Ground Coconut Sambar recipe for Idly/dosa / Rice

Ingredients for coconut masala

• Grated Coconut 4 to 5 tbspn

• Fenugreek seeds ¼tspn

• Chenna dal 1tbspn

• Corriander seeds 1½tbspn

• Asafoetida a pinch

• Dry red chille 6 pcs - out of which 2 are Kashmiri red chillis

• Cinnamon stick 1 inch

• Small Onion 1 roughly chopped

• Small Tomato 1 roughly chopped

• Coconut oil or sesame oil 1 ½tbspn

Method to prepare masala.

• Heat oil in a pan, ensure stove is in low flame, add Asafoetida, Fenugreek seeds, Corriander seeds, chenna dal, red chillis and cinnamon stick and roast them well.

• Once you get an aroma of the spices add grated coconut and fry well.

• Keep these aside on a plate and allow it to cool.

• In the same pan add half tbspn oil and fry the onions.

• Once the onions turn transparent add the tomatoes and fry until it cooks.

• Keep aside until it cools down and grind along with the fried spices with little water to a paste.

• Keep this masala aside.

Ingredients to prepare Sambar

• Ground coconut masala (recipe above)

• Toor dal 1 cup soak for half an hour and cook with red pumpkin

• Tamarind water 1 cup

• Onion 1 big cut into petals

• Tomato 1 medium size

• Capsicum 1 cut into big pieces

• Red pumpkin ½ cup de-skin, chopped and boiled with Toor dal

• Carrot 1 cut in circles and boiled separately

• Mustard 1 tspn

• Curry leaves 1 sprig

• Asafoetida 1 pinch

• Coconut oil or sesame oil 1 tbspn

• Corriander leaves handful finely chopped

• Salt as needed

Method

• Firstly, pressure cook the Toor dal for 5 to 6 whistles along with red pumpkin. Make sure you soak the Toor dal for half an hour before cooking.

• The pumpkin needs to get mashed well with Toor dal. Once cooked mash and whisk it well with ladle and keep aside.

• In a wok or a heavy bottom vessel add coconut oil or sesame oil. Once it heats add mustard.

• Allow the Mustard to splutter. Later include Asafoetida, curry leaves.

• Now include the onion and fry them until translucent later add tomato and Capsicum and fry for about 5 min in a low medium flame and add salt to it.

• Now include the boiled carrots and fry for 2 minutes and include one cup tamarind water.

• Allow the vegetables to boil with tamarind water in low flame.

• Now add the mashed Toor dal-pumpkin mixture and the ground masala to the boiling tamarind water.

• Adjust water consistency if its too thick.

• Boil for 5 minutes in low flame and turn off and garnish with finely chopped corriander leaves.

• Serve hot with rice/ Idly/ dosa.