Name: Tamil Nadu Ennai Kathirikai
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 70 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 200 g Baby Eggplant, small, tender, slit crosswise; 2 tbsp Sesame Oil, gingelly oil is highly recommended; 1 tbsp Tamarind Paste, diluted in warm water; ½ tsp Mustard Seeds; 8 Curry Leaves; ⅛ tsp Fenugreek Seeds; ½ tbsp Split Bengal Gram, for roasting masala; ½ tbsp Split Black Gram (Skinless), for roasting masala; 1 tbsp Coriander Seeds; 3 Dried Red Chili Peppers; 1½ tbsp Freshly Grated Coconut; ½ tsp Jaggery; ¼ tsp Ground Turmeric; ¾ tsp Salt

1 hr 10 mintotal

50 min hands-on20 min hands-off

Prep 20 min · Cook 30 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Hard
Spice: High

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Method

In a heavy pan, dry-roast the split bengal gram, split black gram, coriander seeds and dry red chillies patiently over low heat until they are golden and deeply fragrant. Add the freshly grated coconut for the last minute. Let the mixture cool before grinding it to a slightly coarse, textured powder.
Incorporate a measured splash of water into the roasted powder to forge a thick, formidable paste. Delicately pack this potent paste into the cross-slits of the baby brinjals, strictly reserving any remaining paste to serve as the structural base for the gravy.
Heat a generous pool of authentic sesame oil in a wide, heavy-bottomed skillet. With utmost care, arrange the stuffed brinjals in the pan and shallow fry them on a gentle heat. Rotate them occasionally until their skins wrinkle and blister beautifully, indicating they are tender. Remove them with precision.
In the remarkably fragrant residual oil, crackle the mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds, triggering a release of their essential oils, followed instantly by a handful of fresh curry leaves.
Pour the diluted tamarind extract into the pan alongside the turmeric powder, salt, jaggery, and the reserved stuffed masala paste. Command the mixture to a vigorous rolling boil.
With extreme gentleness, slide the perfectly blistered brinjals back into the bubbling crimson liquid. Secure the pan with a lid and simmer steadily on low heat for 15 minutes, allowing the deeply aromatic sesame oil to drift to the surface as the gravy thickens to a luxurious consistency.
15 min

How to tell it's done

Melt-in-the-mouth, buttery eggplants steeped in a dark, fiery, tangy, and robust tamarind-spice reduction.

Getting it right

Tip

Fry the brinjals before they go into the tamarind gravy. Skip it and the acidity of the tamarind stops the flesh softening, so they never come out tender.

What to serve it with

Tastes absolutely divine and reaches its highest potential when served with steaming hot Rice and an extra drizzle of raw sesame oil, or harmonized with cooling South Indian Curd Rice.

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Ingredients