Easy Pumpkin Sambar for Idli and Dosa - Poosanikai Sambar

Easy Pumpkin Sambar for Idli and Dosa - Poosanikai Sambar - Easy Tiffin Sambar Recipes

Easy pumpkin sambar - this tiffin sambar is one of those nostalgic dishes prepared by my Kamatchi athai during our vacation visit to their house. During our summer vacation to Tirunelveli, she prepared this delicious and quick sambar within 20 minutes for idli. This was a few decades ago, and still I remember that beautiful yellow colour and the authentic taste.

My athai still follows this method for pumpkin sambar due to its ease of preparation with rich flavours. A few days ago I asked my athai to share the recipe details and immediately she messaged me with the recipe instructions.

Apart from the taste of the vegetables or dals or spices, there is one more magic ingredient we want to add in every dish is always love. Cooking with love always makes delicious meals.

Now coming to today's sambar recipe, it's a simple tiffin sambar made with yellow pumpkin, toor dal and sambar powder. The addition of fresh sambar powder makes this sambar so unique and gives the restaurant taste. On busy weekdays, you can make the sambar powder the day before. Generally for tiffin sambar many of us prefer to add moong dal or a combination of moong dal and toor dal. But for pumpkin sambar, my athai strongly recommended adding toor dal for the best consistency. Make sure to cook the dal soft and mushy, so it blends well with the pumpkin. For this tiffin sambar no need to add green chillies and tomatoes. Also I wanted the fresh sambar powder flavours to shine here, so I skipped adding the jaggery and ghee. Now let's see how to make this Easy Pumpkin Sambar.

Check out my other side dishes for idli and dosa

Here is the video link for Easy Pumpkin Sambar

Easy Pumpkin Sambar Recipe Details

Prep time : 10 minutes
Cook time : 20 minutes
Serves : 4
Category : side dish

Ingredients

1/4 cup toor dal
1 cup chopped pumpkin
15 small onions
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
small gooseberry sized tamarind
1 tsp asafoetida water
1/2 tsp mustard and urid dal
few curry leaves
few coriander leaves
2 tsp oilsalt to taste
For sambar powder
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp chana dal
6 dried red chillies

Cooking Directions

1. Take a pressure cooker and add 1/4 cup rinsed toor dal. Add 1/2 cup water and pressure cook for 5 to 7 whistles on medium heat. Allow the pressure to settle down naturally. The dal should be soft and completely cooked. Mash the dal with a ladle. In a small bowl soak tamarind in hot water for 20 minutes and extract juice with 1 cup water.

2. In the meantime, prepare the fresh sambar powder. Heat a kadai on medium heat and add the chana dal, coriander seeds and red chillies. Roast well on medium heat until you get a nice aroma. Ensure that you don’t brown the dal and coriander seeds. When you get a nice aroma, turn off the heat and allow them to cool down.

3. Grind the roasted ingredients in a small chutney jar and keep it ready.

4. Heat 1 tsp oil in a kadai and add small onions. Saute for a few minutes and add the chopped pumpkin cubes. Saute for a second and add 1 cup water. Add turmeric powder and cook the pumpkin on medium heat till it's tender. Open and check the pumpkin while cooking.

5. The pumpkin should be cooked well. Do not make them mushy. Now add the cooked toor dal. Mix well with the pumpkin and onions.

6. Add the tamarind extract and required salt.

7. Add the freshly ground sambar powder. Stir and mix very well. Then add 1/2 cup water or adjust according to your consistency.

8. Add 1 tsp asafoetida water. Stir and mix again. Allow the sambar to boil for 7 minutes on medium heat. Add finely chopped coriander leaves and turn off the heat. Heat 2 tsp oil in a kadai and add mustard and urid dal. When the mustard seeds crackle, add curry leaves and immediately add the tempering in the hot pumpkin sambar.

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