Sunday 23 June 2013

Mathanga Erissery | Yellow Pumpkin Dhal Curry

Yellow Pumpkin & Tur Dal cooked in coconut paste & dressed with shallots tempering



 What is it that makes us more tempted or attracted towards food? Is it the colour or flavor or aroma or the way it is presented? I guess it differs from person to person, right? Nature has presented us with a wide variety of colours when it comes to food. We have the bright red to baby pink and greens and yellows, even hues of violets.. You know why I got reminded of this suddenly? Coz, I know someone who does not like a particular colour of food and is attracted to some specific colours. Yo, it's none other than my sister. She hates when it is green colour food and loves when mom makes yellow colour food. So that makes pumpkin one of her favorites. But she savors Pumpkin Kootu the best :)

So do you have any specifics in colour when it comes to food? Lemme hear from you on this :) And coming to the dish of the day, it's a Mallu (Kerala special) favorite and is yet another important item on Kerala Sadhya menu. The dish in itself can be had both as a side dish or as a main gravy with steamed rice along with pappad. Either ways, it tastes yum & perfect. There are quite a many variations to this recipe in different parts of Kerala, but the ingredients remain more or less the same. It is just the order & manner in which they appear on the recipe that differs :) So come on, let's see how it is made in a part of Northern Kerala..


Recipe Source: Mil


Serves: 4 persons


I Took:

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 25 minutes



I Used:


Yellow Pumpkin - 2 cups (deseeded & diced)
Tur Dal - ¼ cup
Red Chilly Powder - 2 tsp
Turmeric Powder - ½ tsp
Grated Coconut - ¼ cup
Cumin seeds - ½ tsp
Salt - As Needed

To Temper:

Oil - 2 tsp
Mustard Seeds - ½ tsp
Red Chilly - 2 or 3 no
Shallots - 2-3 no
Curry Leaves - A sprig

The Way:

  1. Wash and clean the tur dal and soak in water for 20 minutes
  2. Peel the skin of the pumpkin & discard the soft middle portion with the seeds. Dice the pumpkin & keep aside
  3. Add a little water (sufficient enough for the dal to cook) and pressure cook the tur dal for 2 or 3 whistles until almost done
  4. Once the whistle is released, remove excess water from the dal if any
  5. Add the diced pumpkin pieces, red chilly powder, turmeric powder & salt & pressure cook again for 1 or 2 whistles. Alternately you can cook it uncovered as well, but then add ¼ cup of water to it
  6. You may mash the pumpkin once done. If you prefer to have whole pieces reduce the number of whistles
  7. Grind together the grated coconut & cumin seeds with 2-3 tbsps of water. Add this to the pumpkin gravy & mix well
  8. Allow it on flame for 2-3 minutes until the coconut paste mixes well with the pumpkin and the raw smell goes off
  9. In another small pan, heat 2 tsp of oil. Add mustard to it. When it splutters add red chilly, sliced shallots & curry leaves. Fry until they turn golden brown (Do not burn them)
  10. Add this tempering over the gravy. Mix well & serve 

Notes:

Instead of the mentioned tempering, you can also do a different one. For that heat coconut oil. Splutter mustard. Add a handful of grated coconut. Keep frying in low flame till the coconut turns golden brown. Take care not to burn them. Once done, add this to the erissery

Cheers,
Chitz

41 comments:

  1. Hey love the Yellow Pumpkin Dhal Curry!! Never made this though! I'm trying this next week ,looks simple with amazing color!!
    I have seen people who needs certain color in their food, but I'm a complete foody so , there is no bias in color - any veggie food presented to me will be happily gulped down, HaHa!!!
    The shots are too good, did you take a lesson or two during your vacation or change your camera of sorts???

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    1. Haha.. Yupzz.. I guess asking that question to food bloggers is a biggg mistake :P So :D I am not sure.. Maybe I have improved in my photographic skills ;) I didnt change the cam yet.. Have got a new one.. Still learning on the various modes & ways of it !!

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  2. uff this looks so good chitz... glad u r sharing some thani naadan vibhavangal... :) love it!!!

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  3. Color & food are inseparable. I know few people who will reject the dish by seeing its color..won't even taste it.

    Pumpkin daal looks great. And pics are inviting too.

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  4. aah !! it shows that you are jsut back from an Indian vacation...erissery..pulissery !!! haa haa...very tempting, dear..and hey! you necessarily don't have to call me MAM!..ok..just call me Sona..or Sona chechi, if u want to. ;) :)

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    1. Sure dear.. That MAM was just an occasional gesture of my respect !!

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    2. :) u dont call ur sisters or close friends MAM yeah !! ..:)

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    3. Sure.. Not again my sis :)

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  5. Wow looks so delicious :) I love food in all colours.;)

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  6. I am attracted to the color and the outcome, also the combination of ingredients which is what gives the taste. Its been such a long time since a pumpkin dish made way to our meals and its about time after seeing your post.

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  7. Lovely dhal recipe.....i liked it very much

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  8. My fav dish, but never made erissery using dal, loved the combo, yours looks yummy and thick

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  9. I agree some people really judge food by the color, and yes I do agree presentation is a big part of enjoying food

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  10. Yummy and delicious preparation..

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  11. Loved your last click, grt! Yummy and tasty curry.

    today's post:
    http://sanolisrecipies.blogspot.in/2013/06/chettinad-pakoda-kuzhambu-snc-challenge.html

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  12. my aunt will have stories to tell about the love of mine towards this recipe...she will see me behind her when she buys mathanga from market when i was small asking her for one dish "this yummy ellishery"....with light sweet flavor i have enjoyed this wonderful curry when i was very small...got to make some time too

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    1. Hehe.. Some rave childhood memories we have of food from our childhood na !!

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  13. Looks healthy...love the colour of the dish :)
    Nicely presented :)

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  14. This recipe is new to me and looks very amazing. Love the colour and those crispy onions on top

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  15. Super comforting, healthy and delicious dhal Chitz :-)

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  16. love the color of dal and tempering... delicious!!!!

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  17. Delicioso y saludable me encanta,saludos y abrazos.

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  18. Looks wonderful ! I love the shot with the tempering ...very attractive !
    Actually your post got me thinking about wat colour of food I like and I decided it's red first with tomatoes and then anything green :) but I guess I'll mostly go with the anything flavorful :=)Great dish !

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    1. Cool.. I too love red for taking shots.. They look soo very awesome on pics :)

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  19. That's a delectable combo of pumpkin and dal.....all i need is rice to lick this off...

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  20. Love the colour of the erissery,seriously makes me drool..Fingerlicking definitely.

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  21. looks creamy and yummy love the color

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  22. What an inviting dish Chitz. Since i'm not a big fan of toor dhal i want to give a try with masoor dhal. Lovely clicks!!!

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  23. Thanks everyone for ur valuable comments & time & ur thoughts on the color of the food :)

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  24. Its been ages since I have made this... Love your recipe :)

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  25. Hi Chitra, we really liked the dhal. my husband couldn't stop licking his fingers and reaching out for more. even the toddler had it without fussing. Thank you so much for sharing it.

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    1. I love it even more when the toddlers enjoy it :) Thank u dear :)

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  26. I tried it today...I came out really yummy!Me & my son had more rice than usual days!!!πŸ˜‹πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ’–πŸƒ

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    1. Thanks a lot dear. so happy to hear that little ones enjoy it :)

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