Ennai Kathirikkai Kuzhambu

Ennai Kathirikkai is a flavorful kuzhambu variety made with baby brinjals in a spicy, tangy gravy. This version is without any stuffing & very easy to make. Goes well with steamed rice & papad. I would love to have this with biryani. Honestly myself & chotu can have this with anything & everything…

Now to the recipe…

[Preparation Time-10 mins : Cooking Time- 25 mins]

Ingredients:

• Baby Brinjal – 10 to 12
• Chilli powder – 1 tsp
• Coriander powder – 1 tbsp
• Salt – as needed
• Tamarind paste – 1 tsp
• Jaggery – 1 tbsp

To saute & grind:

• Onion – 2
• Tomato – 1
• Ginger – 1 inch piece
• Garlic – 3 to 4 pods
• Coconut – 1 tbsp (grated)

To Temper:

• Oil – 5 tbsp
• Mustard – 1 tsp
• Fenugreek seeds – 1/4 tsp
• Curry leaves – a sprig

Method:

• Wash & make criss-cross in each brinjal carefully. Do not cut fully. Heat a pan with oil and roast the slit brinjal in low-medium flame until half cooked. Keep this aside.

• In the same pan, saute roughly chopped onions, ginger & garlic until onions turn transparent. Add choppped tomatoes and cook until mushy. Finally add grated coconut and switch off the flame. Let this cool.

• Once it cools down, grind it into a smooth paste. Heat a pan with oil and temper with the ingredients mentioned under “to temper”.

• Add the ground paste and  mix. Add required salt, turmeric powder, chilli powder& coriander powder. Mix well & let it cook in low-medium flame until oil oozes out.

• Add tamarind extract and required amount of water. Add powdered jaggery & the fried slit brinjals. Cook in low-medium flame until brinjal is soft.

Yum!! Yum!!

Tangy, spicy Ennai Kathirikkai Kuzhambu is ready.

Serve hot with steamed rice.

Tips:

1. Choose tender,tiny brinjals for this Ennai Kathirikkai Kuzhambu.
2. U can use sambar powder instead of chilli powder & coriander powder.
3. Adding coconut is optional. Skip it for a no-coconut version.
4. Make sure to cook the kuzhambu in low-medium flame always, thats the speciality of this kuzhambu.
5. It tastes better the next day 🙂 Do try it..