Sambhar Podi - Tamil Style

Hi everyone ..

This post is special as this is the first time I am grinding sambhar podi at home. All this time it used to come from my MIL's place or a small store in Salem. I am more used to making "Arachu vitta Sambhar", a recipe which asks for fresh ground masala paste everytime.

I have not bothered with grinding the podi at home until now. I don't have any special reason for not trying to grind sambhar podi at home except  that it was conveniently available at hand in packets.

So the search started for a simple recipe [google leads the way ..]. I was stunned to see so many recipes for sambhar podi with so many variations right from Chettinad variety to Iyengar style. One recipe was intriguing from "Kannammacooks" blog which was "Tamil Style". Just like the name the ingredient list was also intriguing.

I decided to give it a  try. Thankfully I had done the monthly shopping for the cupboard ingredients already, so making the sambhar podi was done an dusted in an hour's time. For the below given ingredient content you will get around 200 to 220 gms of sambhar podi.

I added 2 sprigs of curry leaves along with the other ingredients. This is purely optional but I felt it adds a nice aroma to the podi.

For the Sambhar podi : Recipe  source kannammacooks
Red chillies: 20 [long ones]
Coriander seeds: 1/2 cup
Thuvar dal: 1/4 cup
Rice: 2tbsp
Cumin : 3 tbsp
Fennel seeds: 1 tsp
Black pepper: 2tbsp
Fenugreek seeds: 2 tsp
Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
Poppy seeds: 2 tsp
Curry leaves: 2 sprigs [washed and dried]
Tumeric [whole]: 2
Asafoetida powder: 2 tsp
Gingelly oil : 1 tsp

 
1.Heat a heavy bottomed pan and add 1 tsp of gingelly oil. Add the red chillies and saute on low flame. Once the red chillies start swelling a bit, take the pan off the flame and transfer the chillies onto a plate.

2.Keep the same pan [the one used to roast the red chillies] on low flame. Roast the coriander seeds first until they become fragrant which will take a minute or two. Transfer the coriander seeds onto a plate.

3.Roast the thuvar dal,rice and curry leaves together for a minute followed by the rest of the ingredients [except if you are using tumeric powder instead of whole tumeric]. Transfer all the roasted ingredients onto the plate that has the roasted coriander seeds

4.Cool all the roasted ingredients. Grind everything together to a powder. Transfer the ground powder onto a plate and let it cool. Store in an air-tight container.

How to use: Add 2 tbsp of sambhar podi to simmering tamarind onion base and simmer for 5 minutes before adding the cooked thuvar dal and vegetables. Not sure how that is done, "Pumpkin Sambhar" to follow..

Notes:
 If you don't have whole dried tumeric,add 1 tsp of tumeric powder to the sambhar podi in the end and mix.
 
For the best results [taste wise] make sure all the ingredients are as fresh and clean as possible. Take care when roasting the ingredients especially the red chillies and the coriander seeds. If you let these two ingredients roast a bit longer than needed where they turn dark brown, it will spoil the taste of the podi completely.

It is always a good idea to make the podi in small batches as this helps in retaining the freshness and flavour of the product.

Enjoy ...