Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Kathrikai Puli

Till my age of 15, I stayed in joint family with grand parents, uncles, aunts and cousins. It was alsways fun playing with occassional fighting. Our home was always open to guests, who must be visiting their ancestral village and has no relatives around. In those days of powerless cooking, when unexpected guests arrive at the time of dinner, those who eat last will be deprived of the kootan( gravy). So my paati(maternal grandma) used to make this quick gravy. This can be prepared in 10 minutes. I loved watching Paati roasting the brinjals over the coal in the traditional choolah. Paati makes using the small violet variety of brinjal.This gravy needs few ingredients.

Ingredients
small violet brinjals - 3 nos
green chilly - 2 nos
tamarind -lemon size

Method
Soak the tamarind in 2 cups of water.
Roast the brinjals over gas burner. Keep turning the brinjal so it doesn't get charred. It will take 3 minutes to raost one.

Cut the roasted ones to check for worms.

Slit the green chillies.

Add the cut brinjals and green chillies to the soaked tamarind water.Add salt.

Mash the brinjal,tamarind, chilly using hand. Thats the traditional way of doing it. Can use a masher instead.

Finally remove the pulp by squeezing with your hand.

Temper with mustard. Gravy is ready.


Serve with rice and papad.I love this simple meal.


This is off to Pooja for her VOW event, where Brinjal is the veggie of the week.

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