Kerala Sambar Powder
The Quirky Foodster Team
About 1 cup
Servings
Ingredients
- Similar base to standard sambar powder but typically incorporating more coconut and a distinctive Kerala preference for a milder chile heat balanced against the region's characteristic use of coconut oil in cooking
Method
- Dry-roast the lentils (dals) first until golden, then add and toast the whole spices, cool, and grind everything together into a fine powder. As for standard sambar powder, with the addition of toasted grated coconut to the roasting and grinding process.
- Essential, and notably includes toasting raw lentils/dals alongside the spices — a distinguishing preparation step versus most other blends in this reference, which toast only spices. As for standard sambar powder, plus coconut toasting.
Origin: Kerala, South India — a regional variant of the broader sambar powder tradition.
Use: Added during the cooking of Kerala-style sambar and related dishes.
Classic Dishes: Kerala sambar; various Kerala vegetable stews.
Storage: Keeps 2-3 months sealed and dark, somewhat shorter-lived than the coconut-free version given the added oil content.
Variations: A regional variant within the broader sambar powder family, distinguished by its coconut inclusion reflecting Kerala’s broader culinary reliance on coconut.
Substitutions: Standard sambar powder plus toasted grated coconut.
- Similar base to standard sambar powder but typically incorporating more coconut and a distinctive Kerala preference for a milder chile heat balanced against the region's characteristic use of coconut oil in cooking
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