Mathanga Erissery | Pumpkin Erissery

Erissery  is one of the important dishes for a Kerala sadya / feast. An erissery is usually prepared with vegetables like pumpkin, yam or raw banana and sometimes combined with legumes like cowpeas or black chickpeas.

Pumpkin erissery is simple dish with pumpkin cooked in a coconut gravy and tempered with fried coconut and curry leaves. Adding fried coconut at the end enhances the real flavor of the erissery, so do not skip it. To get the authentic flavor, use coconut oil for frying and tempering. Serve this with plain rice and some tangy side dish.

Mathanga Erissery

Pumpkin simmered in a coconut gravy and tempered with fried coconut

Print Pin Recipe

Servings 4

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Ingredients

• Pumpkin – 400 gms cut into small cubes
• Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
• Salt – to taste
• Coconut – 1 cup + 1/4 cup
• Coconut oil – 1 tsp
• Dried red chillies – 2
• Cumin seeds / Jeera – 1/2 tsp

To temper

• Coconut oil – 2 tsp
• Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
• Split urad dal – 1 tsp
• Dried red chillies – 1 halved
• Curry leaves – few

Instructions

• In a pan heat oil add the 1/4 cup coconut and fry till red. Set aside. In the same pan, fry the red chillies for few seconds and set aside.
• Grind together 1 cup coconut, red chillies, jeera and 1 tbsp of the fried coconut to a smooth paste adding little water. Set aside.
• In a vessel add pumpkin, turmeric powder, salt and 1/2 cup water. Cook till the pumpkin becomes soft.
• Once the pumpkin is cooked, add the ground coconut paste and gently combine. It is fine if some of the pumpkin pieces get mashed up.
• Cook for 5-6 minutes and then remove from heat. The consistency should be neither too watery nor too dry.
• In a pan heat oil and add mustard seeds. When it crackles add urad dal, curry leaves and the remaining fried coconut. Pour this tempering over the erissery.

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Indian

Keyword: Sadya Recipes