Brinjal (Eggplant) Kotsu - Kathrikai Kotsu

The first time I tried this dish was at our Tamil Ladies monthly birthday celebration.  At one  glace it looks like sambar with mashed vegetables. 

Running out of ideas what to cook for saturday's vegetarian meal and was thinking of sambar with soorakai (bottle gourd) and potatoes perathal...

In the meanwhile when out with my friend Haleema to run some errands, drop by the groceries and found some lovely looking round and purplish eggplants.

And of course another round of change of menu - this time I decided on making soorakai kootu and kathrikai kotsu - both recipes from Haleema.

My husband thought he was having sambar for dinner, Varsha thought she is having something to do with tomatoes. Nevertheless they both liked it.  Good combination with soorakai kootu and spicy long beans....

Haleema's version of kotsu is using eggplant, tomatoes and shallots of equal amount..I used coconut oil for tempering and aroma is so nice.  Goes well with rice, suppose it will be with idlis and thosei's.

Kathrikai Kotsu.
recipe by Haleema..

What you need....

350gm eggplant
350gm tomatoes
350gm shallots
small ball size of tamarind - soak in 1/4cup of hot water (I use 1tsp tamarind paste - diluted)
3-4 green chillies - depending how spicy you want
1 tbs of sambar powder *
1 sprig of curry leaves
1 onion - sliced
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp of urad dhall
1 tsp cumin seed
1 tsp of
3-4 green chillies-chopped
1 small size onion - sliced

in absence of sambar powder you may use a teaspoon each of red chilly powder, jeera powder,cumin powder and tumeric powder.


How to do....

1. Wash and cut into small pieces tomatoes and eggplants.
2. Boil or pressure cooker eggplant, tomatoes and shallots till they are soft.
3. You may either puree using a blender, food processor or mashed it up with the back of your spoon. 
4. Add in tamarind juice, sambar powder and salt to taste
5. Heat a pan/wok with some oil.
6. Add mustard seeds, once it starts to pop, add in urad dhall, green chillies, curry leaves, onions, cumin and fennel seeds. stir till the onions are soft.
7. Pour into the eggplant stir well and let it boil for a few minutes.
8. Ready to serve...

பொங்கல் வாழ்த்துகள் - Harvest Festival

பொங்கல் வாழ்த்துகள்

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Greetings to friends and families.  Ponggal is the celebration of harvest mainly for those in agricultural - a culture followed closely by Hindus in Malaysia..it's sort of thanksgiving in appreciation of a good harvest.

It is normally celebrated over 3days in Tamil Nadu - the first day being for the harvest, the second day in honour of the cows who helped in the field and the third day is for young ladies/teenagers.  Why ladies- it is an avenue back then for them to gather at riverside and celebrate and it is time for gents to look around for prospective bride....now fancy that....

Ponggal literally means boil over - so normally in new earthern pot which is decorated and wrapped around tumeric leaves with its tumeric and ginger leaves with ginger intact. 

So what is happen is to let the milk boil over and as it is boiling over the ladies of the house says Ponggolo Ponggal to usher the Ponggal. 

After which rice is added to the boiled milk and cooked till it is soft and congee like adding palm sugar and brown sugar and cashnews and raisins roasted over ghee.... emm simply yummy - and I miss my mums ponggal rice and super duper delicious feast which she normally have on ponggal day....This are then offered for prayers.

Picture below is courtesy of my youngest sister's ponggal celebration....Gowri thank you very much for the lovely picture....