Egg plant Kootu

Egg plant / Kathrikai is one my favorite. Unfortunately my husband does not like it. I think people love egg plant coz whoever made it for them to taste it the first time did a pretty good job. people who don't like it.. well it's self explanatory.

I can pretty much eat it as a dry curry, kootu, bajji, in sambhar.. you name it.

Here is my version of egg plant kootu.

Ingredients:

1 medium sized egg plant
1/2 cup cooked toor dhal
Frozen peas 1/3 cup
sambar powder 1/2 tsp
1/2 tsp tamarind paste
dessicated coconut 2 tbsp

tumeric powder 1/4 tsp
salt to taste

For the tempering

Oil
mustard seeds
urad dhal curry leaves
1/4 tsp hing/ asafoetida

wash the eggplant and dice into small cubes. Saok in water, otherwise it will change color.

add water just to cover the egg plant. Add salt, turmeric powder, sambar powder, tamarind paste and cook on a low fire. Half way down add the frozen peas. You don't want to over cook the peas.

You cna increase the sambar powder/ tamarind according to your taste.

Once the veggies are cooked add the cooked and masher toor dal and coconut. if it is too watery add a little bit of rice flour mixed with water to make it thicker.

let it come to a boil. Turn off the fire. In a separate kadai, temper all the ingredients and add it to the eggplant kootu.


Enjoy with rice/ sambhar/ rasam asa side dish or with chapathi's.