Brinjal Podi Curry

Recipe for Brinjal Podi Curry / Kathrikkai Podi Curry

Brinjal, eggplant, aubergine – so many names for this commonplace vegetable. And so many delicious dishes, this Brinjal Podi Curry just being one of them.

One thing I’ve noticed about people’s taste for this vegetable is that they either love it or they hate it! I’m not much of a brinjal lover myself – except for the large eggplant, roasted and used in a variety of dishes. This is a version of something called Brinjal dry curry with podi (roasted and powdered lentils and spices ). I first had this a few years ago at a relative’s house. It was one of the few times that the brinjal seeds didn’t send my throat into a furious itch. One of the reasons it found my instant approval.

Brinjal Podi Curry – also called Podi Kathrikkai in Tamil, is usually made using the small sixed purple eggplants. A freshly prepared spice mix is either stuffed into the quartered eggplants or the brinjals are sliced and tossed along with this crunchy mixture.

This brinjal recipe is good to have with rice -rasam kinda Tamil meal or even with rotis, in which case you can up the spiciness a bit.

Eggplants are one of the most versatile vegetable, used in varied cuisines. Indian cuisine of course has the very famous Punjabi Baingan Bharta . Middle Eastern Cuisine puts it to use in a variety of dips for mezze as well as main course. Check out recipes for Mutabal and Baba Gannoush. 

Brinjal Podi Curry

A delicious healthy curry prepared with eggplants that can be served with any Indian bread. The freshly ground spices makes this curry irresistible and give them a crunchy texture!

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Servings: 2 servings

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: south indian

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 7 - 8 small brinjals
• tamarind flakes lemon sized ball
• pinch turmeric powder
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 6-8 curry leaves
• 1 tsp curry powder (or sambar podi)
• to taste salt
• coriander finely chopped for garnish

For podi:

• 3 tbsp chana dal (split bengal gram)
• 4 - 5 chillies red
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds
• 2 tbsp coconut grated fresh

Method

 

1. Slice off the stems and crown of the brinjals. Cut into quarters.
2. Soak tamarind in 1/2 cup hot water for 10 minutes. Squeeze well to get the tamarind extract. Filter out and discard the used tamarind.
3. Keep a cup of water to boil in a pan. Add a pinch of turmeric powder and the tamarind extract to this. Once the water starts boiling- add the quartered brinjal pieces and keep the flame on SIM. Let the brinjals cook for 5-7 minutes in the tamarind water. Once they turn a little tender-drain and remove from pan.
4. Take all the ingredients for the podi in a pan. Dry roast them, until the dal turns golden brown and the ingredients give out a nice aroma. Rough grind it to maintain the texture of the podi. Remove into a bowl and keep aside.
5. In a dry non-stick pan, take 2 tsp of oil. Splutter some mustard seeds and curry leaves. Add the podi, fry it in the oil for 5 minutes or so and then add the brinjal. Season with curry powder / sambhar powder and salt. Saute for some more time until the brinjal is completely coated with the podi and the podi looks well fried /golden brown.
6. Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with chapatis or sambhar-rice.

• I’m sure this one appeals even to those who aren’t very fond of the vegetable. The podi imparts a nice crispy texture as well as a nutty taste to the brinjal.
• You could add a Tbsp of grated jaggery to the podi to add a nice sweet tinge to the existing spicy, sour and salty flavour.
• You can use this podi for giving a whole new twist to the good old potato-curry too.
• Give my other eggplant recipes like this Mutabal a try!