BRINJAL PITLAI
Pitlai is again a tamarind based gravy,close to sambhar but has many spices added in to it.It is a regular item included in tamil brahmin marriages,festivals and also a regular feature in my home.It is somewhat thicker than sambhar and so flavourful with all the loaded spices carefully roasted and coarsely grounded.This powder which is roasted and grounded is used for many food items and i make it a little extra always and store it in the fridge and it can be used for many dishes such as Arachuvitta sambhar,Rasavangi,Podi kathrikkai curry etc.I will post these recipes sometime later.This pitlai is also called kalyana pitlai since it is prepared in marriages.It is served as an accompaniment to rice mixed with dal mixed with ghee as i have photographed here.I have made keerai masiyal and potato curry to go along with it.
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| Prep Time | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time | 20 minutes |
| Servings |
cup
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- 3 Brinjal -small
- Tamarind lemon -a shaped ball
- 1 cup Tur dal [cooked]-
- 4 tsp channa Black -
- to taste Salt -
- 1 tsp Mustard seeds -
- 1 sprig Curry leaves
- a few Coriander leaves -
- 1 pinch Asafoetida
- 2 tsp Oil-
- 1 tsp Turmeric powder-
- 4 tsp Coriander seeds -
- 4 tsp Channa dal -
- 4 chilly Red -
- 1 tsp Pepper -
- 1 tsp Jeera / Cumin -
- 5 tsp coconut Grated -
Ingredients
TO ROAST AND GRIND
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|
- Soak tamarind in water.
- Also soak black channa overnight.Cut brinjal into cubes and add them in water so that they don't turn black.
- Take a heavy bottomed vessel and add tamarind extract and add brinjal, salt, turmeric powder, asafoetida and let it boil for sometime till brinjal becomes tender.Meanwhile pressure cook tur dal and black channa.In tur dal you may add a pinch of turmeric powder while cooking.
- Meanwhile in a kadai add 1tsp oil and dry roast all the ingredients except grated coconut and roast till golden brown.
- Now take it out and in the same kadai dry roast grated coconut.
- Now cool the spices and put it in the blender.Also add 1/2tsp of turmeric powder.This will give a nice colour to the ground masala.
- Grind coarsely.
- Add this grounded powder to the boiling gravy and mix well along with some curry leaves.
- Let it boil for sometime till the raw smell goes away.
- Add the cooked tur dal and boiled black channa on to the gravy now.
- Temper with mustard seeds and garnish with curry and coriander leaves.
- Enjoy with hot rice and dal with dollops of homemade ghee with some vegetable of your choice.I had made potato roast and keerai masiyal
Notes
You can use bitter gourd in place of brinjal.Also white pumpkin tastes delicious in this gravy.
You can use white channa in place of black channa.
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