Tuesday, October 29, 2019

KATHIRIKAI PITLAI

KATHIRIKAI PITLAI

Brinjals/egg plants is a commonly available and popular vegetable in different parts of India. In Tamil, Brinjal is called Kathirikai. Today's dish - Kathitikai Pitlai- is from Tamilnadu cuisine and is for a curry- like Pitlai, which is served as an accompaniment for hot steamed rice. Pitlai is a form of Kuzhambu or sambar.

Elsewhere in this blog you will find some very tasty dishes using brinjals such as Ringna Vatana from Gujarat; Badanekayi Yennegayi from my home State of Karnataka; and Bharli Vaangi from Maharashtrian cuisine.

I have adapted today's recipe from Kathirikkai Pitlai from Subbu's Kitchen.

We had this for lunch yesterday and it was indeed delicious!



Ingredients:-
  • Kathirikai ( Brinjals), 250 grams
  • Thuar Dal (Split Pigeon Peas), 1/2 cup
  • Tamarind, size of a small lemon
  • Turmeric Powder, 1/4 tsp
  • Salt, to taste
  • Oil, 2 tbsp
For Grinding:-
  • Coconut Gratings, 1/2 cup
  • Byadgi Red Chillies, 8
  • Coriander Seeds, 2 tbsp
  • Urad Dal, (Black Gram Dal), 1 tbsp
  • Chana Dal, (Bengal Gram Dal) 1 tbsp
For Seasoning:-
  • Mustard Seeds, 1 tsp
  • Curry Leaves, 8-10
  • Oil, 1 tsp
Method:-

Wash the brinjal,  remove the stalk and cut them into small sized pieces
Soak the tamarind in warm water for about 10-15 minutest. Extract the tamarind juice and discard the rest.
Wash the thuar dal and cook in a pressure cook with 1 and 1/2 cups of water for 2-3 whistles
Once the cooker cools, remove the thuar dal, mash it well and keep aside
In a thick-bottomed kadhai, heat 1 tbsp of oil and on medium heat roast the red chillies, coriander seeds, urad dal and chana dal by stirring continuously till the dal turn golden brown and the red chillies become crisp
To this, add the coconut gratings and roast till they become golden brown in colour
Allow this to cool and transfer to a mixer jar
Grind this, adding the required amount of water, to a smooth paste. Keep aside.
In the same kadhai, heat 1 tbsp of oil, add the brinjal pieces and a little salt and sauté them for 1 minute
Add 1/2 cup of water and turmeric powder and mix well
Cook covered till the brinjals get done. Please note that brinjals get cooked very fast.
Now add the tamarind extract, salt to taste and bring to a boil for about 5 minutes or till the raw smell of the tamarind goes
Add the mashed thuar dal and the ground paste
Mix well and bring to a boil. Simmer for a few minutes and switch off the gas.
Lastly do the seasoning by heating oil in a small pan, add the mustard seeds on medium heat
When they splutter add the curry leaves and sauté for a few seconds
Pour this seasoning on to the Kathirikai Pitlai
Serve with hot steamed rice






2 comments:

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