Masala is a fragrant spice blend. It can be either wet (a paste) or dry (a blend of dried, often toasted and ground spices). The pastes frequently include fresh ingredients like cilantro, mint, ginger and garlic along with dried spices and oil. Dishes made with such pastes sometimes have masala in their name (e.g. chicken tikka masala).
Garam masala is a popular dry spice blend. There are many variations, from region to region and cook to cook. Clove, cinnamon, nutmeg/mace and cardamom are fairly common denominators, with several other spices -- including cumin, coriander, pepper and nigella -- often joining the party.
- Tandoori masala
- Chatt masala and even
- Panch phoron, the Bengali five-spice blend
are three other members of the large family of dry masalas.
Ingredients for Sambar Powder (Podi)
Dry Red Chilli/Sukhi Lal Mirch- 250 gms [Use long dry red
chilli]
Coriander Seeds/Dhaniya - 250gms
Turmeric/Haldi - 3 pieces or tumeric powder - 1/2 tbsp
Split Yellow Pigeon Peas/Toor Dal - 2 tbsp
Bengal Gram/Channa Dal - 1 tbsp
Peppercorns/Kaali Mirch - 1/2 tbsp
Cumin Seeds/Jeera - 2 tbsp
Mustard Seeds/Rai - 1 tbsp
Fenugreek Seeds/Methi - 1 tsp
Asafoetida/Hing - 1 tsp
Curry Leaves/Kari Patta - 2 sprigs [optional]
You can get products on Amazon.com
LINK FOR PREPARATION
LINK FOR RECIPES USING SAMBAR POWDER RECIPES