White pumpkin sambar

Description

A regular in south indian households..Properties
Pumpkin or white gourd is very good for the heart, destroys the excessive humors of bile and phlegm in the body, very nourishing, semen builder and nourishment to the pregnant woman during their pregnancies and also clears away the constipation during that time.Uses

It is a very common vegetable used very extensively in our diet. It is used as “fruits” during fastings.
Drinking the juice of pumpkin extracted in the night but taken in the morning on empty stomach kills all the worms.
Eating the “kheer” of pumpkin pulp develops the semen, it is also good for a pregnant woman. It makes the heart strong.
Pumpkin prevents constipation and is “cool in nature effect.
Juice extracted from pumpkin and mixed some honey and sugar in it has very cooling medicinal properties and it is beneficial in cooling down the heat of the body, inflammation in the throat, impurities of the blood, boils, plethora, increase in temperature of the blood, blood coming out from the throat etc.
The crushed pulp of pumpkin wrapped in a piece of cloth, if tied on the forehead, brings the temperature normal, increased because of fever.
The juice extracted from the leaves of the pumpkin if applied on the affected part of the piles is beneficial.

But one word of caution…….

Please remember to wash your hands thoroughly after cutting pooshnikaai as its juice can whiten the hairs easily..

Ingredients
250 g	White pumpkin diced
1 cup	Toovar dal
1	Tomato (chopped)
1	Green chilli (slit open)
	Curry leaves ( little)
1 Lemon Sz	Tamarind (lemon size)
	Salt as per taste
½ tsp	Haldi
2½ tsp	Sambar powder
pinch	Hing
2 stks	Coriander (finely chopped)
2 tsp	Rice flour
1 tsp	Mustard seeds
½ tsp	Methi seeds
2 tsp	Oil

Instructions

Soak Dal for 2-3 hours and pressure cook upto 2 whistles. Take out, add rice flour and mash using MATHU. Keep aside.

In a pan, take oil, add mustard seeds. After they crackle, add methi seeds, cut pooshnikaai, tomato, curry leaves, green chilli and saute for 2 minutes.

Add tamarind pulp, salt, haldi, sambar powder, hing and mix well. Cook till raw smell of sambar powder goes and in semi thick state.

Add mashed dal and mix well. Give it one boil. Switch off gas and garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with plain rice and curry/poriyal of your choice.