Sambar Powder

Sambar powder has different recipes at areas and ethnic groups of India. Each recipe has the flavour of that place's culture and ethnicity making it unique. Though the ingredients are more or less same, it is their ratios and proportions and process of preparation what them their unique taste. The recipe that I am going to tell comes from my aunt in Shivamogga, a beautiful town on the banks of river Tunga kissing the feet of the evergreen Western Ghats in Karnataka.

Ingredients:
Dry Red Chillies - 1/2 kg

Fenugreek (methi) seeds - 1 cup

Coriander seeds (dhaniya) - 2 1/2 cup
Chana dal - 1 cup
Black Gram (urad dal) - 1/2 cup
Mustard seeds - 1 spoon
Pepper seeds - 10 seeds
Poppy seeds - 1 spoon
Asafoetida (hing) - 1 tsp
Dry Coconut (Grated) - 1 cup
Curry leaves - 15 leaves

Procedure:

1. Roast Chana dal, Coriander seeds, Methi seeds, Dry Red Chillies, Dry Coconut and Urad dal, each separately, with 1 tsp oil till they are golden brown and keep aside.
2. Roast Mustard seeds, Pepper seeds, Poppy seeds, Asafeotida, Curry leaves (All together) with 1 tsp oil till they are golden brown and keep aside.
3. Grind all the roasted ingredients to fine powder in a mixer. The ingredients can be ground either separately or all together depending on the size of your mixer jar. 
4. Mix all the ground ingredients well and the Sambar powder is ready to be used.