Name: Kholamba, a Low-Fat Vegetable Stew
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 3/4 cup tuvar dal ((about 2 cups cooked). Boil with 1/4 tsp turmeric until very tender and mushy.); 1/4 tsp asafoetida ((hing)); 1 cup red pumpkin cubes; 1 cup white pumpkin cubes; 1 large onion (, diced); 15 2- inch pieces of drumsticks ((You can find these dark-green, ridged stick-like veggies, already cut up into smaller lengths, in the freezer at your Indian store. Indian drumsticks have nothing to do with chicken-- they grow on tall trees and are named thus because they are long and slender like the drum sticks a drummer would use. Drumsticks have great flavor that is ethereal in a sambar, but parts of a drumstick are not edible. You chew on the cooked drumstick to extract the flavor from the flesh and seeds inside, and throw away the hard part.)); 1 sprig curry leaves; 8 large cloves of garlic (, minced); For the masala:; 1 tsp coriander seeds; 1 tsp cumin seeds; 1/2 tsp mustard seeds; 15 black peppercorns; 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds ((methi seeds)); 1 tbsp chana dal ((Bengal gram dal)); 1 tbsp udad dal ((black gram dal)); 2 dry red chillies; 1 1- inch -diameter ball of tamarind ((make sure there are no seeds hiding inside)); 1/4 cup coconut milk or 2 tbsp freshly grated coconut