A few years ago I spent 7 weeks in Kerala, in the Kottayam district. I ate a lot of delicious food, and I also made quite a few notes on various recipes.
Today I decided to try and decipher my notes on one of my favourite dishes. This is a dish that I requested again and again, whenever I could! In Kerala, it was made with yam and a small red bean that I don't think is available here. I decided to use butternut squash, because I had a large one to hand, and aduki beans.
Although I made notes on the ingredients at the time, I did not measure quantities, and I have pieced together these from some online sources. Certainly it turned out delicious, so I must have got something right!
Ingredients:
1/2 cup aduki beans, soaked overnight
500g chopped butternut squash
Salt, to taste
For the wet masala
1 cup fresh grated coconut
A few small chunks of fresh ginger
2-3 small garlic cloves
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
You will also need
Ghee or oil for cooking
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
2-3 dried red chillies, roughly broken
A handful of curry leaves
1 small onion, chopped
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1-2 small garlic cloves, minced
Drain the aduki beans and cook until tender. Drain.
Cook the squash with a little water and salt until tender.
Meanwhile, grind the ingredients for the wet masala into a paste with a little water.
Mash the squash a little and add the beans, mashing a few of these too.
Add the wet masala paste plus a little water if necessary. It should be quite thick and not watery. Cook for a few minutes.
Heat some ghee or oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds and chillies, and when the seeds pop add the curry leaves, onion, ginger and garlic. Stir and fry until the onion softens.
Add to the squash and bean mixture, checking for salt. Cook for a few minutes until everything is tender and well combined. Serve.
I served the erissery with bittergourd pitlai, cooked from the book 'Samayal' by Viji Varadarajan, plus a little plain yoghurt and some cucumber.
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