Mathanga Vanpayar Erissery | Pumpkin Blackeyed Peas Curry Recipe | Onam Sadya Recipes

Onam is 2 days away and I am sure people celebrating Onam must be very busy with shopping, preparation and all.  I always had people around me celebrating Onam with much fan-fare that I look forward to Onam each year and this year it's going to be not much happening it seems but I am already thinking ways of making it better perhaps a team lunch would do too I think what's say?


Anyways our today topic is Erissery a typical Kerala curry one of the main dish in Onam Sadya among others.  Erissery has to be one of the easy recipe too, well most of the things are easy but this one is very straight forward and it taste delicious.

Erissery is made with pumpkin known as Mathanga in Malayam, Red Beans (Vanpayar) along with coconut and few other ingredients with final touch of coconut, mustard tempering.  Erissery can also be made with various vegetables like pumpkin, yam, plantain, raw papaya etc where pumpkin erissery is one of the famous.

If you don't like pumpkin then this is one of the best way to eat it you won't notice pumpkin in this curry as it's mashed and we have taste of coconut so the sweet taste of pumpkin is suppressed, I have used blackeyed peas/karamani/lobia as I am having plenty of lobia in stock you can make with both lobia or red beans it's taste good both ways.

Normally I make pumpkin stir fry in dry version or with in curry form and lately I have been cooking so much of pumpkin that this erissery came as very good change from my usual routine though I had my doubts if MIL would like this erissery as it has coconut and that's something we don't add much in our cooking but to my surprised everyone like it very much and I have already made it couple of times and my new batch of pumpkin will be used again for Erissery I think.

And if you like pumpkin then you should try this it doesn't matter if you celebrate Onam or not just don't miss this curry it goes well with steamed rice. You can also make erissery in a dry version but I kept it little gravy type to have it with rice along with beetroot pachadi. You can check other Onam Sadya Recipes here.

Mathanga Vanpayar Erissery | Onam Sadya Recipe

Mathanga Erisery is famous Onam Sadya dish made with pumpkin, blackeyed peas curry along with coconut.

Author:	Priti	Category:	Main Course	Cuisine:	South Indian
Prep Time:	10 Mins	Cook Time:	30 Mins	Total Time:	40 Mins
Serves:	4-5

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups - Chopped Yellow Pumpkin
• 1/2 Cup - Blackeyed Peas/Red Beans
• 3/4 tsp - Red Chili Powder
• 1/4 tsp - Turmeric Powder
• 2 - Slit Green Chilies
• 4 or 5 - Curry Leaves
To Grind
• 3 tbsp - Granted Fresh Coconut
• 1/2 tsp - Cumin Seeds
• 1/4 tsp - Turmeric Powder
• 1 tsp - Chopped Garlic
• 3 - Shallots or half small onion
For Tempering
• 1 tbsp - Oil (Preferred Coconut Oil)
• 1/2 tsp - Mustard Seeds
• 6 or 7 - Curry Leaves
• 2 - Dry Red Chilies
• 2 tbsp - Grated Coconut

Method:

1. Wash and soak lobia/blackeyed peas or red bean (vanpayar) over night, rinse 2-3 times in fresh water and pressure cook for 2-3 whistles with 1 cup water and little salt.

2. Cut pumpkins along the lines in it like in wedges this way we can peel it easily.

3. Remove the flesh part (you can wash, dry seeds and use it), peel and chop pumpkin in small pieces, peel and chop shallots or onion, garlic keep aside for grinding. 

4.  In a pan or wok heat 1 cups of water add pumpkin pieces, curry leaves, turmeric powder, red chili powder,salt and slit green chilies.

5. While pumpkin gets cooked grind together all the items listed under 'To Grind' to fine paste, use 1-2 tbsp of water if required.

6. Cook pumpkin for 10-12 minutes or until pumpkin gets cooked.Once pumpkin gets cooked mash slightly with back of ladle. Add cooked lobia and mix well. 

7. Add ground coconut mixture mix and add 1 cup water (or use lobia boiled water, add more water if want thin consistency) and bring it to boil.  Simmer for 5 minutes or until desire consistency is reached, off flame.

8. To prepare tempering in a tadka or small pan heat oil add mustard seeds and allow to splutter, add curry leaves, dry red chilies ( I didn't used), coconut.

9. Saute in slow flame until coconut becomes golden brown off flame it takes 3-5 minutes in slow flame.

10. Pour half of tempered coconut over erissery and mix, remaining half use it as garnish for erissery in serving dish.

Serve hot/warm/cold or at room temperature with steamed rice.

Enjoy this easy and delicious mathanga erissery with steamed rice.  Check other Onam Sadya Recipes here