Matthan Erisheri (South Indian Pumpkin and Lentil Stew)

Name: Matthan Erisheri (South Indian Pumpkin and Lentil Stew)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4 serving(s)
Ingredients: 118.29 ml dried lentils (moong dal); 250 g pumpkin, chopped (We use yellow pumpkin); salt; 0.61 ml turmeric; 118.29 ml grated coconut, divided (freshly grated coconut is best); 1 red chile; 4.92 ml cumin seed; 4.92 ml oil; 2.46 ml mustard seeds; 2.46 ml Urad Dal (split skinned black gram); 6 curry leaves

Submitted by Anu_N

"Another of my mom's pumpkin recipes for Charishma. According to my mom yellow pumpkin (the Halloween kind) is best for this recipe, but I don't see why you can't try other varieties. Then again, I'm always the rebel ;-)"

Download

Ready In:: 40mins
Ingredients:: 11
Serves:: 4

ingredients

118.29 ml dried lentils (moong dal)
250 g pumpkin, chopped (We use yellow pumpkin)
salt
0.61 ml turmeric
118.29 ml grated coconut, divided (freshly grated coconut is best)
1 red chile
4.92 ml cumin seed
4.92 ml oil
2.46 ml mustard seeds
2.46 ml Urad Dal (split skinned black gram)
6 curry leaves

directions

Cook lentils in a pressure cooker till tender.
Alternately you can also cook it in a saucepan; add 1 cup water to lentils, bring to a boil, then reduce flame to low, cover, and simmer until tender (15-20 minutes).
Cook chopped pumpkins in another saucepan with approximately 1 cup water, along with salt and turmeric, until tender (about 10-15 minutes).
Meanwhile, in a grinder or food processor, grind grated coconut (LEAVE ASIDE 1 TEASPOON), red chili, and cumin seeds into a paste.
When the pumpkin is cooked, add the cooked lentils and coconut paste to it and bring to a boil.
In a small frying pan, heat oil over medium-high flame and add mustard, Urad dal and curry leaves.
When mustard sputters, add 1 teaspoon grated coconut and fry until it turns brown (don't burn it!!!).
Add the contents of the frying pan to the lentil-pumpkin mixture.
Stir well.
Serve hot with steamed rice.

Questions & Replies

Got a question? Share it with the community!

Reviews

I'm sorry Anu, we didn't like this one. I made it for dinner tonight. It was too plain and we didnt really like the taste. Probably more spicier and flavourful just like the other bittergourd recipe, the kootukari(sp?), are what we really like.

Charishma_Ramchandani
I thought this was just OK - it didn't have a lot of flavor, and by the time it was done there was no liquid, so it hardly seemed llike a stew. The hot, oily mustard seeds popping all over the kitchen (including getting stuck down my blouse and burning sensitive areas) wasn't exactly fun either.

denisenewmail
I tried this for dinner tonight and it turned out great. Thanks for posting and also thanks to Chef #210830 for sharing tips on perking up the recipe.

anumurali
Maybe it was the pumpkin we used, but this wasn't very flavorful on its own. I added about 1/4 cup Bragg's liquid aminos and 2 tbsps korean chili sauce to give it some flavor and heat, and that seemed to perk it up a bit. Otherwise, it makes a good base to layer flavors onto. Thanks for posting. :)

Vegan Courtney
At home, mom used to make this often. The major difference was that she added one or two green chillies while grinding the coconut and also a handful of coriander seeds. Charishma, this should also address your problem. :) If you find the dish to not be spicy enough, a quick fix will be to add a teaspoon of red chilli powder and two teaspoons of coriander powder to the final gravy and simmering for a few mins to let the flavours mix. Further variation: 1 teaspoon of imli (tamarind) and half a teaspoon of jaggery added while grinding gives a distinctly different flavour. All other ingredients remain as usual.

sujatha_natraj