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South Indian · Indian

Erissery

Vegetarian

A thick Kerala curry of pumpkin and beans in a cumin-scented coconut paste, crowned with coconut roasted golden in coconut oil. An Onam sadya essential.

Erissery is a South Indian curry, ready in about 55 minutes and made with pumpkin, black-eyed peas (dried) and desiccated coconut. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

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Prep
15 min
Cook
40 min
Total
55 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Calories
289

Plus 4 hours soaking the beans.

Ingredients

4 servings

Coconut paste

For the tempering

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Cook the soaked beans in 400 ml of the water until soft but holding their shape (about 15 minutes in a pressure cooker (opens in a new tab) or 35 in a pot).

  2. Step 2

    Add the pumpkin (opens in a new tab), turmeric (opens in a new tab), salt and the remaining water and simmer until the pumpkin is soft. Mash about a third of it.

    Potatoes being mashed
    How it looks · Photo: Mateusz Feliksik on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Blend the coconut, cumin (opens in a new tab), garlic (opens in a new tab), green chillies and pepper (opens in a new tab) with a splash of water to a coarse paste. Stir into the pumpkin (opens in a new tab) and simmer 3–4 minutes, until the raw coconut smell has gone.

  4. Step 4

    Heat the coconut oil (opens in a new tab), pop the mustard seeds (opens in a new tab), add the dried chillies, curry leaves (opens in a new tab) and coconut and fry until the coconut is golden brown. Pour over the erissery.

About this dish

Origin
Kerala, India · Well documentedMore food from India
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Curries · Side dishes
Cooking method
Boiled, Simmered
Taste
sweet & savoury, nutty, earthy, mild
Diet
Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carb
All labelsVegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Whole-food focused · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · Carb-conscious
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Festive & celebration · Budget-friendly
Cook more with
Pumpkin · Black-eyed peas (dried) · Desiccated coconut · Turmeric · Cumin · Green chilli
Techniques
Boiling · Simmering · Pressure cooking

Allergens

  • Contains: Mustardfrom mustard seeds

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

289 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 303 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 10%
  • Carbohydrate 32%
  • Fat 58%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy289 kcal95 kcal
Protein7.5 g2.5 g
Carbohydrate24.6 g8.1 g
Net carbohydrate18.3 g6.1 g
Sugars5.7 g1.9 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre6.2 g2.1 g
Fat19.7 g6.5 g
Saturated fat16.5 g5.4 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium598 mg198 mg
Salt equivalent1.5 g0.5 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
723 mg
Calcium
72 mg
Iron
3.8 mg
Magnesium
76 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
439 µg
Vitamin C
17 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
147 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: garlic.
  • Not counted (tiny amounts or “to taste”): curry leaves.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Fry the tempering coconut slowly — it should be evenly golden brown, the signature of erissery.

Common mistakes

  • Boiling the dish once the coconut paste is in — it loses its fresh flavour.

Serve with

  • Part of an Onam sadya with rice, sambar, avial and pachadi.

Storage

  • Keeps 2 days refrigerated.

Reheating

  • Warm gently with a splash of water.

Variations

  • Chena erissery: Made with elephant-foot yam and raw banana instead of pumpkin.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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