Pumpkin Curry - Mathanga Payar Erissery
Kerala Pumpkin and Beans Curry
Ingredients
- 1lb/450g yellow pumpkin peeled and cut into cubes
- 1/4 tsp ground turmeric
- 1/4 tsp red chili powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 15oz/425g cooked black eyed peas or another bean
Coconut Paste
- 3/4 cup grated coconut
- 2 small hot green chilis
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
Tempering
- 1 tsp black mustard seeds
- 1 dried red chili
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
Instructions
- Put the pumpkin in a pot, salt, ground turmeric, red chili powder and 1 cup water. Cover and cook until tender, stirring occasionally. Add only enough water to cook pumpkin, do not add too much.
- To a blender, add grated coconut, cumin seeds, green chiles, and a little water. The paste should be thick, so add just enough water to blend. Puree until smooth.
- Use dried cooked beans or canned cooked beans. I used a 15oz can. Drain the beans and rinse if using canned.
- When pumpkin is cooked, mash some of the pieces. Taste and add a teaspoon or two of sugar if pumpkin is not sweet. Add the drained beans and a 1/4 tsp salt. Stir, cover and cook for 5 minutes on low heat. Add the pureed coconut, cover and simmer for 2 minutes. Taste and adjust salt or sugar if necessary.
- Heat up oil in a pot and when the oil is very hot, add mustard seeds, they’ll pop all over. It’s best to angle the pot so the seeds are sitting in oil, they won’t go all over the place. Add the dried red chili, swirl it around and turn the heat off. Now take the curry leaves off the stem and put it in the oil. It will splutter, so again angle the pot. Now pour this right over the curry. Mix it in.
- Add a few drops of coconut oil if you wish. Stir, cover the pot and let it sit for a few minutes. It’s ready to serve with rice. I cook the rice before cooking the pumpkin so both are ready at the same time.
- *** For milder curry, use one green chili instead of two. *** Use vegetable oil or coconut oil when tempering.***Curry should be thick, not watery.
Recent Comments