A hearty combination of cooked yams with brown beans (cowpeas) in a coconut paste. A part of traditional Kerala Sadhya.
Chena Vanpayar Erissery | Yam – Cow Peas Curry
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♦Prep time:10min ♦Cook time:8min ♦Yield:4Servings.
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Chena Vanpayar Erissery | Yam – Cow Peas Curry
Description
Chena Vanpayar Erissery is a thick textured vegetarian side dish, cooked in a gravy made with a freshly ground paste of coconut, green chilies, and cumin seeds, which provides a creamy, rich texture.
There are different types of erissery. Here Chena(Elephant Yam) and Vanpayar (red cow peas) are used,
Ingredients:
For Tempering
Instructions
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Soak the red beans in water. If you're in a hurry soak for one hour in Hot water. Else soaking for 3 hours is enough.
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Add to a pressure cooker without adding salt. Add 3-4 cups and pressure cook for 5-6 steam whistles. Careful not to overcook. It's advisable to check after 5 steam whistles and cook further for 3 more steams (only if needed). The beans should mash easily only when pressed between fingers at this stage. (that is, they should be only 3/4th cooked).
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Peel and cut the Yam into small cubes. (See notes to reduce itch). Add to cubes to a bowl of water as they are chopped to prevent them from changing color before cooking.
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Add the grated coconut, shallot, garlic clove, small hot green chilli, curry leaves, and cumin seeds to a small mixer jar. Add just a small amount of water ( just enough to help grind the coconut mixture to a smooth paste). The paste should be thick and smooth and not runny (watery) and grainy.
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Once the beans are 3/4th done, remove the yam cubes from the water and add them to the pot.
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Add the chilli powder and turmeric powder. Don't add more than the specified amount; they are just to add a light coloring.
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As this comes back to a boil, add salt. You may pressure cook if you are in a hurry, but I prefer to cook after boiling on a medium flame for 15 minutes, till the yam is cooked and softened. The liquids will also be substantially reduced.
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Once you see that the yam is soft and mashable, use a dal masher or large ladle to mash the yam-cubes and beans together. Mash well, but make sure it retains some texture and small pieces. Watch the video to see how the texture should be.
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Add a small amount of hot water if needed to loosen and mix the cooked ingredients from the bottom of the pot.
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Now, add the smoothly ground coconut paste. Stir and bring just to a brief, soft simmer. You can also add hot water if it is too thick to loosen the consistency, but it should be on the thicker side.
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Remove from heat.
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Tempering: Heat the coconut oil in a small pan. Add mustard seeds and allow to pop.
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Add the dried red chilli, broken up, as well as the sliced shallots. Also, add curry leaves.
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Fry till the shallots are golden, stirring. Add these tempered ingredients, along with the oil, over the Erissery.
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Do not mix at first. Just cover with a lid and allow to rest for a while.
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Then you can mix and serve.
Note
- Elephant Yam can often cause a slight itch in your hands when chopping them. To prevent this, follow these steps. 1. Don't wash the yams before peeling and chopping. Getting your hands wet as you chop makes it itchier. So only rinse the cubes well after they are chopped into cubes. 2. You can apply a little coconut oil on your hands to reduce the itch. Rinse off with soap once the yam is chopped. 3. Use disposable plastic gloves while handling the yams until it is added to the curry. Using regular gloves might cause the gloves to get permanently stained.
- Mashing is done to get the Erissery texture right. Some people, however, like the yams to remain in cubes. Also, don't overdo the mashing. Some texture of beans and yams is essential.
- Key Ingredients: Elephant Yam (Chena), Cowpeas (Vanpayar), Coconut, Shallots, Coconut Oil, Dried Chilli, Mustard seeds, Spices, Curry Leaves, Salt.
