PUMPKIN ERISSERY

Pumpkin Erissery / Mathanga Erissery is a traditional Kerala recipe made with yellow pumpkin cooked in coconut and roasted spice paste along with the mashed toor dal and fried coconut. Eriserry is usually served with rice.

This is my aunts recipe which is my most favorite dish. Instead of cooked dal it can be made using cooked channa dal or black eyed peas. Erissery can also be made with raw banana or chenai(yam). Lets look at the steps of making this erissery.

Preparation Time : 10 mints | Cooking Time : 20 mints | Serves : 3 - 4

Ingredients :

Yellow pumpkin / Mathanga - 2 cups chopped

Toor dal - 1/3 cup Turmeric powder - 1/4 tspn

Salt - as required

For Roasting and Grinding :

Coconut Oil - 1 tspn

Coriander seeds - 2 tspn

Red chili - 1

Cumin seeds - 1 tspn

Pepper seeds - 1/2 tspn

Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tspn

For Grinding : Grated coconut - 1/4 cup Jeera /Cumin seeds - 1 tspn Green chili - 2

To Temper :

Coconut Oil - 2 tspn Mustard seeds - 1 tspn Urad dal - 1/2 tspn Curry leaves - few Grated coconut - 3 tbspn

Method :

1. Soak the toor dal and pressure cook with a little turmeric and keep it aside. Heat a tsp of oil, add coriander seeds,red chili,cumin seeds,pepper and fenugreek seeds. Roast it till golden and allow it to cool. Grind it to a smooth paste.

2. Grind coconut, jeera and green chili together to a fine paste and keep it aside. Wash and cube the pumpkin pieces. Heat a pan and add the pumpkin pieces along with turmeric powder, salt and 1 cup of water and allow the pumpkin pieces to cook till they are soft. Add the coconut paste to the cooked pumpkin.

3. Mash the pumpkin slightly and mix the coconut paste well. Boil for 2 mints. Add the roasted and grinded paste. Mix well. Cook for 5 mints. Then add the cooked and mashed toor dal to it.

4. Add required salt and mix well. Allow the mixture to boil for 3 minutes. Then turn off the flame. In a separate pan, add grated coconut and saute till the coconut turns into golden brown color. Keep it aside.

5. In a same pan, heat the coconut oil, add the mustard seeds. When its starts to sputter, add split urad dal,broken red chili, and few curry leaves and add this seasoning to the gravy. Garnish this roasted coconut on top of the erissery.