Red Pumpkin Sambar

Ingredients:

• 250 gms Red pumpkin,washed and cut into 1" cubes with skin
• 1/2 cup Toor dal
• 8-10 small Onions(peeled) or 1 big Onion(diced)
• 2 medium Tomatoes,roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup grated fresh Coconut
• a gooseberry sized Tamarind
• 1/2 tsp grated Jaggery
• Salt to taste

To roast and grind:

• 1 tbsp Coriander seeds
• 5-6 Red chillies
• 2 tsp Bengal gram dal(Chana dal)
• 1/4 tsp Fenugreek seeds
• 1/2 tsp Oil

To temper:

• 1 tsp Ghee/Oil
• 1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
• a sprig of Curry leaves
• a pinch of Asafoetida

Method:

1. Pressure cook toor dal with turmeric for 3 whistles until the dal is soft.
2. Pressure cook pumpkin cubes ,peeled or diced onions,chopped tomatoes with salt in tamarind water and cook it until the pumpkin pieces are soft.
3. Heat 1/2 tsp of oil and add chana dal and roast until it is red in color and remove it and keep aside.In the same pan add coriander seeds,fenugreek seeds and red chillies one by one and roast them until red.Let them come to the room temperature and powder it.
4. Add grated coconut to it and grind to a smooth paste.
5. In a big vessel,let the cooked vegetable mixture come to a rolling boil.Add cooked toor dal and ground masala to it and add enough water and salt and gated jaggery to it and let it boil for 7-8 mins until the raw smell of the ground masala goes away.
6. Taste sambar at this stage and adjust according to your taste buds.
7. In a small pan heat ghee and crackle mustard seeds and add curry leaves and hing and fry for 30seconds and add this tadka to the boiling sambar and give a quick mix and switch off.
8. Serve it hot with Idli/dosa/Rice.