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Ennai kathirikai kuzhambu | Ennai kathirikai recipe | Chettinad Ennai kathirikai

Sangskitchen
Ennai kathirikai kuzhambu is a popular Chettinad style brinjal gravy served with rice for lunch. Learn with detailed video and stepwise pictures.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course lunch, Main Course
Cuisine South Indian
Servings 4
Calories 150 kcal

Ingredients
  

Ingredients:

    For masala paste:

    • 1 tbsp gingelly oil
    • 4 cashews
    • ½ tsp pepper corns
    • ½ tsp cumin seeds
    • 3 red chillies
    • 8 shallots small onions
    • 2 tbsp chopped coconut

    To make gravy:

    • 7 small brinjals
    • 3 tbsp gingelly oil
    • ½ tsp mustard seeds
    • 1 tsp fenugreek seeds
    • 4 garlic cloves
    • 6 small onions or 1 big onion
    • Few curry leaves
    • 1 tomato
    • ½ tsp turmeric powder
    • ½ tbsp chilli powder
    • tamarind(lemon size)
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 2 cups water

    Instructions
     

    Preparation:

    • Choose small purple brinjals and wash them. Cut the hook and make four slits in the brinjal from one side, in such a way that the top portion is still an uncut and whole piece. Soak them in water.
    • Soak a big lemon size tamarind in warm water for 15mins.
    • Peel the shallots (small onions), cut the head and tails of them. Keep half of them aside for masala paste and chop the remaining.

    Recipe:

      How to make the ennai kathirikai masala paste:

      • In a pan heat a teaspoon of gingelly oil, roast pepper, cumin seeds, and cashews.
      • Also, add red chillies and small onions.
      • Let the onions with other ingredients roast well in medium flame for 5 minutes until onions turn transparent.
      • Finally, add chopped or grated coconut for two minutes.
      • Switch off the stove, remove from the pan, let the masala cool down for few minutes and grind them into a fine paste. Keep it ready.

      How to fry brinjals:

      • Heat another tablespoon of oil in the same pan put the slitted brinjals and roast in low flame.
      • Turn the sides of the brinjals frequently, so that all sides of the brinjals are fried evenly.
      • Roast the brinjals until 3/4th cooked, remove and keep aside.

      How to make the gravy:

      • In another kadai, heat gingelly oil, season with mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds.
      • Let them splutter and add garlic, remaining chopped onions and curry leaves.
      • Fry onions until the transparent stage.
      • Now add chopped tomatoes.
      • Put some turmeric powder and chilli powder. Keep in mind that we already added peppercorns and red chillies for spice.
      • This is the time to add the oil fried brinjals and mix with the spices.
      • Pour a cup of water and let the brinjals cook fully with the onions and spices.
      • Extract thick water from the soaked tamarind and add this into the gravy.
      • Cook brinjals in tamarind water for few minutes and add the special masala paste we prepared.
      • You may have to add a cup of water to adjust the consistency of the kuzhambu.
      • Add required salt for the ennai kathirikai kulambu.
      • Cover with a lid and cook the brinjal masala for five minutes in medium temperature.
      • After five minutes, the oil floats on top of the gravy. Time to switch off.
      • Serve with hot rice. This gravy will taste great after a few hours or even the next day.

      Notes

      Tips: 1) Use small sized fresh purple color brinjals. 2) As I use gingelly oil, I didn't use sesame seeds for the masala. You can use a teaspoon of them while making the masala paste if you are using some other oil. 3) Furthermore, I prefer to add fenugreek seeds whole while seasoning, but you can fry them too and grind along with the masala paste. 4) Use less amount of coconut otherwise, the gravy will become blunt in taste.

      Nutrition

      Calories: 150kcal
      Keyword Chettinad ennai kathirikai, Chettinad ennai kathirikai kulambu, Ennai kathirikai gravy, Ennai kathirikai kulambu, Ennai kathirikai kuzhambu, Ennai kathirikai recipe, How to make ennai kathirikai kuzhambu
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