Chinna Kathirikkai Puli Kuzhambu/Tangy Small Brinjal Gravy

Every South Indian house especially Tamilians cooks often tangy gravy aka puli kuzhambu with couple of vegetables. I love my kuzhambu with loads of garlic,shallots and potatoes cubes. I can survive for many days with this tangy gravies. Personally this kind of tangy gravies tastes absolutely marvellous the next day when they served with rice topped with gingelly oil or ghee. Obviously i make varieties of this kind of gravy atleast once a week.Usually i make this kathirikkai kuzhambu aka brinjal gravy with eggplants whenever i feel like having, eventhough i love to get small brinjals from Indian stores specially for making this kuzhambu. You might have noticed in my posts recently that mom came from India with loads of fresh vegetables. When she called me from India i asked her to get those tiny small brinjals and green mangoes, she brought me both vegetables.

This fingerlicking kuzhambu goes prefect with rice and breakfast dishes like idlies and dosas. Since i cooked this gravy in gingelly oil, this tangy gravy tastes absolutely flavourful, delicious and very aromatic, if you dont have gingelly oil, dont worry you make with usual oils as well. Slit opened small brinjals cooked in this gravy gives an excellent buttery texture to those vegetables and am sure roasted potatoes or papads makes an excellent side dish to enjoy this gravy with rice. Make this gravy if you get this small brinjals and see how delicious they are.This post goes to Tamizhar Samayal Tuesday.

1/4kg Small Brinjals (slit opened)
1+1/2cups Tamarind extract
10nos Pearl onions/Shallots (whole)
1no Tomato
1tsp Red chilli powder
2tsp Coriander powder
1/2tsp Mustard seeds
1/2tsp Fenugreek seeds
1/4cup Gingelly oil
Few Garlic cloves
Few Curry leaves
Salt

Add the red chilli powder, coriander powder, salt to the tamarind extract, keep aside.

Heat the gingelly oil in a kadai, add the mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, garlic cloves,curry leaves and let them crack.

Add the whole shallots, chopped tomato and cook until the shallots turns transculent.

Add the brinjal pieces, saute till the brinjal gets half cooked.

Now add the tamarind extract, grounded paste and let it boil.

Cover the kadai with lid and keep in simmer for few minutes, switch off the stove once you can see the oil leaving from the gravy..

Serve hot with rice and papads.