Brinjal ( Kathirikai/Vankaya) is one of the special vegetables and is mostly made on special occasions in a very delicious way. I like this special type of Brinjal fry which is served in marriages mainly in "Maapillai Azhaippu".
Ingredients
Brinjal - 12 ( Small or Medium size)
Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp
Asafoetida - 1 tsp
Salt - 1 tbsp ( Enough to taste).
For grinding
Channa Dal ( Kadalai Paruppu / Senaga Pappu) - 4 tbsp
Coriander Seeds - 3 tbsp
Red Chillies - 5 or 6 ( Medium ).
Coconut Shredded - 2 tbsp.
For tadka
Mustard Seeds - 2 tsp
Jeera - 1 tsp
Urad dal - 2 tsp
Curry Leaves - 1 bunch ( 7 or 8 ).
Method
1. Wash the brinjals and cut each brinjal into 4 halves and put it in a bowl of water.
2. On the stove, put the oil and add the ingredients one by one for tadka.
3. Then, add the brinjal on the oil and fry for 1-2 minutes.
4. Add the turmeric powder and salt to the brinjal.
5. Add little water and cook the brinjals till its cooked nicely. Make sure that the brinjals do not become too soft or mashy.
6. Meantime, grind the powder and keep it ready.
7. To the cooked brinjal, add the grinded powder and fry the curry for 5-6 minutes.
8. This brinjal curry serves as a good side dish with rice, chappathi.
Variations
You can add some chilly powder separately if you want to have more spicyness ( karam) in the curry. But I prefer to have the karam in moderation so that the curry shows all the tastes and flavours equally.
Akka, I went home (Thanjavur) this weekend and tried this dish. It came out very well and the taste was awesome. Everyone in our home liked it. I just followed the method you have prescribed without even changing the sequence. I also added a bit of chilly powder as we are karam freaks :-) without spoiling the flavor.
ReplyDeleteThe tadka and the size of the cut brinjal pieces decided the fate of the dish. They matter a lot.