Tag Archives: butternut squash

Red Moong and Butternut Squash Eriserry Recipe – a Guest Post by Rose of Magpies Recipes

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Greetings from the windy city! I am on a cross country road trip right now (posts and pictures coming soon!) and have stopped in Chicago for a day. I have enlisted some of my favorite bloggers to bring you their recipes, while I’m driving 3,000 miles cross country! The first post in my guest post series comes from Rose of Magpies Recipes. Rose is from the state of Kerala, and her blog is full of Kerala recipes cooked with love. I am a huge fan of malayali cooking, and this red moong and butternut squash eriserry (a curry with coconut) is one of my favorites. Take it away Rose!


I am a huge fan of Sala’s gorgeous photographs and wonderful writing as much as I am her warm wonderful personality. When I heard that she was going on a cross country road trip and was wanting guest posts for her awesome blog Veggie Belly,  I sent off a mail to her saying I would love to guest post for her lovely blog, although I have only a few days of packing left to do to head off to India myself! Yes am so excited and just cannot wait to be  home. Am especially longing to introduce my little monkey to my grandmother who is just waiting to meet her first great-grand son!

I was thrilled when Sala very kindly said she would love if I did. Thank you Sala! I hope you are enjoying your trip. Since Sala loves Kerala food, I am sharing one of my favourite everyday Kerala dishes, Red Moong and Butternut Squash in Coconut curry (Van Payar Mathanga Eriserry). It is a simple yet comforting and delicious. And perfect for the transition to the fall season, although here in California we still have a few weeks of intense summer left!

While I come from a Syrian Christian family of big meat eaters I also love my veggies and lentils and am married to a lentil lover as well. T can go for weeks on just cherupayar or dal and for everyday eating we are most happy with such simple fare.

Eriserry is a typical Kerala lentil dish and is often part of the Onam Sadhya or harvest festival that happens in the month of September. In Kerala it is usually made with a variety of pumpkin available there, although here I make it with squash or even sweet potatoes. Traditionally fresh coconut is ground into a paste but I use the convenient frozen shredded coconut that is easily available in most Indian grocery stores here. Of course there is a difference in taste but this makes it a very easy dish to make.

Red Moong and Butternut Squash Eriserry Recipe (Van Payar Mathanga Eriserry)

serves 4-6

Ingredients
1 cup dry red moong beans or cow peas  (van payar)
2 cups butternut quash peeled and chopped (you can also use sweet potatoes. But mathanga or Indian pumpkin is traditional)
1-2 tablespoons coconut oil or canola oil
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes or 3/4 tsp chilli powder-3/4
4-5 curry leaves
1 medium onion, chopped
2-4 cloves garlic, sliced thin (optional)
1 cup coconut Milk
1/4 cup shredded coconut. Do not substitute desiccated coconut 
Salt to taste

Method
Wash the red moong beans or cow peas and leave to soak in water while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. You can also soak them overnight so that they cook faster.

Pressure cook the beans with 2.5 cups of water and salt until they start to become soft ( about 1 whistle and 7 mins on simmer). Once the pressure has released, open the pressure cooker and add the squash and cook for about 2 more whistles until the beans are soft and the squash is fork tender.

If you don’t have a pressure cooker, you can just cook beans and squash in a deep pot instead, but this will take longer.

Meanwhile in a seperate pan or skillet heat the oil and add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds and let them splutter
Now add the turmeric powder, chilli flakes and curry leaves and the chopped onion and garlic if using and stir occasionally until the onions are translucent and starting to turn brown.

Add the shredded coconut and saute until the coconut turns lightly golden.

Add this to the cooked beans and stir well to combine. Heat and let it come to a boil for about 5 mins. Reduce the heat to low and add the coconut milk and let it simmer for about 5 mins. Taste to check the salt and add more if required. Do not let it come to a boil after adding the coconut milk as the coconut milk will curdle.

Serve hot with rice, fried pappadam and pickle. For extra points, serve some sweet payasam for dessert!

Afghan Sweet and Savory Pumpkin or Butternut Squash (Borani Kadoo) & A Giveaway!

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This giveaway is closed. Random.org  has picked a random winner!

Winner is comment #98 Shriya!

Please email me your mailing address! veggiebelly@gmail.com

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The wonderful ladies behind the amazing Afghan food blog, www.afghancooking.net, say this dish is “America’s favorite Afghan dish”. And Mousa Amiri of Bamiyan Restaurant says this is “one of the most requested” dishes at his restaurant. I can see why. This sweet and spicy pumpkin or butternut squash dish is simple to make, and the flavors are incredible.

This wonderful sweet and savory braised pumpkin or butternut squash recipe is spelled many ways – borani kadoo, borani kadu, brony kadoo, brony kadu, bouranee kadu, bouranee kado, or halwaiy kadu. Whatever you call it, this vegan, vegetarian recipe served with naan makes a great fall or winter time main dish.

Kadu or Kadoo means pumpkin. But because pumpkin is so seasonal, you can use butternut squash instead, which is what I did today.

And now for a giveaway I know you are going to love. You can win Mousa Amiri’s Classic Afghan Cookbook! See details below..

Win a Copy of Mousa Amiri’s Classic Afghan Cookbook!

Mousa Amiri of Bamiyan Afghan restaurant is giving away a copy of  his book  ’Classic Afghan Cookbook’ to one lucky Veggie Belly reader! The recipes in this book are easy, simple, and just yummy!

- To enter the giveaway, just leave a comment below (make sure you enter your email address so I can contact you if you win)

- Last day to enter is March 1st 2011

- A random winner will be picked and announced on March 2nd 2011

- The book will ship to anywhere in the world. Thankyou, Mousa!

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Afghan Sweet and Savory Braised Pumpkin (Bouranee Kadu or Borani Kadoo) Recipe

adapted from Katie Sullivan Morford’s Borani Kadoo recipe in the San Francisco Chronicle
serves 2-3
One 1 pound butternut squash or pie pumpkin
1 medium yellow onion
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 tablespoon minced ginger
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1/2 teaspoon chili powder or according to taste
1/2 tablespoon tomato paste or 1/2 cup tomato puree
1 cup water
3 tablespoons sugar
salt
Dried or fresh mint for garnish
Peel the squash or pumpkin. Using a spoon, scoop out the inner membrane and seeds. Cut into 1 inch cubes and set aside.

Peel and place the onion in a food processor and puree.

Heat oil in a medium heavy bottom pan or wok. Carefully add the onion puree and cook on medium-low heat untill it is golden, about 10 minutes. Then add ginger, garlic, turmeric, coriander powder, and chili powder and stir for 1 minute or untill fragrant.

Now add tomato paste or puree, water, sugar and salt, bring to a boil, while stirring.

Add the chopped butternut squash or pumpkin pieces. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered till the squash is cooked, but still holding its shape, about 20 minutes. Add more water while cooking, if needed.

Garnish with mint and serve with garlic yogurt (vegans can use cashew cream instead) and naan.

Garlic Yogurt

1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 clove galic minced
Salt

Whisk everything together.

Brown Sugar and Chipotle Baked Butternut Squash

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brown-sugar-chipotle-roasted-butternut-squash

Butternut squash.
Brown sugar.
Chipotle powder.
Bake.
Eat.

Its that simple and easy. We really liked the sweet and spicy brown sugar-chipotle combination. The puddle of brown sugar in the squash cavity is the best part!

brown-sugar-chipotle-baked-butternut-squash

Brown Sugar and Chipotle Baked or Roasted Butternut Squash Recipe

serves about 2 as a side dish

1 small butternut squash, about 3/4 lb
1 teaspoon olive oil or butter
3 tablespoons light brown sugar, more or less depending on how sweet you like it
1/4 tea spoon chipotle powder, or according to taste
salt

Pre heat oven to 350 f

Cut the squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds. Place the squash, cut side up, in an oven proof dish or baking tray that has been lined with foil. Brush olive oil or butter over the cut surfaces and insides of the squash. Sprinkle brown sugar, chipotle, and salt on the squash. I like to sprinkle just a little on top and put most the brown sugar mixture in the cavity of the squash.

Bake in the oven for about 30-40 minutes or till the squash is soft and sugar is bubbly but not burnt. Check on it periodically while baking, because sugar will burn easily.

Pumpkin Halwa with Saffron

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Diwali is the Indian festival of lights. We celebrate by wearing new clothes, lighting fire crackers and exchanging sweets. With Diwali around the corner, here is a recipe that celebrates both the Indian festival and the beautiful fall season here in America.

Halwa, also called halva, halveh, helwa, or  halvah is a sweet usually made with semolina or wheat in south Asia and using nuts in the middle east. Carrot halwa is also common in India. In this recipe, I use butternut squash instead of the carrots. You can use either rose water or saffron in this recipe for flavoring. I chose saffron.

Traditional halwa uses khoa or khoya or mawa (milk that is cooked down so most the moisture is evaporated). This adds texture and richness to halwa. I use almond meal instead of khoya. Almond meal adds great flavor and helps thicken the halwa.

Be sure to take a look at Mahanandi’s pumpkin halwa using butternut squash. En Samayal Arai blog has a pumpkin halwa recipe using yellow pumpkin. Manta’s Kitchen has a pumpkin halwa or kaddu ka halwa recipe. BBC Food’s recipe for pumpkin halwa can also be used with carrots, zucchini or any gourds.

Vegans can try this recipe with coconut milk or almond milk. Earth vegan blog has a vegan carrot halwa recipe using almond milk.

For a great video on halwa making technique, watch Vah Chef’s carrot halwa video.

Pumpkin Halwa Recipe

serves 6-8

1 small butternut squash or any winter squash or pumpkin (weighing about 1.5 lb or 4 cups when grated)
4 tablespoons butter or ghee
2 tablespoons cashew nuts
2 tablespoons raisins
4 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
1 cup low fat milk
½ cup sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons almond meal or ground almonds
A pinch of salt
¼ teaspoon saffron

Peel the butternut squash or pumpkin using a vegetable peeler or sharp knife. Halve it and scoop out the seeds and membrane. Cut it into large chunks. Using the coarse side of a box grater, grate the chunks. (A food processor will make the grating easier). You should have about 4 cups of grated squash.

Heat the butter or ghee in a large, wide, non-stick skillet. Add cashews, raisins, and cardamom. When the cashews get golden, add the grated butternut squash or pumpkin. Cook, stirring for about 2 minutes on medium heat.

Add the milk and condensed milk. Cook uncovered on medium heat for 15 minutes or till the squash is cooked, but still holding its shape. Stir the halwa occasionally so that it doesn’t burn or stick to the pan.

Add almond meal and cook another 4 minutes. The halwa is done when it has thickened and the liquid is no longer runny. The halwa will get firmer when cool. Add the salt and saffron at the end of cooking.

Cool the halwa a little, then shape into balls (optional). Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

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