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