South Kerala Style Mathanga Erissery | Pumpkin and Green Gram/ Brown Gram Curry

South Kerala Style Mathanga Erissery

Mathanga erissery is a common item in Kerala Sadya (Traditional meal in banana leaf) made with pumpkin, green gram, coconut and some spices and tempered with roasted coconut and other tempering ingredients. Erissery can be made with different vegetables like pumpkin, yam, raw banana, raw banana, raw jack fruit etc or a combination of these vegetables. Green gram (Cherupayar (Moong dal) or brown gram (vanpayar) can be used for making erissery. There is two methods of making erissery, one is as loose gravy and other as with thick gravy. Thick erissery is served for Sadya. In this recipe, I’m preparing a loose gravy type which is common in South Kerala as a ‘Ozhichu Curry’.

Best combination

Rice + Fish curry

South Kerala Style Mathanga Erissery | Pumpkin and Green Gram/ Brown Gram Curry

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Serves: 5 Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cooking Time: 20 Minutes

Ingredients

1. Pumpkin - 250 gms - Cut into small pieces (Mathanga)
2. Green gram - 1/4 Cup (Cherupayar)
3. Coconut - 1/4 Cup - Grated
4. Garlic - 4 Nos (Medium size)
5. Shallots - 4 Nos (Chuvannulli)
6. Cumin seeds - 1/2 Teaspoon (Jeerakam)
7. Turmeric powder - 1/4 Teaspoon
8. Chilly powder - 1/2 Teaspoon
9. Green chilly - 2 Nos
10. Water - 1/2 Cup + 2 Cups
11. Salt - As required
--- For tempering ---
12. Coconut oil - 1 Tablespoon
13. Mustard seeds - 1/2 Teaspoon
14. Shallots - 1/2 Tablespoon - Chopped
15. Dried red chilly - 2 Nos - Cut into pieces
16. Curry leaves - 2 Stems
17. Coconut - 1/2 Cup - Grated

Instructions

Cook/ pressure cook pumpkin and green gram together with 2 cups of water.
Grind ingredients 3 – 9 smoothly with 2 cups of water.
Keep the flame low (of cooked pumpkin and green gram), add the ground paste to it.
Mix well and smash the pumpkin well with a ladle and cook for 5 more minutes in low flame with pan covered.
Meanwhile dry roast grated coconut to light brown color.
When done, add the roasted coconut to the Erissery.
After that, heat coconut oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds and rest of the tempering ingredients and fry till shallots become light brown color.
Pour the tempering over the curry and mix well.

Notes

- Green gram/ brown gram (Cherupayar/ Vanpayar) can be used in this erissery recipe. - Erissery tends to thicken after getting cooled down. So adjust water accordignly if you want a loose gravy. - Soak green gram/ brown gram (which ever is used) in water overnight for fast cooking.

Anishya