Kathirikai Kulambu

Brinjals are one of the best vegetables which we can use for making gravies. It tastes yummy in which ever way your make, either it going to be any curry / avial / vathakal / kolambu / kootu / sambar any thing and it also goes well with any thing like tiffin, rice, chapatties, curd rice. Here comes a basic kolambu recipe.

Ingredients:

1. Tender Brinjal - 1/4 kg.


2. Onion (big) - 1 No. chopped


3. Tomatoes - 2 Nos. Chopped


4. Green chillies - 2 Nos. Slitted


5. Garlic - 8 cloves


6. Tamarind - Lemon sized (Soak and take the pulp)


7. Kulambu milagai Podi - 2 tablespoon


8. Coconut - grated 1/4 cup


9. Poppy seeds - 2 teaspoon


10. Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon


11. Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 teaspoon


12. Red chillies - 2 Nos.


13. Curry leaves - few


14. Salt to taste

* If you don't have kulambu milagai podi, substitute it with 11/2 spoon Redchilly powder, 3 spoons of coriander powder and 1/2 spoon of turmeric powder.

Preparation :

If the brinjals are tender and small/medium in size, just cut the stem keeping the flower shaped part of the stem init. Just slit the brinjals to get four intact petals like cut. If the brinjal is big, cut it in to cubes.

Heat oil in a pan. Throw in mustard seeds, when it splutters, add fenugreek seeds, red chillies and curry leaves. Fry for a minute. Now add in garlic, onion and greenchillies, fry for a while till onion becomes soft. Now add in tomatoes, keep frying till it becomes soft and pulpy. Add the brinjals, keep frying till the colour of the brinjal changes. Add Kulambu milagai podi. Fry for a minute or two. Pour in the tamarind pulp with salt and some water. close the lid, let the vegetable get cooked in the gravy. Meanwhile grind the coconut and poppy seeds into paste. When the brinjals are cooked add in the coconut poppy seed paste. Boil it for some time. Serve with hot rice and any poriyal of your choice.