Yellow Pumpkin and Spinach Sambhar
I like to use yellow pumpkins extensively while cooking – they are versatile and can be used in sweet as well as savoury preparations. In South India, Sambhar is a very common dish made using lentils and / or coconut. In this version of Sambhar I have trimmed down both these ingredients and made a non-traditional version. There was no compromise from the taste aspect as this dish turned out to be delicious. You will be surprised what a good combination yellow pumpkin and spinach make with each other!
Recipe Details :
Serves: 4 pax
Time: 40 mins
Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients for Sambhar:
- 1 medium size pumpkin, peeled and diced into medium cubes
- 3 cups of spinach
- 1/2 cup of tamarind extract
- 7-8 curry leaves
- 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tbsp oil
- Salt to taste
Ingredients for curry paste:
- 1 tsp chana dal
- 1 tsp urad dal
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 2 green chillies
- 1 inch piece of ginger, peeled
Method:
- Dry roast the chana dal and urad dal till golden brown in a small fry pan. Let it cool down for 10 mins.
- Grind the roasted dal along with ingredients for curry paste into a smooth paste. Use a little water during the grinding process.
- Now take oil in a vessel and add mustard seeds. Once they splutter, add in the curry leaves and saute them for a minute. Add in the diced pumpkin cubes along with some salt to taste and mix well.
- Add the tamarind extract such that the pumpkin cubes are immersed in the tamarind water (you may need to add a little water). Cover the pan with a lid and allow the pumpkin to cook on a low to medium flame.
- Once they are just soft, stir in the spinach leaves, cover the vessel with a lid and let it cook till the spinach is just wilted.
- Now add in the curry paste along with 1 cup of water and let it come to boil on low flame. Then turn off the flame and let it rest for 15 – 20 minutes (covered with a lid). Serve it hot with steamed rice or rotis.
Tips:
- Make sure to let the dal cool before grinding.
- When grinding, make a smooth paste – otherwise the final texture will be grainy.
Sir, This looks like a great recipe but I have a couple of queries. First, can I use butternut squash for yellow pumpkin? I am in UK and am not sure what exactly yellow pumpkin is. Second, I have both black and beige/white colour mustard seeds – which to use here? thank you for your help. Jane Hendricks
Hi Jane, Thanks for liking the recipe 🙂 You can surely use butternut squash in this dish. Please use black mustard seeds while cooking this dish. Do let me know how it turned out 🙂
Thank you for your quick reply – will let you know after trying recipe tomorrow! Best wishes.