PALAKKAD MATHANGA ERISSERY – YELLOW PUMPKIN WITH DAL IN COCONUT GRAVY

Mathanga Erissery/Yellow Pumpkin with Dal in Coconut Gravy is a traditional dish prepared during festivals like Vishu and Onam sadhya and other important Occasions.

Pumpkin is rich in fiber. Vitamin A found in pumpkin is essential for eye health and can fight infections. Pumpkin is also rich in Vitamin C which helps to recover from cold faster.

Today I am posting Palakkad Style Mathanga Erissery which is one of the famous recipes of Palakkad district in Kerala.  It is prepared with yellow pumpkin, tovar dal , coconut and few other ingredients.

Ingredients:

Mathanga/Yellow Pumpkin                      ½ kg

Tovar dal                                                           1 cup

Red chili powder                                            1 tsp

Salt to taste

For grinding:

Coconut (grated)                                          ¾ cup

Jeera/cumin seeds                                      ¼ tsp

Pepper corn                                                    7

For seasoning:

Coconut oil                                                      4 tsp

Mustard seeds                                                ½ tsp

Jeera/cumin seeds                                       ¼ tsp

Curry leaves                                                    2 strands

Garlic                                                                  8 – 10

Dry red chili                                                     4

Coconut (grated)                                           ½ cup

Procedure for preparaing Palakkad Mathanga Erissery/Yellow Pumpkin with Dal in Coconut Gravy:

1. Wash, clean and chop the pumpkin into small pieces.
2. Wash the dal.
3. In a pressure cooker add the dal, pumpkin pieces, turmeric powder, red chili powder, salt and enough water and cook till the 1^st whistle or till it is cooked and put off the flame.
   
4. When cool just mash the mixture with a spatula/ladle and keep it aside.
5. Meanwhile grind grated coconut, jeera and pepper corn with enough water to a fine paste.
6. Add the ground paste to the pumpkin-dal mixture and cook for 3 – 4 minutes on medium flame till the curry starts boiling. Keep stirring occasionally and put off the flame.
7. Heat coconut oil in pan add mustard seeds and jeera.
8. When mustard seeds splutter add dry red chili, curry leaves and garlic, stir fry on low flame for 3-4 minutes or till the garlic changes its color to light brownish.
9. Then add grated coconut and stir fry on low flame for 3-4 mintues or till the coconut changes its color to light brownish, immediately put off the flame.
10. Add this coconut mixture to the pumpkin curry. A nice aroma comes out of the Mathanga Erissery.

Delicious sweet Palakkad Mathanga Erissery is ready. It is served with plain rice.

Note:

• In this recipe more amount of garlic is used as it is good for digestion. You can increase or decrease the amount of garlic as per your taste.
• You can add 1 tbsp of jaggery to increase the sweetness of the recipe.