Ingredients (Serves 5 – 6)
1. Coconut oil – 1 – 1.5 tbsp
Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
Dried red chilly – 1 broken
Curry leaves – A few
2. Eggplant – 2 medium-small or 1 large (I used Chinese eggplant. You can use a small American eggplant or 5 small Indian eggplants instead)
Green chilly – 1, slit
3. Tamarind – Goose-berry sized, soaked in 1.5 cup hot water for 15 minutes
4. Jaggery –1/4 – 1/2 tsp
5. Salt – To taste
6. Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
Chilly powder – 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder – 1.5 tsp
Fenugreek powder – 1/8 tsp
Hing – 1 pinch
Method
1. Soak the tamarind in 1 – 1.5 cup hot water and squeeze out its juice.
2. Wash the eggplant and chop them (halve the eggplant and cut into 1 – 1.5 inch pieces). Put them in a vessel filled with water. Squeeze out the water really well and set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pan at medium-high heat. Splutter mustard seeds and fry dry red chilly and curry leaves. Add the eggplant pieces, slit green chilly, salt and stir for 4 – 6 minutes. Add tamarind juice and bring to a boil. Cover and cook until eggplant pieces turn soft. Mash them using the back of a spoon (thavi).
3. Meanwhile heat the turmeric powder, chilly powder, coriander powder, fenugreek powder and hing in a small pan at low heat. Stir continuously for 1 – 2 minutes until their raw smell is gone(take care not to burn). Add this to the mashed eggplant gravy and cook for a few minutes. Add 1/4 tsp jaggery (to balance the flavors), few curry leaves and a tsp of coconut oil. Mix well. Switch off. Serve with rice and other side-dishes.
Recipe Courtesy – Divya Santhosh
Hi Maya: What is the dish with the yellow sauce that is being featured as a side in the photo? Looks like it appears in the photo of the served rice, as well.
Thats mor kuzhambu (a Tamilian style mildly spiced yoghurt based curry similar to our pulisseri)