MATHAGA CHERUPAYAR ERISSERY or PUMPKIN or BUTTERNUT SQUASH MASH WITH GREEN GRAM or MOONG DAL

MATHAGA CHERUPAYAR ERISSERY or PUMPKIN or BUTTERNUT SQUASH MASH WITH GREEN GRAM or MOONG DAL: I have tried the pumpkin erissery number of times and I never got the taste correct. My parents had flown in to be with us for a few days and my mother made it for me. Yum!!!!!!!! It tasted so great and yes I also learnt it....so today was the trial day and it was a huge success.

Unlike most curries, this is not at all hot and spicy. This has a sweet and salty taste. Even my baby had few spoons of it. The pumpkin erissery can also be made with the red beans. I tried making it with sambar dal and it tasted terrible. Instead of pumpkin you may also use butter nut squash. 

The best part of this dish is that it is a combination of pumpkin and green gram, both of which are power packed with nutrients. Pumpkins are rich in antioxidants, fiber, vitamins and minerals. It is even used in dieting programs as it has very low calories. It has very high vitamin A. Green gram on the other hand is a rich source of low fat protein. It is also high in fiber. Green gram is also considered as a great food for weaning babies.

It tastes best with hot rice and papad. It is a simple and delicious vegetarian feast.  You may also have it with rotis.

INGREDIENTS:

Pumpkin or butter nut squash cubed – about 2 cups

Green gram – ¼ cup

Scraped coconut – 7 tablespoons

Garlic – 1 to 2 cloves

Cumin seeds – ¼ tablespoon

Turmeric powder – a pinch

Chilli powder – ¼ to ½ tablespoon

Curry leaves – 2 sprigs

Mustard seeds – 1 tablespoon

Dry red chilli – 1

Oil – 1 tablespoon

Salt to taste

Water

METHOD:

Clean and cube the pumpkins. Soak the green grams for about an hour or so. Pressure cook the green gram with a bit of salt (approximately 2 whistles on low heat).

In the meantime, grind roughly the following:

Scraped coconut – 3 tablespoons, curry leaf – a sprig, garlic clove, cumin seeds, turmeric powder, chilli powder and very little water.

Pour this mixture to the cooked green gram and add the pumpkin pieces. Cook till the pumpkins are well cooked (approximately one whistle).  Mash the pumpkins and mix it well. Check for the salt. If the mixture is too thick, add little water, preferably hot water.

In another pan, heat some oil and splutter the mustard seeds. Add the rest of the scraped coconut and sauté till light golden brown. Add the rest curry leaves and dry red chilli and sauté. Pour this to the cooked pumpkin green gram mixture. Serve!

NB: The sweetness will depend on the sweetness of the pumpkin. 

         

KOZHUKATTA or SWEET RICE DUMPLING

KOZHUKATTA or SWEET RICE DUMPLING: This is one dish which can be eaten as breakfast, snack and even as a desert. I am sure every keralite would have had a number of times. Well, there are variations to kozhukatta. The one that I am presenting here is the sweet one. At my husband’s place they call it thuru vecha kozhukatta (no idea why they call it that way....hopefully some Trivandrum person will be kind enough to explain that).

 I also remember my mother making the non sweet version (even my elder sister in law makes it. She loves it that way). But both the versions are different.

 My grand mom used to make it in the traditional way. She used to soak the rice and cumin and grind them and scraped coconut is also used. But I am not sure of the traditional way of making it. My mom used to make it the easy way. So, I am following her footsteps. J

This sweet rice dumpling can be made of sugar or palm jaggery (chakkara) or jaggery (sharkara). I have used palm jaggery here. I will try to post the non sweet version soon.

INGREDIENTS:

Rice powder – 1.5 cup

Hot boiling water - 2 cups

Jaggery – around ¼ cup

Scrapped coconut – around ¼ cup

(The following ingredients are optional.)

Cumin seeds or jeerakam– ¼ teaspoon

Cardamom seeds or Elachi or elekka– 2 to 3

Dry ginger or chukku – a pinch

Salt – a pinch

METHOD:

Mix the scraped coconut and Jaggery along with the spices (which are optional). Take the rice powder in a bowl. Sprinkle with salt. Add hot boiling water little by little and mix at the same time. This will ensure you do not have any lumps and the water gets absorbed evenly. Close the bowl with a lid. Leave for few minutes.

Knead the dough with the hand. Be careful as the dough is hot. The dough will have the consistency of a bit loose chapatti or slightly loose pastry mix. It should not be watery.

Once kneaded, make balls out of it. Once you make a ball, immediately flatten it on the palm of your hand (dip your fingers in water before flattening if the mixture is sticky). Add the coconut mixture to the centre and bring back the flattened dough ends to form a ball.

Once all the dumpling balls are made, place it in a steamer and steam for about 5 to 7 minutes and serve. You may serve it hot or cold.

NB: Once you roll the dumpling ball, you may roll it between your palms to ensure they get a proper round shape.

When you flatten the dough, do not make it too thin as the ball may break and leak the sugar or jaggery juice into your steamer.

Avoid putting cumin and dry ginger together; I personally do not like the taste. You may do it, if you like the combination.

Depending on your sweetness level adjust the jaggery or sugar.  

CHENDAMURI or RIPE BANANA DESERT or ETHAKKA VAZATTIYATHU

CHENDAMURI or RIPE BANANA DESERT or ETHAKKA VAZATTIYATHU: This is one desert that my husband can’t get over with. The first time I heard about chendamuri was after marriage. My mother in law makes it. I guess this dish reminds my husband about his childhood.

This dish is made with jaggery or palm jaggery, ripe bananas and ghee. It is a very simple dish. My 9 month old also seems to be a great fan of it. I have used palm jaggery.

INGREDIENTS:

Ripe Bananas – 2

Ghee or clarified butter -1 to 2 tablespoon

Palm Jaggery - to taste

Elachi or cardamom – 2 to 3 powdered

METHOD:

Cut the bananas into small pieces. Melt the jaggery with little hot water and sieve it to get rid of any particles or sand in it.

Take a heavy bottomed pan and add ghee to it. Add bananas and sauté for sometime till the bananas are tender.

Add jaggery and sauté till the whole liquid is absorbed. Season with cardamom and serve hot. You may garnish with cashew nuts.

 NB: You can also season with dry ginger if you like the taste.