Butternut Squash Sambar
Published November 4, 2024
Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.
- Total Time
- 1 hour 35 minutes
- Prep Time
- 15 minutes
- Cook Time
- 1 hour 20 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
1 cup toor dal (dried split pigeon peas), rinsed until the water runs clear, and drained
FOR THE SAMBAR POWDER
2 dried red Kashmiri chiles
1 ½ teaspoons chana dal (dried split chickpeas)
½ teaspoon urad dal (dried husked split black lentils)
1 ½ teaspoons coriander seeds
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
¼ teaspoon black peppercorns (about 20)
5 curry leaves
⅛ teaspoon ground turmeric
FOR THE SAMBAR
½ small butternut squash (from a 2-pound squash, or use 8 ounces pre-cut cubes; see Tip)
1 large Yukon Gold or russet potato
1 large carrot
1 large yellow onion
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Twelve 2 ½-inch-long pieces thawed frozen moringa (a.k.a. drumsticks, optional, see Tip)
5 fresh or thawed frozen okra, chopped (optional)
1 large tomato, cut into 1 ½-inch pieces
½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chile powder, plus more to taste
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
1 teaspoon tamarind paste, plus more to taste
½ cup roughly chopped cilantro
FOR THE TADKA (SPICED GHEE OR OIL)
1 tablespoon ghee or vegetable oil
½ teaspoon black mustard seeds
2 dried red Kashmiri chiles, broken in half or thirds
10 curry leaves
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
31 grams carbs; 359 milligrams cholesterol; 827 calories; 20 grams monosaturated fat; 9 grams polyunsaturated fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 44 grams fat; 5 grams fiber; 1669 milligrams sodium; 75 grams protein; 8 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Place the toor dal and 4 cups of water in a medium pot and bring to a boil, skimming off the foam as best as you can. Adjust heat to medium low, partially cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the toor dal is completely soft and most of the water has been absorbed, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Add more water as needed if the dal needs to cook longer. Remove from the heat and use the back of a wooden spoon to mash until creamy. Set aside.
- Step 2
While the toor dal cooks, prepare the sambar powder: In a small dry pan, toast the chiles, chana dal and urad dal over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the dals are golden brown, about 2 minutes; transfer to a small bowl. Add the coriander, cumin, fenugreek and peppercorns to the pan. Toast, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the curry leaves and toast, stirring frequently, until crisp, about 30 seconds more. Transfer to the bowl, adding the turmeric, and set aside to cool. When completely cool, transfer the mixture to a spice grinder and grind to a fine powder. (Makes about 2 tablespoons of sambar powder.)
- Step 3
Prepare the sambar: Peel the squash, remove the seeds and cut into 1-inch cubes. Peel and chop the potato, carrot and onion into 1-inch pieces.
- Step 4
In a large pot, heat the oil over medium. Add the butternut squash, potato, carrot and onion; stir and cook for 2 minutes. Add the moringa (if using), okra (if using), tomato, chile powder, turmeric and 2 teaspoons salt. Stir and cook for 1 minute. Add just enough water to cover the vegetables (about 4 cups) and bring to a boil. Cover, adjust heat to medium low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are fork-tender but not mushy, about 10 minutes.
- Step 5
Stir in 2 tablespoons of sambar powder, the tamarind paste and the mashed toor dal. Bring to a boil, uncovered. Season with more salt, tamarind and chile powder to taste, being mindful you’ll also be adding the tadka. Stir in the cilantro and turn off the heat.
- Step 6
Prepare the tadka: In the same pan you used for the sambar powder, heat the ghee over medium. Add the mustard seeds and cook until they begin to pop, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the chiles and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stand back and carefully add the curry leaves (they will splatter). Stir until the curry leaves crisp up, about 30 seconds. Pour the hot tadka over the sambar (it will sizzle), stir and serve.
You can also use pumpkin instead of butternut squash.
Moringa, called drumsticks for their resemblance to the musical implements, are the elongated immature seed pods of the moringa tree native to South Asia. You can buy moringa fresh and cut them into 2½-inch-long pieces, or use pre-cut frozen moringa available at Indian markets. The outer shell of the drumstick is hard and not edible. As you eat, split the drumstick in half and scrape out the flesh and seed with your teeth as you would an artichoke leaf.
Private Notes
Comments
I make sambar frequently, this looks complicated for a newbie so here are some tips. (Keep in mind that I’m not a professional chef just a home cook who is a bit lazy and uses shortcuts): 1) if you have an instant pot, cook the Toor dal in high pressure setting for 8 minutes with natural release. 2) Indian grocery stores carry sambar powder. I rarely make it fresh. 3) you don’t necessarily need to use all the vegetables listed here. I personally find okra to be slimy in sambar. The frozen section of an Indian grocery store usually has a vegetable package called ‘sambar mix’ and that usually works well.
I am south Indian and we make sambar quite a lot. This recipe is not beginner friendly. Buy sambar powder as Mina below recommended. This recipe is a fairly complex variant of what ought to be a 20 min recipe. There is no right or wrong way to make sambar; it is forgiving as long as you have vegetables, dal, and tamarind. But this one is not worth the effort. Anyone who consults NYT for a sambar recipe instead of seeing how Indian bloggers make it deserves what they get.
As a South Indian, I make sambar frequently for my family. It's very much a menu staple. The recipe here didn't give serving suggestions. Sambar is eaten with hot rice, or with idlis (you can get frozen nowadays) or dosais, along with chutney (coconut chutney or tomato chutney or peanut chutney are the usual choices).
Or, you can have a curry leaf tree - I have one. In zones 8 - 10 of the US, you will need to bring it indoors in cold weather, but once the temperature is warm, I take mine outside. It rewards me in winter by perfuming the room where it lives with a wonderful smell. My tree is about 3 feet tall, and very slender - you will need to stake it to give it support. I use these leaves in other recipes, as well.
Cooked the Toor dal in an Instant Pot with 3 cups of water for 5 min with natural pressure release.
Great recipe! I followed it exactly except that I don’t have a spice grinder so I used a pestle and mortar. I’ve always wanted to make tasty vegetarian food at home that tastes as good as a restaurant and this was it! Oh, I used carrot instead of butternut and it was fine. And frozen whole okra rather than chopped.