Kathirikai Pitlai Recipe - South Indian Tangy & Spicy Brinjal Curry
Give this absolutely lip smacking Kathirikai Pitlai recipe a try for a weekend lunch along with a carrot poriyal and hot steamed rice. The pitlai curry is made from freshly roasted and ground condiments along with tamarind making its flavours robust and delicious too.
Kathirikai Pitlai Recipe is a traditional South Indian made with eggplant/brinjal. The the pitlai curry is made with freshly roasted and ground condiments and made tangy with tamarind. The toor dal adds to the protein, making this dish wholesome and nutritious.
This Kathirikai Pitlai can be prepared using Kathirikkai / Brinjal or Pavakkai / Bitter gourd. You can serve the Kathirikai Pitlai along with a hot bowl of rice topped with ghee, along with potato roast and a carrot salad.
If you like this recipe, take a look at other eggplant recipes
20 M
40 M
60 M
4-5 Servings
Ingredients
- 6 Small Brinjal (Baingan / Eggplant)
- 1/2 cup Arhar dal (Split Toor Dal)
- 1 tablespoon Tamarind Water
- 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric powder (Haldi)
- 1 teaspoon Mustard seeds (Rai/ Kadugu)
- 5 Curry leaves , finely chopped
- Salt , to taste
- 1 teaspoon Sesame (Gingelly) Oil Ingredients for Pitlai Podi
- 2 tablespoons Chana dal (Bengal Gram Dal)
- 1 tablespoon White Urad Dal (Split)
- 3 tablespoons Coriander (Dhania) Seeds
- 1 teaspoon Whole Black Peppercorns , 1 teaspoon whole black pepper
- 3 Dry Red Chillies , (adjust)
- Fresh coconut , grated
- 1/2 teaspoon Asafoetida (hing)
How to make Kathirikai Pitlai Recipe - South Indian Tangy & Spicy Brinjal Curry
To begin making the Kathirikai Pitlai Recipe, the first step is to make the Pitlai Podi.
To begin making the pitali podi, we will first have to dry roast all the ingredients in the same order of ingredients given. The ingredients have to be roasted until they are well browned, but not burnt.
Allow the mixture to cool a bit and then grind into a powder, in a mixer grinder.
Note: The powder will have a coarse texture, and not a fine powder
Cook the lentils separately with 1-1/2 cups of water until soft and mushy. Once cooked, mash the lentils and keep aside.
Cut the brinjal into a medium sized cubes and keep them aside.
Into the pressure cooker, add the cut brinjal, salt and tamarind water. Pressure cook the brinjal until you hear once whistle. After a whistle, turn off the heat and release the pressure immediately, by placing the closed pressure cooker under running tap water. This process will release the pressure immediately.
Combine the cooked dal and the cooked brinjal together in one pan. Stir in the pitlai podi and give the mixture a brisk boil for 2 to 3 minutes. Check the salt levels and adjust to suit your taste. Turn off the heat and transfer to a serving bowl.
Heat oil in a small pan; add in the mustard seeds and allow it to crackle. Once it crackles, add in the curry leaves. Turn off the heat.
Add the seasoning to the Kathirikai Pitlai and serve along with a hot bowl of rice topped with ghee, along with potato roast and a carrot salad.
