Easy Mathanga-Vanpayar Erissery

WANT TO READ THIS RECIPE IN MALAYALAM ,CLICK HERE!!

Erissery is usually made on special occasions like pirannal, onam, vishu etc, becasue we often find it’s a time consuming dish to make 😉  but we often make this version for our lunch. This is how my Mil makes it on busy days for school and office, but she doesnt add garlic, whereas I add garlic to avoid  gas issues. This  version is easier to prepare  compared to the sadya Erissery , so  you could make it for everyday lunch too.

This is not the exact sadya erissery, so please excuse 🙂 But definitely an easy way to include the goodness of pumpkin/mathanga and cow peas /vanpayar in your diet

Mathanga-Vanpayar Erissery:

1. Mathanga   /yellow pumpkin                                     :  cubed, 1.5 cup
2. Vanpayar / cow peas                                                    : soaked overnight, 1/2 cup
3. green chillies                                                                 : 2-3 slit
4. Coconut grated                                                              :1 cup
5.  water                                                                              : 1 cup+1/4+1/4 cup* refer notes
6. cumin seeds                                                                   : 1 pinch
7. pepper cons                                                                   : 1-2 no
8. Garlic cloves                                                                  : 2-3 small
9. Turmeric powder                                                         :1/4 tsp
10. Red chilli powder                                                          :1/2 tsp
11. salt                                                                                    : as per taste
12. mustard seeds                                                               : 1/4 tsp
13. fenugreek seeds                                                            : 2 pinches
14. red chillies , dried                                                         : 3-4 no
15. coconut oil                                                                      :2-3 tsp
16. curry leaves                                                                    : 2 spring

Method:

1. Soak vanpayar/cow peas  overnight and pressure cook it for 4-5 whistles.
2. In a heavy bottom vessel take cubed pumpkin , green chilli ,turmeric powder, red chilli powder, salt, and water boil well.
3. Alternatively , you can do step 2 in pressure cook for 3-4 whistles too.
4. Once pumpkin is cooked through, add the cooked vanpayar into it as well and mix everything together. Salt check and let it boil for 3-4 minutes.
5. Simmer the curry for at least 5 minutes. Let the gravy thicken a bit.
6. In the meantime, grind together coconut, cumin seeds, pepper cons into a fine  paste with little  water.Crush the garlic lightly ** and add it to the coconut paste.
7. Now add this coconut paste into the curry and combine well. Simmer for 2-3 minutes and switch off the flame.
8. Heat a pan for tempering , to which add oil once heat add mustard seeds, wait for it to pop , add fenugreek seeds, let it brown , dry red chillies, curry leaves and pour this over the curry and cover immediately with a lid.

Notes:

1. Cook the cow peas thoroughly otherwise it might cause gastric issue.If cow peas isn’t cooked well after 3 whistles, cook for 2 more whistles.
2. If you are in a hurry go for pressure cooking the pumpkin and vanpayar.
3. Do not crush the garlic along with coconut , always crush it separately and add it to the curry, curry might taste garlic otherwise.
4. If you want the curry to be thick, let it simmer for a while before adding coconut paste.
5. if you feel the curry is not having enough gravy, add 1/2 cup of hot water and simmer the curry for few more minutes.
6. Unlike the usual Erissery we are not frying coconut in the end in this recipe 😉

Until next time ,Happy cooking!

Lekshmi