Ingredients:

  Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
--------  ------------  --------------------------------
   1      teaspoon      red gram dal -- (pigeon peas, toor
                        -- dal), picked over -- & Rinsed
   1      teaspoon      bengal gram dal -- (yellow split peas,
                        -- picked over -- & Rinsed
                        chana dal)
     1/2  cup           water -- (4 fl oz)
   1      piece         fresh ginger -- (1 cm / 1/2" long),
                        -- finely shredded
   2      teaspoons     cumin seeds
   1      tablespoon    coriander seeds
   6                    green chilles -- (chili peppers)
   3      tablespoons   grated fresh coconut -- (or)
   4      tablespoons   flaked coconut
                        a little water
   2      cups          plain yogurt -- (16 fl oz)
     1/2  teaspoon      ground turmeric
                        salt -- to taste
   1      cup           chopped ash gourd
                        ***FOR TEMPERING***
   2      teaspoons     oil
   1      teaspoon      brown mustard seeds
   1      teaspoon      fenugreek seeds
   1                    red chilli -- (chili pepper),
                        -- halved
     1/2  teaspoon      asafoetida powder
                        a few curry leaves

Preparation:

Soak the red gram dal and the Bengal gram dal in 1/2 cup (4 fl oz) water for 1 hour. Drain off water. Place the soaked dals, ginger, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, green chiles, and grated coconut in an electric blender or food processor. Add very little water and blend ingredients to a fine paste. Place the yogurt in a bowl. Add the ground paste, salt to taste, and ground turmeric. Mix well and set aside. Chop the ash gourd into 1 cm (1/2 in) pieces. Set aside. TEMPERING: Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a heavy saucepan. Add mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, halved red chile, asafoetida powder, and a few curry leaves. When the mustard seeds splutter, add the chopped ash gourd to the pan. Pour in just enough water to cover the gourd. Cover pan, and simmer on a low heat until cooked. Now add the yogurt mixture and heat the sambar through gently. Take care to prevent curdling. Serve hot with rice. Author's note: You can make this sambar with any vegetable of your choice: e.g. okra (lady's fingers), eggplant (aubergine), sweet peppers (capsicum), or cooked diced potato. Lentil dumplings can also be used instead of vegetables. For a slightly different flavor, use 1/4 - 1/2 cup (2 - 4 fl oz) coconut milk instead of grated or flaked coconut. Use 8 - 10 tablespoons coconut to make thick coconut milk. Blend or process the paste without the coconut and make the sambar the same way. Just before serving, add the coconut milk and stir to blend well. "Dakshin, Vegetarian Cuisine from South India," by Chandra Padmanabhan, 19