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June 19, 2007

Katrikkai Karumadhu (Brinjal Curry)


This is one of my favourite ways of eating brinjal. Actually, any way of eating brinjal is a favourite. I don't like the bharta kind of smoked brinjal varieties and I eat brinjal pachadi that is made by steaming the brinjal rather than roasting.

This recipe has been handed over from my grandmother to my mother and of course from Amma to me. Anyone who eats Amma's Iyengar cooking would never know that she doesn't have Iyengar roots. I just got back from Madras after spending 3 days at home. I had a feast. Most of the stuff that I ate while at home will feature here over the coming weeks. The focus of this weekend was Iyengar over Saraswat. Moreover, I attended a wedding of two close friends and Pattappa, the caterer who took care of my wedding, was in charge of the food there as well. So, I just feasted on yummy food all the way.



Ingredients:

1/2 kilo brinjals, cut into small pieces

To be ground to a masala:

1/4 cup Coconut, scraped

2 tbsp Tamarind Paste

2-3 Red Chillies

1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder

Salt to Taste

For the seasoning:

1 tbsp Oil

1/4 tsp Mustard Seeds

1/4 tsp Asafoetida

7-8 Curry Leaves

Heat the oil in a kadhai and add the mustard seeds and asafoetida. When the mustard seeds begin to splutter, add the curry leaves. Add the brinjal pieces and fry them for 3-4 minutes. Add the ground masala and cover and cook for 4-5 minutes more.

I eat this curry with plain rice (quick substitute for vangi bhat). I also enjoy this with rice and sambar, rice and rasam, and rice and mor kuzhambu.


Incidentally, this month's JFI by Sangeeta of Ghar ka Khana features Brinjal! So this would be my second entry to this event.

18 comments:

Sia said...

so u r back from chennai? loved this brinjal dish for its simplicity. i too am a brinjal fan and love it in all its form except raw eggplant;) cant wait to see what u gonna post next. i am all eager to learn ur amma's iyengar cuisine:)

Raaga said...

I got back last night. I have loads of recipes to post. One by one :-) The nice part is that I didn't have to make anything... just had to sit down and eat :-)

FH said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
FH said...

Looks beautiful! I love Eggplants too.Glad she chose it for JFI!:))
Love the Bharta.Thanks Raaga.Watch out for my post tomorrow at FH!;D

Vini K said...

hi Raaga,first time here.The eggplant curry looks great.Will have to try it sometime.

Suganya said...

I love the way this eggplant dish looks, semi-dry..

Sharmi said...

the name, I have never heard!! but picture tempts me to eat it with hot rice. yummy.

Coffee said...

Now thats a very quick trip!! :)

I run away from this veg!! :(

Raaga said...

The name is very typically Iyengar. What others call kari or curry, is called karumadhu in Iyengar Tamil. Everything that is eaten is treated as amudhu (nectar), so rasama becomes sathumadhu (saaru + amudhu) and payasam becomes Thirukannamudhu.

So a preparation like this would be called katrikkai curry in non Iyengar households.

S said...

hi ur mango sadesh and brinjal curry looks grt...the ingredients u used in brinjal itself says that ur curry looks tasty..

Arundathi said...

yup - i'm iyengar too and absolutely LOVE iyengar food. love love love sathumudhu - especially the way i make it (lol modesty isnt my strong point!). I actually put in whole tomatoes instead of chopping them up and they cook in the rasam and when you eat it with the rice, there's a burst of flavor! Mmmm. Its lunch time!

I detest brinjal though - my least favorite of all vegetables - maybe after bitter gourd. So I have to give this a miss. Don't even buy it anymore. But I too am looking forward to some Iyengar stuff!

Raaga said...

@Asha: Like I said people love it or hate it :-)

@Vini: Welcome aboard. I'm glad you like it.

@Suganya: Yes, it is neither too dry nor too wet. Ideal!

@Sharmi: Hot rice and this will take you to heaven... until the time your plate is empty!!

@Coffee: Love it or hate, you can't ignore it. :-)

@Shanthi: Welcome to my blog! Like my mom says... when you have all the right ingredients, you can't go wrong!

@Arundathi: My pati makes rasam just like that! We have more in common than being each other's namesakes!!

Aruna said...

Raaga, Thx for stopping by my blog!!!
The brinjal curry looks great!! Also looking forward for more authentic "Iyengar Recipes" from ur end.

themistressofspices.wordpress.com

Anonymous said...

This may just be the brinjal dish that I have been searching for since I graduated from high school - there was a girl in my class (I think her name was Shilpa Iyer!)who used to bring this awesome bringal 'curry' with tayir sadam...ambrosia...I have tried to recreate it many times, but...nostalgia may be to blame too.

But this might be my lucky day...will tell you as soon as I make it!

(so you live in the back of beyond :-D, as does my sister!)

Raaga said...

Anita, this is so simple to make... I mean really... even I can make it :-)

any spicy curry with tayir sadam is ambrosia, no? tayir sadam itself is, no?? :-)

Unknown said...

Nalabagam at home means that the food is made by "APPA"

Nalabagam at functions mean that they are cooked by "PattAPPA" the living Nalan of Kaliyuga....Rangarajan

Raaga said...

Raju: I agree. He has to be the best cook I have ever encountered.

KG said...

Hi, Thanks for the post. I am trying to get Pattappa's phone number for my wedding. I am wondering if you can help. my email is my name at trialx dot com
Thanks,
Karthik