SAMBAR POWDER STANDEE POUCH

Sambar often contains sambar powder, a coarse spice mix made of roasted lentils, dried whole red chilies, fenugreek seeds, coriander seeds and sometimes asafoetida and curry leaves. … The vegetables, tamarind pulp, sambar powder, turmeric, salt, and asafoetida are boiled together until the vegetables are half-cooked.
Then the cooked lentils (most often the split pigeon pea) are added and allowed to cook until the vegetables are done. A spice-scented oil is added to the cooked sambar for extra flavor and tempering, and the dish is served garnished with fresh coriander leaves or curry leaves.
The addition of spice-scented oils at the end of cooking is a common Indian culinary technique. A combination of mustard seeds, black gram, dried red chilies and curry leaves fried in ghee or vegetable oil is one example of numerous oil flavorings used for sambar.