Erissery
A comforting Onam sadya curry of soft pumpkin and red cowpeas, coarsely mashed and crowned with a fragrant roasted coconut-shallot topping.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Total
- 55 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 210 kcal
Equipment
- •Heavy pot
- •Wooden mashing ladle (mathu)
- •Small frying pan for tempering
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 210 kcal
- fat
- 10 g
- carbs
- 24 g
- fibre
- 6 g
- protein
- 7 g
- calories
- 210 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Pressure-cook the soaked cowpeas with turmeric and water for 3 to 4 whistles until soft. Drain and set aside.
- 2
Boil the pumpkin cubes with a little salt and water for 12 to 15 minutes until soft.
- 3
Grind half the grated coconut, cumin seeds, 2 shallots, and green chillies with minimal water into a rough paste.
- 4
Add the cooked cowpeas and ground coconut paste to the pot of boiled pumpkin.
- 5
Mash everything lightly with a ladle, leaving some pumpkin chunks. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- 6
In a dry pan, toast the remaining grated coconut and sliced shallots until golden brown and fragrant.
- 7
Heat coconut oil in a small pan. Let the mustard seeds pop, then add dried red chillies and curry leaves.
- 8
Stir the toasted coconut and shallot mixture into the hot spiced oil for a few seconds.
- 9
Pour this hot tadka (spiced oil topping) over the pumpkin mixture. Stir gently just before serving.
Chef's tips
Do not overcook the cowpeas into mush; they should keep some bite. Toast the coconut topping until deep golden for classic erissery aroma. Making it ahead lets the flavours blend well.
Ingredient substitutions
- red cowpeas (vanpayar) → black-eyed peas
- yellow pumpkin → ripe plantain or elephant yam for other erissery variants
Storage
Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
Reheating
Reheat gently on the stovetop over low heat, stirring occasionally; avoid the microwave to preserve texture.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Grinding the coconut too fine, which loses the traditional rough texture.
- •Overcooking the pumpkin into a watery mush instead of keeping a thick, soft mash.
Serving suggestions
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