Erissery
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Sweet pumpkin and red cowpeas cooked with ground coconut and topped with coconut roasted until brown, a favourite of the Onam sadya.
Region: KeralaOccasion: Onam and Vishu sadyaTime: 40 min + soakingServes: 4Vegan
Ingredients
- 2 cups yellow pumpkin, cubed
- ½ cup red cowpeas, soaked 6 hours
- ¾ cup grated coconut, 1 tsp cumin, 2 green chillies, 2 cloves garlic (optional), for grinding
- ½ tsp turmeric, ½ tsp chilli powder, salt
- ½ cup grated coconut, for roasting
- 2 tbsp coconut oil, ½ tsp mustard seeds, 2 dried red chillies, curry leaves
Method
- Pressure-cook the cowpeas until soft.
- Cook the pumpkin with turmeric, chilli powder, salt and a little water until soft, and mash some of it.
- Grind the coconut, cumin, green chillies and garlic to a coarse paste, add it with the cowpeas and simmer for 5 minutes.
- In the coconut oil, splutter the mustard, red chillies and curry leaves, then add the coconut for roasting and stir until deep brown.
- Pour the roasted coconut over the erissery and serve with rice.
History
Erissery is made with pumpkin, raw banana or yam, depending on the season; the roasted-coconut topping is its signature.
Significance
It is one of the thicker curries of the sadya and is especially linked with Onam, when pumpkin is plentiful.