ENNAI KATHIRIKKAI KUZHAMBU - SAUTED STUFFED BRINJALS COOKED IN TAMARIND SAUCE

One of the specialty dishes from my kitchen.  The freshly roasted Indian spices are stuffed into the tiny tender brinjals and sauted in generous oil and the addition of tamarind sauce brings a lip smacking taste to the taste bud.   Whenever I come back home after an onsite business trip, I would be preparing this dish to give life to my tasteless tongue.  This stuffing varies from region to region.  Being hailed from a traditional Brahmin family, we prepare this dish with no onion and no garlic way.

  

Ingredients:

Small tender tiny brinjals - 1/4 kg

Turmeric powder - 1 tsp

Tamarind (lemon size) - soaked in warm water

Oil - 1/4 cup

Salt - To taste

For tempering:

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - few

For stuffing:

Dry roast the below ingredients and powder it.  You can make in larger quantities and store for a month. This can be brought in Indian store as well.

Asafoetida – a small piece

Red chilies – 8-10 (adjust according to your spiciness level)

Bengal gram – 4 tsp

Urad dal – 4 tsp 

Coriander seeds/dhaniya – 4 tsp

Peppercorns - few

Preparation:

1. Prepare the stuffing powder after dry roasting the ingredients above.   

2. Wash the brinjals in cool water and slit it in four as given in picture.

3.  Stuff the brinjals with the roasted ground powder.  

4.  Extract the tamarind juice from the tamarind pulp.

5.  In a heavy bottomed pan, heat the oil and throw in mustard seeds.  When it crackles, add the curry leaves.  Add the stuffed brinjals slowly and mix well so that oil coats on all sides.

6.  Add turmeric powder, salt, and extracted tamarind water.  

7.  Boil until you get a desired consistency.  This kuzhambu thickens over time, so switch off the stove accordingly.

This kuzhambu can be mixed with hot steamed rice with a tsp of gingelly oil. 

Maavadu - Tiny tender Raw Mango Pickle

This is pickle made out of tiny tender raw mangoes which we get in summer in India.  We usually makes this in larger quantities and store for one whole year.  More than the pickle, the juice which oozes out from the mangoes gives an irreplaceable taste in mouth when accompanied with curd rice.  One best about this recipe is no oil is used to make this pickle.    

Ingredients:

Raw Mangoes - 1 kg

Castor oil - 2 tsp

Rock salt - 1/4 cup

Mustard seeds - 1/4 cup

Red chillies - 20

Preparation:

1.  Wash the tender mangoes in water thrice to remove dust from it and pat dry them completely.   It is advisable to buy the mangoes with stem.  The ones without stem will get spoilt soon.

                          

 

2. Apply 2 tsp of castor oil and mix well with a ladle.  Ensure the oil coats over all the mangoes.  This is done to prolong the shelf life of pickle and to reduce the body heat when consuming the pickle.  

                         

3.  Add salt later and mix well.  Shake well or turn it down using a ladle daily.  Keep this mixture for 2-3 days.  The salt will dissolve and starts to ooze out water little.

                        

4.  Grind Red chillies along with mustard seeds with little water.

                          

5.   Add this to the mango mixture and mix well.  Keep them by turning it upside down for a week.  By this time, the mangoes will shrink and more water will be oozed out.  Around a week later, you could observe the mangoes will be immersed with 1 inch water above it.  Store the pickle in small bottle for daily use.  Generally, we don't refrigerate this and store in porcelain jar but can be used for more than a year when refrigerated.  Always use a dry spoon to take out the mangoes.  

                         

 

Your lovable ones will ask for more serving when served with curd rice.