Arachuvitta Kathirikkai Kuzhambhu/ Spicy Tangy Brinjal Gravy

My family love this Kuzhambhu. Whenever I make this Kuzhambhu, I can feel the aroma in the whole house. Especially if you have access to pinju kathirikkai/tender eggplant it is gonna be even tastier. This Kuzhambhu is a spicy and tangy gravy goes well with both white rice and brown rice. I also love it with idli and Dosa.

Preparation Time  :  10 Minutes

Cooking Time      :  10-15 Minutes

Cuisine             :  South Indian

Category          :  Kuzhambhu

Serves             :  4- 6 Peoples.

Ingredients:

Tender Small/ Kathirikkai      -     6 nos.

Tamarind                                      Gooseberry Size

Tomatoes                                      2 nos.

Turmeric Powder                           ½ Teaspoon

Salt                                               To Taste

For Grinding

Grated Ginger                                1 Tablespoon

Grated Coconut                               ½ Cup

Masalas

Sambhar Powder                              1 Tablespoon

Red Chili Powder                               1 Teaspoon

Dhania Powder                                   1 Teaspoon

Asafetida powder                               ½ Teaspoon

 For Tempering:

   Sesame Oil                         1 Table spoon

  Mustard Seeds                 1 Teaspoon

  Curry Leaves                    Few    

How to make Brinjal Kuzhambhu          

        

• Wash the brinjals and Tomatoes. Cut the eggplants into length size pieces and keep it in a bowl of water till you cook to prevent turning brown/bitter. Chop the Tomatoes and keep aside.
• Soak tamarind in hot water for 10 minutes and squeeze out to make tamarind juice. Keep aside.
• Heat a pan, add 1 teaspoon of oil add grated coconut, sauté for a minute. Grind with 1/4 cup of water to a smooth paste. Keep aside.

• Heat oil in a kadai, add mustard seeds, after it splutters add, curry leaves. Sauté well and add green brinjal, Tomatoes. Sauté well for a minute so that the brinjal gets roasted a little. Add red chili powder, sambar powder, Hing Powder and coriander powder.  Saute for a minute.

• Now add tamarind extract and salt. Mix well and allow the it to boil.
• Add the coconut paste in it. Cover with a lid and simmer for 10 minutes more.

• When everything looks combined garnish it with chopped cilantro and serve it hot with rice!

Tomato Thokku

Tomato Thokku can be called by various names like Thakkali Thokku, tomato pickle or Thakkali Oorugai.There are so many types of Thokku one can make. Among the long list of different Thokku today i have for you one easy and simple Thokku made from tomato. This spicy, tangy tomato-based thokku which can be used as side dish for steamed rice, idli or dosa and chapatti. It is typically prepared with ripped and juicy tomatoes, very similar to mango Thokku recipe.

Prep time:           5 minutes

Cook time:           25 minutes

Cuisine               South Indian

Course               Pickle

Serve                1 Bottle

Ingredients:

Ripe Tomatoes                     500 gms

Fresh Red Chilies                 2 Tablespoon (Finely Chopped)

Sesame Oil                          ¼ Cup

Turmeric Powder                 1 Teaspoon

Kashmiri Red Chili Powder   1 Tablespoon

Red Chili Powder                 1 Tablespoon

Tamarind                            Small Size          

Roasted Fenugreek             1 Tablespoon

Hing Powder                        1 Teaspoon

Salt                                     3 Teaspoon

For Tempering

Mustard seeds                  1/2 Teaspoon

Cumin seeds                      1/2 Teaspoon

Chana dal                          1 Teaspoon

Urdh dal                           1 Teaspoon

Dried red chilies              3 no.

Curry leaves                    1 sprig

Sesame Oil                      1 tablespoon   

 Instructions            

• Wash fresh red chillies thoroughly and pat them dry. Keep them under sunlight for 15 minutes for drying. Take them out and remove all the stalks from the red chillies.
•  Cut the ripe red chilies into small pieces and make them into a coarse paste with 1 teaspoon cumin seeds. Keep aside.
• Wash the tomatoes and chop the tomatoes.  Keep aside.
• Take the tamarind into a grinder jar, grind into a fine paste. Keep aside.
• Heat oil in a pan, add crushed fresh red chillies, tomatoes and salt, and sauté it, cover and cook it in low flame.
• Now add the tamarind paste in it and sauté it for 5 minutes.
• Let it cool down completely without lid.
• Now add the coarsely ground red chilly paste in it. Mix it well.
• Transfer into mixie jar and allow it to cool. Later blend it coarsely.
• Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, curry leaves and sauté it.
• Add coarse paste and mix nicely.
• Now Tomato Thokku is ready to serve.
• Keep the Thokku in an air-tight container and store in the refrigerator.
• Thokku can be stored for months.
• Please try at your home and share your experience with me.