Restaurant Style Brinjal Gravy for Biryani | Brinjal Side dish for Biryani | Kathirikkai Kootu Recipe

Biryani Brinjal Side dish(Sorry for the irrelevant in the recipe name. Mistakenly mentioned as dalcha)

Side dish made using brinjal is usually accompanied with biryani in most of the restaurants. I would say, biryani brinjal is the best companion for any type of biryani. During my teenage, I was reluctant to eat biryani even when someone forces me. After marriage, I only eat a spoonful from my hubbies plate. Slowly I started to like it with raita. But I loved it as a whole only after knowing the taste of biryani with brinjal gravy. Its a truly delicious one. So I tried to recreate the brinjal gravy from some restaurants like Aasife, Buhari and made it successful. I reduced the amount of oil here for health benefit. So it looks less oily than the restaurants. And I made the gravy very thick, you can make thin as well. Here is the recipe...

Biryani Brinjal Gravy

Recipe Cuisine: South Indian | Recipe Category: Side dish / Gravy

Prep Time: 5 mins | Cooking Time: 20 mins | Serves: 5

Ingredients:

Brinjal - 4

Onion - 1/2, chopped, optional

Big Tomato - 2(or 3 small), puréed

Green chilli - 2

Coriander powder - 2 tsp

Chilli powder - 2 tsp

Turmeric - 1/4 tsp

Tamarind - small lemon sized

Jaggery - small piece, optional

Salt - to taste

To roast and grind:

Peanuts - 2 tblpsn

Sesame seeds / Ellu - 2 tsp

Fenugreek / Vendhayam - 1/8 tsp

To temper:

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Pepper - 1/2 tsp

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Asafoetida / Perungayapodi - a pinch

Curry leaves - a sprig

Oil - 1/4 cup

Method:

Roast peanuts, fenugreek and sesame seeds and grind them into a smooth paste.

Soak the tamarind in water for 15 minutes. Cut the brinjal into 4 long slices. Purée the tomato.

Heat a pan, add a good splash of oil. When oil becomes hot, add in mustard seeds. Once it splutters, add cumin, pepper, asafoetida, curry leaves.

Now, add in chopped onion and green chilli. Stir fry till it turns golden.

Add in sliced brinjal and sauté for few minutes. The skin should change color.

Then, add the tomato purée and coriander powder, chilli powder, turmeric, salt. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes.

Add in tamarind extract, ground paste and a small piece of jaggery. Cover and cook for 10 to 15 minutes.

Serve hot with biryani.

Pictorial:

Keep all your ingredients ready. Soak the tamarind in water for 15 minutes

First roast the peanuts. When it slightly changes color, roast fenugreek and sesame seeds. Cool it and grind them into a smooth powder.

Heat a pan, add a good splash of oil. When oil becomes hot, add in mustard seeds.

Once it splutters, add cumin, pepper, asafoetida, curry leaves.

Add in curry leaves

Now, add in chopped onion and green chilli. Stir fry till it turns golden.

Roasted peanut, sesame seed powder is ready now

Add in sliced brinjal and sauté for few minutes.

Saute till the brinjal changes its color.

Then, add the coriander powder, chilli powder, turmeric, salt. Stir fry for 30 seconds

add the tomato purée. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes.

Add in tamarind extract

Immediately add the ground peanut sesame powder

Add 2 to 3 cups water, salt and a small piece of jaggery.

Mix well

Cover and cook for 15 to 20 minutes.

Serve with Biryani!