Ennai kathirikai

Serves -4

Ingredients:

Grind into thick paste:
(Clockwise from left top)
Urad dal - 1 tbsp
Channa dal - 1.5 tbsp
Cumin - 1 tsp
Coriander -1 tsp
Grated coconut - 2 tbsp
Red chillies- 8 nos
Oil - 1 tbsp

Dry roast and powder:
Sesame - 1 tsp
Peanuts/groundnuts-1 tbsp










Tamarind - 1 small lemon size










Oil for deep frying brinjal
Sal, turmeric powder & asafoetida for taste














Procedure:

1. Heat saute pan and pour a tbsp of oil. Roast all the ingredients one by one mentioned above under the head 'grind to paste'. Roast them until they turn light brown. Also dry roast sesame and groundnut. Allow them to cool down.
2.Soak tamarind in lukewarm water.
2.Grind all the roasted ingredients into a fine paste. Add adequate water while grinding.
3. Put the soaked tamarind along with water in blender and extract juice. This will give thick extract with very little waste. Take out the sediments.
4.Take off the stem of brinjal.Slit each brinjal into 4 without cutting the lower part. Now insert the ground paste into the slit brinjal and deep fry in oil. Leave the rest of paste for making gravy.
5.Heat oil in a pan, splutter mustard seeds and add tamarind extract. Add turmeric powder and asafoetida. When it starts boiling add rest of the paste and allow it to cook. After 5 mins add salt and the fried brinjal. Add water if necessary and allow it to boil.

* Onion, tomato, garam masala powder and whole spices like cinnamon,cloves,cardamom, bay leaves can be added before tamarind extract if required.