does not burn. Remove to a plate to cool.
When spices are cool to the touch, pour half into a spice grinder. (A clean coffee grinder will do.) Grind until spices are the texture of finely ground pepper. Transfer mixture to a bowl and repeat with remaining spices. The mixture will keep at room temperature for up to 2 months in a tightly sealed container.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 152, UnsaturatedFat 6 grams, Carbohydrate 21 grams, Fat 7 grams, Fiber 9 grams, Protein 6 grams, SaturatedFat 1 gram, Sodium 14 milligrams, Sugar 2 grams

SAMBHAR MASALA

Sambhar Masala image

Sambhar powder, a blend of spices and lentils, is used in South Indian Dals. It is possible to buy Sambhar Powder from an Indian Grocer, but things always taste better if you make them yourself from scatch! I haven't made this yet but, personally, I would cut down on the number of chillies!! The amount it makes is an educated guess. Adapted from a recipe by Madhur Jaffrey.

Provided by Daydream

Categories Asian

Time 20m

Yield 3/4 cup

Number Of Ingredients 13

Ingredients

3 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
1/4 teaspoon asafoetida powder
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 teaspoons channa dal (split gram lentils)
2 teaspoons Urad Dal (split black lentils)
2 teaspoons split yellow lentils (toor dal)
20 fresh curry leaves, if available
12 whole dried red chilies, stalks and seeds removed,to taste

Steps:

Heat one teaspoon of the oil in a heavy pan, over medium heat, and add the mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds, black peppercorns and coriander seeds.
Stir and roast for 3-4 minutes, reducing the heat if necessary to take care that the spices don't burn.
Add the asafoetida and turmeric powders, stir and remove pan from the heat.
Transfer spices to a bowl to cool.
In the same pan, heat the remaining 2 teaspoons oil and roast the three types of lentils for a couple of minutes.
When they start to colour add the curry leaves and dried chillies, and continue roasting until chillies have darkened, again taking care the contents do not burn.
Add the pan contents to the bowl and cool along with the spices.
In small batches, grind the spice mix in a clean coffee grinder until fine.
Store in a tightly closed jar away from heat and sunlight.
This will last from several months to a year.