WATERMELON SAMBAR (WATER MELON IN LENTIL GRAVY)

Watermelon sambar yes what you reading are right. I made sambar with water melon. Usually I make watermelon kuttu and it taste just like white pumpkin kuttu (boodida gummadi kaya) then I got this idea of making sambar with watermelon. As I said before that white part of watermelon in very nutritious with lots of water content so I don’t want to waste it. Some how I make sure to use it every time and this time I cut the white part with little bit of red part too. Sambar taste just awesome with very little sweet taste. Check it out here how I made it………..

FOR SAMBAR POWDER:---
Coriander seeds --- 1 tea sp
Cumin seeds --- 1/2 tea sp
Black pepper corns --- 1/4 tea sp
Fenugreek seeds --- 6 seeds
Channa dal (split chick peas) --- 1 tea sp
Dry roast all above ingredients in a fry pan and add a big pinch of asafetida just before removing from heat.
Let it cool for some time and grind in to a fine powder
Cover and leave it a side.
FOR SAMBAR:----
Tuvar dal (split pigeon peas, kandi pappu) ---- 1/2 cup
Turmeric --- 1/2 tea sp
Tamarind --- 5 Gms. (1 medium size lemon sized tamarind)
Salt to taste
Red chili powder --- 1/2 tea sp

FOR SEASONING:---
Oil --- 2 tab sp
Mustard seeds --- 1 tea sp
Red chilies – 2 broken
Curry leaves – 2 springs.
1 tab sp chopped coriander leaves for garnishing.
FOR WATERMELON PIECES:----
Cut the watermelon and remove the red fruit part and peel the green skin and take the white part and cut in to 2 in size pieces.
METHOD:------
1. Soak tamarind in warm water for 10 min and extract the juice with 1 cup of water and leave a side.
2. Wash and soak dal for 1/2 hour and cook with 1/4 tea sp turmeric and cook till soft and remove from heat mash a little bit and leave a side.
3. Now add water melon pieces to tamarind juice and add salt to taste remaining turmeric and red chili powder and cook till watermelon pieces become tender and raw smell of the tamarind disappears.
4. Then add cooked and mashed tuvar dal mix well and bring to a full boil and check the salt if require adjust.
5. Now add ground sambar powder mix well and again bring to a full boil and let it cook for few min.
6. Now in a fry pan heat oil and add mustard seed and let them popup then add red chilies and curry leaves and add the seasoning to sambar and switch of the flame cover and leave a side for some time(at least for 1/2 hour)
7. Then sprinkle chopped coriander leaves on top and serve hot with rice or idli s
ENJOY YOUR MEAL.
And I am sending this watermelon sambar to Monthly Mingle-Marvelous Melons at Chew On That. and this mingle was started by Meeta of What's For Lunch Honey?