Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Pumpkin and Okra Sambar(Palakkad style)

Pumpkin and okra sambar
We had this awesome sambar at a friends place during the Diwali weekend. It was made by my friend's mother and she had used pumpkin and ladiesfinger/okra for the sambar. The family has it's roots in Palakkad,a town on the border of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Being Palakkad Iyers their cuisine is a unique blend of the cooking styles from both the states (Kerala and Tamil Nadu).
I've always used the popular ready-made sambar powder to date and had never made the sambar from scratch(roasting and grinding the masalas). I had to get the recipe and it turned out so well that I've decided to make sambar the 'hard-way' instead of taking the 'easy way' out henceforth.
This sambar is typically made with any two of these seasonal vegetables: ladiesfinger/okra, arabi/taro root, pumpkin, capsicum and drumstick.
Here's the recipe as given by Ms Sarda Ramakrishnan:
Ingredients: (Serves 8)
  • Coriander seeds: 2tbsp
  • Fenugreek seeds:1 tbsp
  • Channa dal: 1 tbsp
  • Dry red chillies: 5
  • Tamarind pulp: walnut sized (soak in water and squeeze out the pulp),
  • Tur dal: 2 cups (finely mashed)
  • Fresh coconut: 1/2 cup grated
  • Pumpkin: 1 cup (cut into 1 and 1/2" pieces)
  • Ladiesfinger/Okra: 1 cup (cut into 1 and 1/2" pieces)
  • Hing/asafoetida: 1/2tsp
  • Salt: to taste
For the tempering:
  • Mustard seeds: 1tsp
  • Curry leaves:5-6 nos.
  • Oil: 2tsp
Mehod:
  1. Roast the coriander seeds,fenugreek seeds,channa dal and the red chillies in a pan till the fenugreek and channa dal start turning red.
  2. Let it cool and then grind to a fine paste along with the grated coconut.
  3. Cook the pumkin and okra pieces in the tamarind pulp along with salt and enough water till the vegetables are half cooked.
  4. Add the cooked tur dal and the ground masala paste to the vegetables. Add enough water to bring it to a sambar consistency.
  5. Bring the sambar to a boil and add the hing powder.
  6. In a separate pan,heat the oil and add the mustard seeds. When it starts to sputter,add the curry leaves.
  7. Pour this tempering over the sambar.
  8. Serve hot with rice.

Question: What is your favorite pumpkin recipe?
Note:
Don't throw away the pumpkin seeds- you can wash, dry and then roast them. The roasted pumpkin seeds are considered a snack food and are loaded with zinc.

24 comments:

Renus Kitchen said...

I add okra to my sambhar but never tried pumpkin, I think it will add nice flavor to the dish....thx for the idea

Oraphan said...

Oh! That looks so delicious! I love pumpkin but I've never tried okra before. I don't know some of the ingredients you used, I guess I can find them at Asian or Indian Market. I love everything with pumpkin especially pumpkin smoothie, soooo good!

Tina said...

Palakkad style sambar looks mouthwatering dear....

sangeeta said...

i love sambar of any type....i am sure it's tummy with pumpkin n healthy too..
posted a pumpkin pav bhaji at my blog recently..

MelindaRD said...

Looks really good, and I have never heard of this dish before.

Home Cooked Oriya Food said...

Wow - what a delicious recipe! And such a lovely presentation!

Sarah Naveen said...

Simply yummy sambar!!!

Vrinda said...

I never tried pumpkin in sambar ,i lov pumpkin in curries,sounds gr8,will try...

Anupama said...

I love pumpkin sambar and vatha kuzhambu... gives the dish that sweet yet not overpoweringly sweet taste... your sambar looks perfect!

Unknown said...

Sambar looks delicious..Perfect combo for rice.

Gina; The Candid RD said...

This looks so amazing. I love pumpkin. I actually realized my love for pumpkin only this season. Since I have the blog, I've seen so many people use pumpkin so I've used it a lot. LAtely pumpkin oat bran is my favorite, and pumpkin ice cream!

Anonymous said...

Sambar with pumpkin sounds fantastic! Would love to try!

Gina; The Candid RD said...

Your note was so fantastic. Thank you so much. I appreciate hearing it from the other side, and in a way it makes me feel better knowing I'm not the only one! I'm glad you have figured out a better schedule, that suits both you and your family. I think I will figure it out too. I just need to put some effort into it!

Have a great weekend.

Michelle @ Find Your Balance said...

Oh I've been going winter squash crazy - pumpkin, butternut, you name it! Question for you: what does 'tempering' mean?

Sweta (My Indian Dietitian) said...

Michelle:"Tempering or tarka refers to the process of frying spices, chillies, garlic or even shallots in hot oil. This flavourful oil is then added to a cooked dish towards the end of the cooking time. Tempering prevents the fresh, aromatic properties of the spices fading in the cooking process, combining both the deep flavours of the dish and the aroma of the freshly fried ingredients."

Juliana said...

Oh! Pumpkin and okra...what an interesting combination, would love to try it :-)

chow and chatter said...

oh great sambar

Christo Gonzales said...

the lunch place is on Mcdougal just a little north of bleecker on the east side of the street -

Astra Libris said...

Such a gorgeous recipe! I so adore okra, but I've never tried it with pumpkin before - the combo sounds incredibly delicious!

Juliana said...

How interesting...okra and pumpkin, looks a great combination :-) Yummie!

Fresh Local and Best said...

This looks like quite a flavorful recipe! I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Recipeswap said...

DEf looks v delicious!will try soon.

Gelareh @ Orange Truffle said...

oh wow this looks and sounds good.. I can almost taste it :)

Malar Gandhi said...

Pumpkin sambhar will taste, divine...Orange pumpkin has unique aroma...so yummm:)