24 Mantra Organic Sambar Powder Review – Why Did It Score Low?

Replicating authentic flavors is nothing less than a challenge. That’s why readymade masala becomes the saving grace as the need to collect and measure multiple ingredients and flavoring agents disappears. 

Calling them the ‘perfect blend of organic spices for authentic taste’, 24 Mantra Organic offers its pesticide-free sambar powder. Mishry’s 24 Mantra Organic Sambar powder review covers everything from how the Team tested it to its aroma, flavor, and more.

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Here’s all you need to know about 24 Mantra Organic Sambar Powder.

What were we looking for in 24 Mantra Organic Sambar Powder?

A bold, inviting aroma and flavor of the staple ingredients that go in making sambar. Is this a mix that results in an easy yet flavorful sambar at home?

1. Flavor 

Sambar is characterized by a bittersweet but tangy and pungent flavor profile. Complex but appetizing, we were looking for the distinct pungency of asafoetida and acidic flavor of curry leaves,  the appetizing bitterness of mustard seeds, and the heat of chilli and pepper. 

Did it contain salt?

2. Aroma

If the blend of spices is right, the aroma is enough to get those around drooling. How was our experience with 24 Mantra Organic Sambar Powder?

3. Other Parameters

Under this parameter, we gauged non-tasting aspects like price, packaging, shelf life, and ingredients used.

We tested TEN sambar masala brands and the most flavorful is…

Price & Packaging

This organic sambar powder is packed in a pouch with no carton packing. A 100-gram pack is priced at Rs 75/- and has a shelf life of 12 months. 

Main Ingredients

Coriander, Chilli, Bengal Gram (chickpea), Turmeric Powder, Fenugreek, Rice, Salt, and Black Pepper. 

Of these, all ingredients except salt are organic. 

This sambar powder does not use staple ingredients like curry leaves and asafoetida, etc. 

24 Mantra Organic is certified organic by USDA Organic, Jaivik Bharat, India Organic, and IN BIO 149 Non-EU Agriculture. 

How we made it 

Following the instructions on the pack, we soaked a quarter cup of arhar/toor dal for almost 20 minutes before cooking. In our Hawkins cooker, we added the soaked dal with some salt and let it cook for three whistles. 

After three whistles, we let it cook for a few more minutes on a slow flame. 

In another pot, we boiled veggies like drumsticks, bottle gourd, and tomatoes with some salt. Later, we combined the contents of both pots and cooked them together for 2-3 minutes to amalgamate it all together. Once done, we added one tablespoon of the sambar masala. We added an additional 1/4th cup of water and let the contents come to a boil 2-3 more times. 

Aroma & Taste 

The aroma was extremely subtle. Typically, the aroma of a sambar cooking is extremely inviting, but it was too feeble here. So was the case with the flavors. We were required to add salt and other than the salt levels, other flavoring agents were completely out of balance. Sambar must be pungent, must have a bold bittersweet taste that mustard and fenugreek seeds lend- this seasoning mix lacked both key properties. Neither was it spicy nor was it tangy or pungent. The sulphourous flavor of asafoetida was lacking too.

The unique flavors of classic sambar ingredients like curry leaves, red chillies, asafoetida were missed.

Turmeric had the boldest presence in terms of taste and appearance. Unlike traditional sambar, this did not have an orange-red appearance, it was more mustard yellow. 

Here are some interesting FAQs on 24 Mantra Organic Sambar Powder.

A let-down on aroma and an even bigger let-down on taste, Mishry had a disappointing experience with 24 Mantra Organic Sambar powder. The aromatic ingredients like curry leaves, red chillies, mustard seeds, asafoetida, and others that make sambar ‘sambar’ failed to show their presence in terms of aroma as well as taste. Moreover, this did not even lend the bold orange-red color. 

Do you prepare masala blends at home or are packaged cartons your go-to?