Brinjal puli kulambu without coconut
Kathirikai Kara kuzhambu is a South Indian style spicy and tangy curry prepared with soft brinjal and spice powders cooked in thick tamarind sauce. This brinjal puli kulambu pairs well with boiled rice and tastes great on the next day.
What is a Kara kuzhambu?
It is a simply adapted term from restaurants, where they usually serve this Kara kulambu with lunch thali. The style of Tamilnadu lunch thali is to serve these items in an order. First, start with garlic podi followed by paruppu with ghee. Next, come sambar and our today’s attraction Kara kulambu or puli kulambu. And then side veggies, kootu, poriyal, appalam, rasam, curd and ends with payasam, etc.
This Kara kulambu can be made with manathakkali(black nightshade berries), brinjal, shallots, vendaikai, and murungaikai. My favorite of all these veggies is the small brinjal. As the name tells, the kathirikai kara kuzhambu is meant to be spicy.
A fully satisfying Tamilnadu meal may include hot steaming rice, Thalicha paruppu along with this Kara kulambu, appalam, poriyal, varuval followed by rasam, curd and payasam.
How to make the best Kathirikai kara kuzhambu (Brinjal puli kulambu)?
1) Use good quality small sized brinjals. When you press it should feel soft on your fingers. And the stems should be fresh and green. These are good ways to find the freshness of brinjal.
2) For any type of tamarind based gravies choose the quantity of tamarind (or tamarind paste/water) based on the quality you have. New fresh tamarind is pulpy moist and sweet. Old ones are useful for darker hue and the older they are the tangier they will.
3) For kara kuzhambu recipes in some restaurants, they use a little bit of coconut fennel paste at the end. But I like the pure puli kuzhambu version which will be delicious with hot rice and simple poricha appalam.
4) You can keep this no coconut kathirika kara kuzhambu for two days outside and up to a week inside the fridge. In fact, kathirikai kara kulambu tastes great the next day.
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Kathirikai kara kuzhambu | Brinjal puli kulambu without coconut
Equipment
- Cooking pan
Ingredients
- 6 no Brinjal (small variety)
- 5 tbsp Sesame oil
- ¾ tsp Mustard seeds
- ¾ tsp Fenugreek seeds
- ½ cup Onion (preferably shallots)
- 3 Garlic cloves
- 1 sprig Curry leaves
- 1 Small tomato
- ½ tbsp Chilli powder
- ½ tbsp Coriander powder
- ¼ tsp Turmeric powder
- 1 cup Tamarind water (1 small lemon size tamarind)
- 1 ½ tsp Salt (as per taste)
- 1 ½ cups Water (approx.)
- 1 Small piece Jaggery
Instructions
Preparation:
- Rinse brinjals and chop them. Keep the pieces immersed in saltwater to avoid oxidation and darkening. I prefer small-sized brinjals for this Kara kulambu.
- Peel and chop onion about 3/4 to 1 cup. Shallots may be a better choice for the native taste. If it's not available, red big onion does the job well. Don't use white or yellow types as they give a sweeter tinge to our kathirikai puli kulambu.
- Soak a small lemon size tamarind in a cup of warm water for 15 mins and extract the juice.
Recipe:
- In a cooking pot, heat 5 tbsp of sesame oil (gingelly edible oil).
- Add 3/4tsp of mustard seeds and 3/4 tsp of fenugreek seeds.
- Let the mustard seeds splutter in hot oil for a few seconds.
- Next, add the chopped brinjals and saute for few seconds.
- Add a half cup of chopped red onions or shallots and garlic cloves with few fresh curry leaves. Shallots give a better taste.
- When onions are reaching the browning stage add tomato and cook until it becomes soft.
- Next, add a 1/2 tbsp of red chilli powder and 1/2tbsp of coriander powder and 1/4 tsp of turmeric powder.
- Saute the masalas for few seconds and add a cup of thick tamarind extract (water) followed by plain water a cup.
- Add salt as per taste. One and a half teaspoons of salt would be perfect for these measurements.
- Cover with a lid and cook for five minutes in medium heat until brinjals are soft.
- Note: If you are using drumsticks cook them well before adding tamarind water. Other veggies may need prior cooking or extra cooking time based on the vegetable type. Tamarind prevents extra cooking but brinjals can be cooked in tamarind easily.
- In five to eight minutes, brinjals become soft and tamarind sauce becomes thick and pasty.
- Finally, add a piece of jaggery or 1/2 tsp of jaggery powder and mix well. Jaggery gives a lift in the taste to the Brinjal puli kuzhambu.
- Switch off and serve with hot rice. Kathirikkai kara kulambu tastes great on the following day and can stay good up to a week in the refrigerator.
Video
Notes
1) Choose the quantity of tamarind based on the quality of it. Check the story above for the tips on tamarind.
2) You can use Ladies finger, bitter gourd, or Drumstick for the same kara kuzhambu recipe. But make sure to cook the vegetables well while adding tamarind water. Drumstick needs extra time for cooking.
3) If you wish to add coconut, add 1/4 cup of coconut and fennel or cumin seeds paste after you cook brinjal in tamarind water. After that cook the gravy for 5 more minutes to cook the coconut paste.
Nutrition
Preparation:
- Rinse brinjals and chop them. Keep the pieces immersed in salt water to avoid oxidation and darkening. I prefer small-sized brinjals for this Kara kulambu.
- Peel and chop onion about 3/4 to 1 cup. Shallots may be a better choice for the native taste. If it’s not available, red big onion does the job well. Don’t use white or yellow types as they give a sweeter tinge to our kathirikai puli kulambu.
- Soak a small lemon size tamarind in a cup of warm water for 15 mins and extract the juice.
Recipe:
- In a cooking pot, heat 5 tbsp of sesame oil (gingelly edible oil).
- Add 3/4tsp of mustard seeds and 3/4 tsp of fenugreek seeds.
- Let the mustard seeds splutter in hot oil for a few seconds.
- Next, add the chopped brinjals and saute for few seconds.
- Add a half cup of chopped red onions or shallots and garlic cloves with few fresh curry leaves. Shallots give a better taste.
- When onions are reaching the browning stage add tomato and cook until it becomes soft.
- Next, add 1/2 tbsp of red chilli powder and 1/2tbsp of coriander powder and 1/4 tsp of turmeric powder.
- Saute the masalas for few seconds and add a cup of thick tamarind extract (water) followed by plain water a cup.
- Add salt as per taste. One and a half teaspoons of salt would be perfect for these measurements.
- Cover with a lid and cook for five minutes in medium heat until brinjals are soft.
- Note: If you are using drumsticks cook them well before adding tamarind water. Other veggies may need prior cooking or extra cooking time based on the vegetable type. Tamarind prevents extra cooking but brinjals can be cooked in tamarind easily.
- In five to eight minutes, brinjals become soft and tamarind sauce becomes thick and pasty.
- Finally, add a piece of jaggery or 1/2 tsp of jaggery powder and mix well. Jaggery gives a lift in the taste to the Brinjal puli kuzhambu.
- Switch off and serve with hot rice. Kathirikkai kara kulambu tastes great on the following day and can stay good for up to a week in the refrigerator.
Tips:
1) Choose the quantity of tamarind based on the quality. Check the story above for tips on tamarind.
2) You can use Ladies finger, bitter gourd, or Drumstick for the same kara kuzhambu recipe. But make sure to cook the vegetables well while adding tamarind water. Drumstick needs extra time for cooking.
3) If you wish to add coconut, add 1/4 cup of coconut and fennel or cumin seeds paste after you cook brinjal in tamarind water. After that cook the gravy for 5 more minutes to cook the coconut paste.
