Brinjal curry / Ennai kathirikai kuzhambu (Biryani side dish)

The story of how brinjal curry came to be is intriguing. A recipe was handed down, and now in all houses it is made like this. The following recipe is my version of brinjal kuzhambu.

“Brinjal curry” is one of the most popular vegetables in Indian cuisine. This vegetable is also known as “eggplant” and “aubergine” in English. Brinjal has a mild flavour which makes it a great base for many dishes. It has a fleshy texture which makes it ideal for curries. Ennai kathirikai kuzhambu (Biryani side dish) in Tamil is one of the most popular dishes that uses brinjal. This is a simple dish that is easy to prepare. We can use brinjal in many ways. We can cook brinjal in various ways. This is a simple recipe that can be cooked in a short time and

I’m not a vegetarian (despite what my parents believe. I just don’t like being in a kitchen all day), but I do love to eat vegetarian meals. So when I discovered that there are many more varieties of vegetables than just the regular ones, I got really excited. There are all kind of veggies that are not commonly eaten and I tried to incorporate them in my recipes. This is why I came up with this recipe, which is a mixture of brinjal and methi leaves. It’s a very simple recipe and can be prepared in a jiffy.

This tangy and spicy brinjal curry (ennai kathirikai kuzhambu) is made using ennai kathirikai kuzhambu. In our house, ennai kathirikai kuzhambu is served with biryani, chapathi/naan/puri, or any pulav rice.

This brinjal dish is offered with biryani in Chennai, particularly in Muslim weddings or modest hotels. At various hotels and at home, the recipe varies somewhat. Brinjal chutney is another name for it. It’s known by a variety of names, including baingan ka saalna or baingan ki chutney in Urdu and kathirikai pachadi in Tamil.

Ennai kathirikai kuzhambu is simple to make and delicious to eat. Take extremely tiny brinjals and split them in half, making two incisions horizontally and vertically while keeping the brinjal whole. With the brinjals, a paste is made and baked. The tanginess of Ennai kathirikai kuzhambu comes from tamarind and vinegar. It’s a little sour and spicy as well. Ennai kathirikai kuzhambu requires a substantial amount of oil, but the amount used is completely up to you. This brinjal curry goes well with biryani. This is a must for me if there is biryani. This is something my mother always does for me. I like the combo of biryani and brinjal curry and recommend that you do as well.

Time to prepare: 10 minutes

Time to cook: 30 minutes

Tamil Nadu cuisine

Medium spiciness

3–4 servings

Ingredients

• • Brinjal (5 oz.)

For tadka

• • 3 tbsp. oil
  • 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 15 curry leaves

For paste

• • Tomatoes (three)
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 12 curry leaves
  • 1 tbsp coriander leaves (few)

For gravy

• 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
• 2 tsp vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon tamarind paste
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 cup of water
• Salt

Method

• To make the paste, first grind all of the ingredients and set them aside. You may grind it with a little water.
• Cut the brinjals in half and set them aside.
• Add oil to the pressure cooker once it has been preheated. When the mixture is heated, add the cumin and black pepper seeds. Stir in the curry leaves and brinjal when it splutters. Keep an eye out for oil spills. For a few seconds, stir it. The brinjals are simply roasted in oil.
• Then add all of the dry powder and mix well before adding the paste. It’s important to mix fast since it may splatter on you. Otherwise, just remove it from the heat and stir in the paste.
• Add the other ingredients, including salt and water, after the paste has been added. Mix thoroughly. Close the cover and continue to cook until everything is done. After three whistles from the cooker, I turned it off.
• When you lift the lid after a while, you’ll see that a reddish gravy has developed on top of the oil. The gravy may then be simmered for 10 minutes to get the desired consistency before being turned off.
• If the gravy is too dry and thick, add a little water to get the desired consistency and cook on low heat. To keep the brinjals intact, stir it gently.
• If you don’t have a pressure cooker, just boil the brinjals in a vessel and add the ingredients one by one until the brinjals are cooked and the gravy reaches the desired consistency.
• The brinjals have softened and a crimson gravy has formed with oil on top, as seen in the photo.
• It goes well with naan, chapathi, biryani, and even idli or dosa.

Notes

• To prevent the dry spice powders from burning, add them after the paste has been added.
• It’s simple to prepare since each ingredient is added one at a time.
• You may modify the tamarind, vinegar, and chilli powder to your liking.
• It’s possible that the paste may spill over you when you add it to the gravy. So be cautious. Simply remove it from the heat and combine all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl.
• If the gravy is already at the desired consistency after cooking in the cooker, you may skip the simmering step.
• To make it even simpler, you may grind in things like chilli powder, vinegar, and other seasonings before adding the mixture to the brinjals and cooking them.
• This brinjal curry / ennai kathirikai kuzhambu may be kept in the fridge for up to a week. It will last longer than other foods since it includes natural preservatives such as tamarind and vinegar.

 

This is how we celebrate the festival of Thai Pongal or Thai New Year. Courtesy is a very important part of this celebration, after all, the host should show hospitality to the guests. For this, you need to have a nice and plump brinjal (eggplant) or gongura (aubergine) prepared.. Read more about hyderabadi brinjal curry for biryani and let us know what you think.