BHANCHAGHAR: SAMBAR POWDER-1

March 3, 2010

SAMBAR POWDER-1

I love sambar. And a recent craze of mine has been to collect recipes for home made sambar masalas. The sambar masalas I discovered vary from house to house in South India. (Much like aloo-dum varies from house to house in Darjeeling :). Moreover sambar isnt a single dish and there are so many varieties of sambar depending upon the vegetables added.

Since there are so many recipes for the sambar powders or sambar podis I am simply calling them sambar podi 1,2 etc.

WE NEED

1/4 cup urad dal
1/4 cup channa dal
1 cup dry red chillies
1 cup coriander seeds (Dhania)
1/4 cup fenugreek (methi) seeds

LETS GET GOING

Dry roast all the ingredients
Grind to a powder
Store in an airtight container.

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Welcome to Bhanchaghar.

Bhanchaghar means kitchen in Nepali.

Traditionally the kitchen used to be a separate and smaller structure attached to the main house. A mud hearth, a woodheap outside, the grindingstone, chillies and maize drying above the hearth, a hollow piece of bamboo to blow at the fire, woven bamboo trays, copper water pots and brass vessels were all integral components of these bhanchaghars. And entry to this place was strictly regulated on the basis of caste and religion. Now cooking places are more modern, less formal, more secular but no longer as special as the bhanchaghars of yore.

The photograph above is of my mother in law’s elder sister's kitchen (valiamma in law) in Kerala where a corner has been delightfully preserved in all its ancient glory. A clay hearth with earthen utensils and ladles fashioned out of coconut shells and bamboo makes for a quaint and charming kitchen experience.

This blog is a collection of recipes - original and time tested, adaptations and entirely new inventions. Plus a lot of food talk.