Ash guord sambar - Poosanikkai sambar

Ingredients:

Red gram - Thuvaram paruppu - 1 cup
Ash guord - Poosanikkai - 1/4 kg
Pearl onion - sambar vengayam - 10 nos.
Onion - Vengayam - 1 no. (Small)
Tomato - Thakkali - 1 no. (Medium)
Tamarind - Puli - lemon size
Green chilly - Pachai milagai - 1 no.
Red chilly - Kaintha milagai - 1 no.
Curry leaves - Karuvepilai - small quantity
Coriander leaves - Kothamali - small quantity
Red chilly powder - Kaintha milagai thul - 1/2 table spoon
Coriander powder - Dhania thul - 1 table spoon
Turmeric powder - Manjal thul - 1 tea spoon
Asafoetida - Perungayam - a pinch
Sambar powder - Sambar thul - 1 table spoon
Garlic - Poondu - 1 no.
Grated/Shredded coconut - Thuriviya thengai - 1 table spoon
Mustard seeds - Kadugu - 1 tea spoon
Black gram dal - Ulutham paruppu - 1 tea spoon
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Method:

1. Wash and keep dal in pressure cooker adding little asafoetida, required water, turmeric powder and a drop of oil. Wash and boil ash guord and keep it separately.
2. Soak tamarind in hot water and make paste out of it. Remove dust particles. Chopp onions, tomatoes, green chillies and keep other required ingredients ready.
3. Heat oil in a pan or kadai, splutter mustard seeds, black gram dal, add asafoetida, red chillies, green chillies, onions, curry leaves and fry for some time. Then add tomatoes and add red chilly powder, coriander powder and sambar powder, garlic and little salt and mix well. Sprinkle water if necessary.
4. Then add tamarind paste followed by vegetable. Let it boil for some time. In the meanwhile dal would be ready, add the fried contents to dal or dal to fried contents and mix them well. Finally add chopped coriander leaves and grated coconut. Coconut can be grinded along with some pearl onions, garlic and curry leaves. It will add to flavour.

Hot sambar is ready and delicious to be served. It can be served with white rice, chappathi, idly, dosa, pongal, vada, etc., It can be served for 4 persons. It requires hardly 30 minutes to cook.

Note: Always use fresh vegetables. Remove dust particles from tamarind using filter. Sambar powder I have mentioned in Podi varieties.

Optional: Capsicum can be added to sambar. However care must be taken so that it doesn't make the sambar too spicy. Ingredients can be added/removed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ash_gourd

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