Sambhar or Sambar is a dish common in southern India and Sri Lanka, made of dal (usually toor dal) and vegetables, tamarind, herbs, and spices. This is a delicious South Indian sambar variety made with orange pumpkin. Pumpkins are packed with potassium, vitamin A, vitamin C, and fiber.
Ingredients:
- 250 gm Orange pumpkin
- 2 cups toor dal
- 1 large tomato
- 1 medium onion
- Oil
- 2 tbsp tamarind paste
- Jaggery (optional)
- Cilantro
- Curry leaves
- 3-4 garlic cloves
- Salt
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- ¼ tsp Hing
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
Spices for sambar paste (instead, you can use readymade sambar powder)
- 4-5 dried red chilies
- 1 tsp methi (fenugreek) seeds
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds
- 1.5 tsp urad dal
- 1.5 tsp chana dal
- 1.5 tsp rice
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- ¼ cup grated coconut
- 8-10 peppercorns
Method:
- Wash, rinse toor dal
- Add 1:2.5 (5 cups water for 2 cups dal) water, and ½ tsp turmeric powder, and pressure cook it
- The dal should be completely cooked and mushy
- Mash dal with a spoon, and keep it aside
- Rinse, peel and chop 250 grams of pumpkin in large pieces (I like thin slices than cubes)
- Thinly slice onion and tomatoes
- Chop cilantro
- Cut garlic into small pieces
- Dray roast following by adding a few oil drops on low flame: dried red chili, rice, urad dal, chana dal, methi seeds, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and black peppercorns
- Once dals turn golden in color and begin to turn aromatic, add grated coconut and roast t for 2 minutes
- Once they cool down, grind them to a smooth paste by adding ¼ cup of water
- Keep it aside
- If you are using dry tamarind instead of readymade tamarind pulp.
- Soak dry tamarind in water for 15 minutes and make a paste
- Heat oil in a cooking pot
- Add mustard seeds, and cumin seeds and let them crackle
- Add hing, curry leaves, garlic pieces, and onions
- Add turmeric powder, and salt and mix well
- After 1 minute, add sliced tomatoes
- Once tomato pieces soften, add pumpkin pieces
- Mix, cover, and cook for 2-3 minutes
- Then add tamarind paste and add paste of spices
- Mix well, add 1 cup of water, cover and cook for a few more minutes
- Lastly, add mashed dal, salt, jaggery
- Add water to get the desired consistency
- Let the sambar boil well until pumpkin pieces cook well
- To check it, take out one piece of pumpkin and cut it with a spoon
- You should be able to do it easily if the pumpkin is cooked well
- Adjust salt, add chopped cilantro and turn off the stove
- Serve hot with rice or idli.
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