Mathanga Erissery

Name: Mathanga Erissery
Total time: 1500 s
Yield: 5-6 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 250 gm cubed Yellow Pumpkin; 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder; 1/2 tsp Salt; 1/4 tsp Red Chilli powder; 1 cup water; 1/2 cup soaked overnight Red Cowpeas; 200 ml Water; 1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds; 1 cup grated Coconut (fresh or frozen); 2-3 Garlic cloves; 6-7 Peppercorns; 1 Green Chilli; 7-8 Shallots; 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder; 2 tbsp Coconut oil; 1 tsp Black Mustard Seeds; 1 tsp Urad Daal or Black Gram; 2-3 dry Red Chillies; 10-12 Curry Leaves; 2-3 tbsp grated Coconut (fresh or frozen)

ZMA @zesty5

#CA2025
#cookpadindia
#newrecipe
#Keralacuisine
Erissery or Mathanga Erissery is a classic dish from the God's own Country - Kerala. It is a mildly tempered curry with slight sweet tones from the Pumpkin and the Coconut. It is also gluten free and vegan as all the ingredients are plant based. The Malayalam word mathanga means Yellow Pumpkin in English. Also known as Ellissery or Ellisheri, it is one of the main dishes that are served at traditional Vegetarian feast 'sadya' during Onam festival. Since this is a traditional and a classic dish of Kerala, cooking is done in pure Coconut oil. There are different variations of Erissery that can be made with Yam, Raw Bananas etc. It can be made with Onion and Garlic and also without them.

The best part is that it can be made easily with minimal ingredients. Red Cowpeas or Red Lobia are used in this dish along with Yellow Pumpkin and Coconut. It is a mildly sweet, creamy and a flavourful curry. A perfect choice for mealtimes on any day. Be it a Lunch or a Dinner, this amazing Curry goes well alongside both steamed Rice and Rotis/Chapatis. Everyone would love it in the family. Even the kids will enjoy eating this super delicious and creamy Curry. Instead of Red Cowpeas, Black Eyed Beans or White Lobia can also be used for this lip-smacking homemade simple yet a flavourful and a filling Vegetarian dish. Let's begin with the recipe straight away.

Enjoy Cooking with Zeen!

ZMA @zesty5

Enjoy Cooking with Zeen!

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Ingredients

20-25 minutes

5-6 servings

For cooking the Pumpkin -
250 gmcubed Yellow Pumpkin
1/2 tspTurmeric powder
1/2 tspSalt
1/4 tspRed Chilli powder
1 cupwater
For cooking Red Cowpeas -
1/2 cupsoaked overnight Red Cowpeas
200 mlWater
For the Coconut paste -
1/2 tspCumin Seeds
1 cupgrated Coconut (fresh or frozen)
2-3Garlic cloves
6-7Peppercorns
1Green Chilli
7-8Shallots
1/4 tspTurmeric powder
For the tempering -
2 tbspCoconut oil
1 tspBlack Mustard Seeds
1 tspUrad Daal or Black Gram
2-3dry Red Chillies
10-12Curry Leaves
2-3 tbspgrated Coconut (fresh or frozen)

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Steps

20-25 minutes

1

Cook yellow pumpkin with turmeric, chilli powder, salt and water until soft.
2

Add boiled red cowpeas to the cooked pumpkin and mix well.
3

Grind coconut and cumin seeds into a coarse paste.
4

Add coconut paste to the pumpkin-cowpea mixture. Mix well. Simmer for 4-5 minutes. Also add water if the curry looks too thick. Adjust salt and cook just until fragrant.
5

Finally it's time for the tempering. Heat coconut oil. Add mustard seeds, dried chillies and curry leaves. As the mustard seeds splutter, add the coconut. Fry it until perfectly roasted to a light brown colour.
6

Pour this tempering over the pumpkin-cowpea mixture. Give it a light mix and it's all ready to be dished out. Serve it at mealtimes. Enjoy!

Tips

Roasting the Coconut in the tempering enhances the flavour, so be sure to keep an eye on it to prevent burning.

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ZMA @zesty5

on September 06, 2025 03:16

Homemaker by choice and a passionate cook by heart. An aspiring cook who actually never knew anything about Cooking until i became a mother myself.With Motherhood came the responsibilities as well and this was the turning point in my life.I started to learn the ABC's of cooking, taking help from my mother and my MIL. And time just flew. I spread my wings higher and higher. With my love for excellence and innovation, i stepped into a world of homecooks with my exposure to Cookpad one fine day on the social media. And there was no looking back since then and i have not only shared recipes here on this wonderful platform but also have made some lovely friends as well. Today iam successful because of my hard work, dedication and loads of good wishes of my family and my kids in particular.