Pumpkin / Mathanga Sambar

Mathanga / Pumpkin Sambar

Here's the recipes of Homemade Sambar powder and Ulli Sambar.

A delicious sambar, goes well with Idli / Dosa / Rice / Variety rice …

Serves: 4

Ingredients

For the  dal :

1/2 cup ( 100 ml ) tur dal (Indian standard measuring cup of 100 ml / 4 oz capacity)

300 ml water

1 teaspoon oil

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

1 onion, roughly chopped

1 tomato, roughly chopped

Method

For the  Dal:

Wash and clean tur dal.

In a steel bowl, mix tur dal, water, oil and turmeric powder. Pressure cook tur dal along with water, turmeric powder, oil, onion and tomatoes for 20 minutes. Water level should be 1 - inch above dal - tomato - onion ( reduce heat after 2nd whistle and cook cook on a low heat for 15 minutes. Allow the pressure cooker to cool naturally).

Open the lid. Gently mash cooked dal- tomato - onion mixture. Adding onion and tomato will make the sambar gravy thick and creamy.

Other ingredients for sambar:

1 teaspoon oil

15 sambar onions (small onion / shallots / chuvannulli in Malayalam / Piyyavu in Konkani / sambar venkayam in Tamil )

200 g pumpkin (mathanga / dudhi), peel off the skin gently and cut into ½ - inch cubes

100 ml (1/2 cup) water

3/4 teaspoon salt ( or to taste)

1 tablespoon tamarind juice (or 1 teaspoon thick tamarind paste) Soak a small lemon sized ball of tamarind in ¼ cup hot water for half an hour and extract clear tamarind juice. 1 tablespoon or to taste

2 1/4 teaspoon 777 brand Madras Sambar Powder/ Eastern / Melam / MTR Sambar powder / homemade sambar powder (2½ teaspoon homemade sambar powder if using) - Dilute sambar powder in 2 tablespoon water and keep aside.

For the  sambar :

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a pan. Add small onion and fry on a low heat until light pink color.

In a bowl, mix shallow fried onion,  pumpkin pieces, cooked dal – onion – tomato mixture, tamarind juice / paste, salt to taste and extra 100 ml (1/2 cup) water. Sambar should be of pouring consistency.

Cover with lid and cook on a medium heat for 5 - 7 minutes.

Add diluted sambar powder and boil again for 10 - 12 minutes on a low heat to medium heat till done. You can find a slight reduction in the quantity of the sambar and nice aroma of sambar powder / sambar thickens (Sprinkle 1 pinch hing if required).

For the  seasoning :

2 teaspoon cooking oil

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 spring curry leaves (6 nos)

1 red chilli, halved

1 teaspoon chopped coriander leaves

Method

Heat oil in a pan . Add mustard seeds. When they start crackle, add curry leaves and halved red chilli. Saute for 2 - 3 minutes and pour this seasoning over sambar. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves (optional). Serve with Idli / Dosa / Pongal / Rice / Vada ....