An easy sambar recipe that is a low-carb butternut squash soup made with South Indian sambar ingredients.
This Indian butternut squash recipe is perfect for Indian keto diets. The keto sambar can be enjoyed with a healthy dosa or idli for a completely clean meal.
No more lentils! Those words were hard for me to understand, but once I realized how they really made me feel I knew I had to try harder. This is where this Indian butternut squash sambar recipe came about.
Ingredients
- butternut squash, steamed and pureed - feel free to use pre-cut or even frozen butternut squash.
- coriander powder
- turmeric powder
- fresh ginger - grated finely
- mustard seeds
- cumin seeds
- hing (asafaetido) - adds a lot of flavor to the sambar
- shredded coconut
- lemon juice - can substitute with lime juice
- curry leaves
- dried red chili peppers
- cilantro
- sugar, guar, or brown sugar
- salt, oil, water
- red chili powder
- sambar masala- I like Badshah Brand Sambar Masala
- OPTIONAL: A variation of steamed/sauteed vegetables (peas, carrots, potatoes, drumsticks, onions, zuchinni, etc
Instructions
Peel, cut, and cook the butternut squash with either steam or by boiling in water.
Puree the cooked butternut squash until it is smooth and creamy.
Add spices to the puree that are listed in the recipe card. Feel free to add as much spice as you prefer.
Heat oil in a small butter pan and then add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and hing to the oil. Add red chili peppers, curry leaves, and cilantro (optional), and then pour it into the low carb butternut squash sambar.
Add extra cilantro on top and enjoy!
TIP- Squeeze lemon juice on top for an extra tang
Substitutions
- Butternut Squash- Feel free to add some toor daal.
- Hing- Asofaetido adds a lot of flavor in Indian Food. It is mostly used when tempering oil and not over cooked. If you do not have any, then simply skip this ingredient.
- Sugar- Use guar (jaggery) or brown sugar.
My Tips
- Add date syrup instead of sugar for a darker sambar color.
- Enjoy the South Indian Butternut Squash Sambar Recipe with a high protein dish such as quinoa.
- Keep the sambar thick when eating with dosa so it is "dunkable" and add extra vegetables for a true South Indian Sambar flavor.
📖 Recipe
Butternut Squash Sambar
Ingredients
- 4 cups butternut squash, steamed and pureed
- 4 cups water
- 1 tablespoon dry coriander powder
- ½ tablespoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon oil
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon hing (asafaetido)
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped/crushed raw peanuts (optional)
- 1 tablespoon shredded coconut (optional)
- ½ fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 5 curry leaves (optional)
- 3 whole dried red chili peppers (optional)
- 1 teaspoon sambar masala (more or less), I like to use Badshah Brand Sambar Masala
- chopped cilantro for garnishment
- salt
- red chili powder
- OPTIONAL: A variation of steamed/sauteed vegetables (peas, carrots, potatoes, drumsticks, onions, zuchinni, etc)
Instructions
- Place a pot on the stove top with medium heat.
- Pour the butternut squash and water into the pot.
- Add steamed/sauteed vegetables, ginger, dry coriander powder, turmeric, salt, red chili powder, lemon juice, curry leaves, sambar masala, coconut, and peanuts. Bring the contents to a boil.
- While the soup heats, prepare the tempered oil. In an XSmall pan heat some oil. Then add the mustard & cumin seeds and wait for them to pop.
- Immediately add hing (asafaetido) and whole dried red chili peppers.
- Pour the tempered oil in the butternut squash soup pot as soon as the chili peppers have cooked for a few seconds. (NOTE: work very quick with the tempered oil to prevent ingredients from excessive browning)
- Let the soup boil for another 2-3 minutes and serve.
- Enjoy as a replacement for sambar, daar/daal, or a soup.
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