Butternut Squash Sambar

 

Butternut Squash Sambar.

Sambar is a traditional south Indian dish usually a favourite served with Idly or Dosai. Its kind of vegetable stew or chowder broth  with tamarind water in it. It has different variation in different states of South India. Today I am making a butternut squash sambar using pressure cooker.

Ingredients:
1/2 of Butter nut squash or about 250 gms
1 onion sliced thick
1/2 cup Toor dal
lemon size tamarind soaked in 1/2 cup of hot water
2 tomatoes sliced
1/2 tsp of turmeric
salt to taste
3-4 cups of water

Sambar masala:
1 tsp Bengal gram
2 tbsp Desiccated coconut
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp asoefatida
3 sprigs of curry leaves
4-5 dried red chillies

1 pinch fenugreek seeds

Tempering:
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 pinch fenugreek seeds
1 sprig of curry leaves

Method:

1. In a pressure cooker, rinse the toor dal and add 3 cups of water, turmeric and salt. Shut the cooker and bring to boil and turn heat off afte 3 whistles.

2. Roast all the sambar masala in the frying pan until coconut turns brown. And grind it into a mixer with little water until smooth paste.

3. Once the cooker is cool enough, open and blend the dal by pressing with the back of the ladle. Put all cut butter nut squash, onion, tomato, tamarind water, curry leaves and mix well. If the sambar seems to be thick then add abt 1/2 cup of water and adjust salt.

4. Close the lid and bring it on full pressure until 1 whistle.

5. Open after cooled enough. In a tempering pan heat oil and put the tempering ingredients and temper the sambar.

6. Serve sambar with hot  rice, Idli or Dosai.