Sambhar Masala
- Total Time
- 10 minutes, plus cooling
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- ¼cup firmly packed medium to large curry leaves
- ¼cup dried Thai or cayenne chiles, stems removed
- 2tablespoons dried yellow split peas, picked over for stones
- 2tablespoons coriander seeds
- 1tablespoon cumin seeds
- 1½teaspoons fenugreek seeds
- 1½teaspoons black or yellow mustard seeds
- 1½teaspoons white or black poppy seeds
- 1cinnamon stick, about 3 inches long, broken into three pieces
- 1½teaspoon sesame oil or vegetable oil
Nutritional analysis per serving (2 servings)
147 calories; 7 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 18 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 6 grams protein; 12 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Combine leaves, chiles, peas and spices in a bowl and drizzle with sesame oil, tossing to coat evenly.
- Step 2
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.
- Step 3
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.
Private Notes
Comments
I live in rural Pennsylvania and getting exotic cooking ingredients can be tricky. I could not find a source for fresh curry leaves, so I bought a tree! 'Tim,' the Curry tree is now 8 years old and lives in a large pot in my sunny bedroom in the winter and on my deck in the summer. I frequently toss the leaves into stews and stir-fries of all variety, providing a earthy, citrusy tang like nothing else. Use instead of bay leaves for a unique take on jambalaya or creole.
You'd use it in Step 1, instead of the olive oil.
Btw, cold-pressed raw sesame oil is the right oil to use for this and for any South Indian cooking (except for deep frying). It's hard to find outside of Indian grocery stores (you don't want the 'roasted and pressed' variety used in Chinese cooking), but you can order it online. 'Idhayam' is a major Indian brand.
In my experience, the effort in acquiring sesame oil to use in sambar is totally worthwhile :)
Hi Jenny,
Where did you buy the tree? An online source? I am hoping to have a tree of my very own too.
Add a couple of tablespoons of fresh grated coconut (you can find fresh frozen coconut in the freezer sections of Indian grocery stores). Roast it for a couple of minutes and grind it up with the rest of your sambhar powder.
I made a quarantine version of this with what was available--so no curry leaves, no fenugreek, no poppy seeds. It was nice--we had it rubbed on shell-on shrimp which we then grilled. Probably not authentic at all, but still a flavorful way to eat shrimp.
Wonderful spice! I didn't have any dried yellow split peas on hand and so used red lentils. Marvellous!
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