Red Cowpea(payar), pumpkin and raw banana cooked in flavorful coconut gravy. This dish is called Mathanga Erisseri in Kerala and one of the popular recipe for Onam/Vishu Sadya. This is an easy and delicious Red Cowpea, and Pumpkin curry and goes well with rice. Check out more on Onam/God's own festival. Here are other Onam/Vishu recipes:

Mixed Vegetables Curry with Coconut (Avial)
Pineapple Pachadi
Ladys finger kichadi
Cabbage thoran
Sambhar
Palada Payasam / Pradhaman

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(40 votes, average: 4.28 out of 5)

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 50

Total Time 1

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Indian, kerala

Servings people

Ingredients

1 cup Red Cowpea (Red Payar)
½ kilogram Pumpkin
2 number Raw Banana (medium size)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon chilli powder

Grind

1 ½ cup grated coconut
4 number Shallots
2 number garlic
4 number green chilli
1 pinch Jeerakam

Seasoning

1 teaspoon mustard seeds
2 sprig curry leaves
3 number dry red chilli
1 ½ cup grated coconut

Instructions

Soak Red Cowpea / payar overnight in 2 cups of water. Add the soaked cowpea along with the water into the pressure cooker. Add extra water up to the level of the cowpea, so that it's completely soaked. Add salt and turmeric powder. Pressure cook for 2 whistles or until cowpea is cooked well.
Remove pumpkin skin. Scrape the raw banana skin a bit. You don't have to remove the whole banana skin. Chop pumpkin and raw banana into 1-inch cube pieces.
Red cowpea generally takes more time than pumpkin and banana. If cowpea is cooked well after 1st step, remove it from the cooker and keep it aside. Otherwise, cook red cowpea again along with pumpkin and banana. Add chopped pumpkin and banana into the cooker. Add 1 teaspoon salt, chilli powder, and turmeric powder. Pressure cook for 1 whistle or until it's cooked.
Grind all the ingredients listed under the grind section. Add the ground coconut mix to the cooker. Let it boil. Switch off the stove.
Heat 2 teaspoon oil in another thick bottomed pan. Splutter mustard seeds. Add dried red chilli and curry leaves. Once sauteed, add grated coconut. Fry the coconut until brown. Please make sure that it doesn't get burnt.
Add fried coconut mix to the cooker. Mix it well. Serve with rice.