Pumpkin Erissery

Ingredients: Raw Pumpkin - 1/2 kg (washed and cut into 1/4 " cubes); Grated coconut - 1 1/2 cups; curry leaves - a few; Red chilli - 1; mustard seeds - 1 tsp; jeera / cumin seeds - 1 tsp; urad dal - 1 tsp; oil - 1 tsp; turmeric powder - a pinch; salt - to taste

Method:

• Boil the pumpkin until tender with a pinch of turmeric powder and salt
• Grind 1 cup coconut, cumin seeds and red chilli into a fine paste and add to the boiled pumpkin. Add little water if required and bring to a boil.
• In a thick bottomed pan, add a little oil, mustard seeds and urad dal. When the mustard seeds splutter and the dal turns red, add curry leaves and remaining coconut. Fry till golden brown and add to the pumpkin.
• Serve hot with rice. This goes well with Menthya puli / puli ingi.

Variation: If you are health conscious and do not want to use so much coconut, you can add 1/2 cup of cooked bengal gram dal to the pumpkin and grind 1/4 cup coconut instead of 1 cup mentioned above. The coconut to be fried can also be reduced to 1/4 cup.

You can substitute raw pumpkin with broad beans (Avarakkai), drumsticks or small onions. The method remains the same.