Lentil curry with Butternut Squash ( Butternut squash sambhar)

Fall, the season for soups and squash. I always used to associate butternut squash with something sweet, until I tried this sambhar at a friends place. Butternut squash is hard to chop, so if you can buy it already cut it saves you half the time. This sambhar is very easy to make does not require any fancy ingredients. I hope you enjoy it with some hot steaming rice and potatoes , dont forget to add a dollop of ghee .

Butternut squash sambhar 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Toor daal (split pigeon peas)
Butternut squash chopped into cubes about 1 cup
2 Green chili's slit into half
1/2 Onion chopped finely
1-2 Tomatoes diced
1 small piece of tamarind
1 to 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp sambhar powder
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp urad dal
pinch of asafoetida (hing).
1 tsp Cooking Oil
few curry leaves

Cilantro to garnish .

Recipe:

Soak the toor dal and tamarind in separate bowls of  water for around 15-30 mins. This helps soften the dal and cook faster.

Cook the dal in a pressure cooker at medium flame for three whistles. Smash the dal once it is cool and keep it aside.

Use a heavy bottomed pan, keep it on a medium flame add oil, once the oil is warm, add urad dal and mustard seeds. The mustard seeds will splutter, then add asafoetida, curry leaves, green chilis and onions. Let the onions cook until they turn pink.

Add the tomatoes and butternut squash, stir and let it cook for 2-3 mins. Add the sambhar powder, turmeric and salt. The sambhar powder cook for 2-3 mins again before you add the tamarind water.

Let the whole mixture boil for a good 5 -8 mins. Once this is done add the smashed dal. If your sambhar looks very thick add some water and adjust for consistency. Let the sambhar come together by letting it boil for another 5-8 mins. The butternut squash should be nice and tender.

Garnish with chopped coriander and serve with hot rice and ghee :).

Butternut squash sambhar

A box full of happiness.

Diwali brings back memories of lighting diyas, decorating the home and fireworks. Mom used to make a lot of savories for us, as no one in my family was very fond of sweets. But being so far away from home , there is one sweet that reminds me of my childhood it is magas.

I remember my grandma always used to have a box full of magas and she would remove 1-2 pieces everyday as prasad for her pooja in the morning. I would wait for her to be done to grab those pieces. That tiny steel box filled is one of my most vivid and fondly remembered childhood memories.

My grandma makes the best magas in the world. Last year my mom was here in the US and we celebrated Diwali after a long time together. She made magas for us. I watched as she made it and this year I replicated it.

Its very simple to put together if you have all your ingredients right.

Ingredients:
1 cup ladoo besan / magas besan ( coursely ground besan)
1 cup ghee
Castor Sugar/ finely granulated sugar to your taste apporx 1 cup

Garnish
cardamom podwer
slivered almonds

Recipe:
In a heavy bottomed pan, add ghee and besan, stir together on medium heat. Keep stirring every 2-3 mins till the besan turns a golden yellow and you get a fragrant aroma. This will depend on the type of heating you are using. It took around 30-40 mins for me. Make sure to pay attention the besan can get burnt easily.

Once the besan is a golden yellow take the pan off the stove , add sugar. I added granulated sugar to the besan which gives a slight crunch to the magas. Add the cardamom powder.

Butter the sides of a pie pan or a deep dish and now pour the mix into it. Garnish with slivered almonds and leave for a few hours to cool down and set.

Magas stays good for a few months on the counter, as there is only ghee, sugar and besan in it. I hope you enjoy your Diwali and creating new memories for your family. Happy Diwali!