yummy everyday meal: Kathirikkai Murungaikkai Kaara Kuzhambhu/Eggplant and Drumstick in A Tangy Tamarind Sauce

For the second day of everyday lunch/dinner,I have a kuzhambhu with eggplant and drumstick.As a part of our everyday meal,I make some type of kuzhambhu once in a week. So sharing a recipe of yet another finger licking kuzhambhu.This kuzhmabhu is a village style preparation and I noted it from one of my aunt.

It is a hearty and delicious dish that tastes heavenly with rice along with a generous dollop of ghee.The highlight of the kuzhambhu is the final tempering added with shallots and curry leaves.
Original recipe had shallots for the gravy too but due to unavailability of shallots,I used it only for the tempering.Do try this recipe if you are an eggplant lover and looking for some kuzhambhu variety.

Kathirikkai Murungaikkai Kaara Kuzhambhu

Basic Information

Preparation time 10 minutes
Cooking time 30 minutes

Serves 4(generously)

Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Baby eggplants/kathirikkai	4-5 (sliced lengthy)
Drumstick/Murungaikkai	10 (2 inch pieces)
Garlic/poondu	5-6 cloves(sliced)
Onion(finely chopped)	1 medium size
Tomato(finely chopped)	1 medium size
Tamarind	a big gooseberry size
Turmeric powder/manjal podi	1/4 tsp
Sambar powder	1/2 tsp
Red chilly powder/milagai podi	1.5 tsp
Coriander powder/dhaniya podi	1.5 tbs
Coconut(grated)	2 tbs
Salt	1.5 tsp
Curry leaves /karivepillai	1 sprig
Oil	3 tbs

For Tempering

Ingredient	Quantity
Mustard seeds/kadugu	1 tsp
Fenugreek seeds/vendhayam	1/8 tsp
Fennel seeds/sombu	1/4 tsp
Shallots/chinna vengayam	4-5 (finely chopped)

Method

Soak the tamarind in a cup of water and extract the juice and keep it aside .

Heat around 2 tsp of oil in a pan.To this add the chopped onion and garlic,saute it till transparent.Add in the chopped tomato and cook it till mushy.Now goes in all the spice powders and grated coconut.Give it a mix and cook it for a minute.Put off the flame and grind it to a very fine paste after cooling.

Now in the same pan add 1/2 cup of water and to this add the drumstick pieces along with a pinch of salt.Cook it till its halfway done,now add the sliced eggplants and cook it for a minute.At this stage add in the tamarind water and let it cook for one boil.Add in the ground paste and salt.

Mix everything well and adjust the consistency with water. Let it cook in a medium flame for 10 minutes or till the raw smell disappears.
Meanwhile in a small pan heat the remaining oil and do the tempering with the ingredients given.Saute the chopped shallots and add the curry leaves.
Pour the tempering to the boiling kuzhambhu and let it simmer for couple of minutes.Put off the flame,once the oil starts floating.

Serve it along with rice and poriyal or kootu.

Do not compromise on the quantity of the oil.
Since I used the home grown baby eggplants and halved it,instead of slicing it.
Lentil based poriyal or kootu would be the beast accompaniment for this kuzhambhu.
The spices given is for a medium spice level.Alter it according to personal preference.