Pumpkin Sambar recipe, a vegan stew with pigeon peas and pumpkin, spiced with turmeric, coriander and warm Indian spices, is a great way to welcome Fall. Sambar is a staple in South Indian cooking, with a signature flavor and taste that can be attributed to curry leaves, tamarind and spices.
Sambar is eaten almost everyday in South Indian homes, served with Idli or Medu Vada fritters, or even with rice. I blogged about a vegetable sambar here long ago. I use my own Sambar Powder Spice Mix which allows me to control the heat.
The vegetables that you add to Sambar give it a peculiar taste. So there are onion sambar, tomato sambar, drumstick sambar, and now, this pumpkin sambar.
Pumpkin is naturally sweet, luscious and hearty which makes this Sambar great as a one pot meal too. You can scoop over some rice to mix in, or dunk some soft fluffy Idlis into this lentil stew.
Sambar and chutney are served with Dosas and Uttapams as a side too. This time I served my pumpkin Sambar with some uttapams.
Get more Indian Pumpkin Recipes here
I used green pumpkin which is in season here in India at present. It has a green skin but is golden inside. Any kind of winter squash will also go well here. Butternut squash sounds like a good alternative.
You can try making my sambar spice mix from scratch (highly recommended) or use a store bought popular brand like Everest or MTR.
I used Everest this time and the biggest drawback is a large portion of it is chili. You can add only a little, and every time you add more, you are also making it more hot. When I make my own spice mix, I don’t add chili or keep it negligible. Anyway, I think I have found a way around this issue.
So are you ready to get in the mood for autumn? It’s time 🙂
Pumpkin Sambar Recipe – Lentil and Pumpkin Stew
Pumpkin Sambar – Vegan Lentil Stew for Fall
Ingredients
- 4 cups pumpkin, cubed
- 2 cups cooked yellow pigeon peas or toor daal
- 1 cup onions, sliced
- 10-12 curry leaves
- 1 Tbsp Sambar powder
- 2 Tbsp coriander, ground
- ¼ cup tamarind pulp or
- 1-2 Tbsp tamarind paste
- 2 Tbsp jaggery or brown sugar
- 1 tomato, chopped
- 2 Tbsp oil
- 1 tsp turmeric, ground
- Salt to taste
Method
- Peel and cube the pumpkin and set aside.
- Thinly slice onion and chop tomatoes and set aside.
- Pressure cook toor daal or split yellow pigeon peas or cook on stove top. For stove top cooking – wash ¾ cup dry toor daal and cover with 3-4 cups water. Bring to a boil in a stock pot and simmer until completely cooked. Daal is cooked when it comes together like a pulp and individual bits cannot be seen.
- Heat oil in a stock pot.
- Add curry leaves and onions and fry for a couple of minutes.
- Add turmeric and mix in.
- Add tomatoes and pumpkins and stir until well coated.
- Add a cup of water and cover. Simmer until pumpkin is almost cooked.
- Now add the sambar powder, ground coriander, tamarind and sugar. Stir well to combine.
- Add cooked daal or lentils and mix in.
- Add 2-3 cups of water and salt to taste.
- Bring to a boil and simmer until the pumpkin softens and is completely cooked.
- Add more water if needed to adjust the consistency to your liking.
- Serve pumpkin sambar with Idlis or with plain cooked rice for a meal.
- Makes 5-6 cups of sambar.
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I don’t know about you, but I am ready to enjoy that cool nip in the air, breathe in the crisp autumn air and slurp some hearty pumpkin sambar stew. Like pumpkin? Check out these other pumpkin recipes from popular food blogs and my pumpkin ice cream sandwich recipe.
