Gotsu Recipe, Kathirikai Gotsu, Easy Gotsu for Pongal

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Gotsu or Kathirikai Gotsu: try saying that recipe name a few times, it’s fun! Ok so apparently Ven Pongal and Gotsu are like Romeo and Juliet, only with a happier ending. As I have mentioned before, my Reddiar-Malayali mix of a household doesn’t see a lot of Ven Pongal (but my Amma makes Sakkarai Pongal for all sorts of non-occasions, even for reasons like “I felt like eating Sakkarai Pongal today) but my all-tamil in-laws do make and eat a fair bit of Ven Pongal and I thank my lucky stars for that.

I absolutely love Pongal but can only eat my mom-in-law’s version of it. When we go out to eat at Murugan Idli Kadai or Saravana Bhavan in Singapore, Pongal is probably the last thing I’d order, don’t ask me why.

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Click here for Ven Pongal Recipe

So anyway, when we were in Chennai last December, I put forth my usual request for a Pongal Gotsu breakfast to mom-in-law and she made this Kathirikai Gotsu to go with it. This is my first time eating Gotsu and I fail to understand why it’s only eaten with Pongal (they are a great pair, I do agree) and not with idli and dosa and upma and anything else that you can get your hands on.

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Anyway, here’s my mom-in-law’s fabulous recipe for Kathirikai Gotsu. A true delight!

Celebrating pongal festival? Here are some Pongal recipes for beginner cooks in this department (like me!)

Rava pongal
Sakkarai pongal
Khara pongal

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Gotsu Recipe

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Gotsu is a popular side dish to pongal, a dish popular in TamilNadu especially during the pongal festival.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Course Vegetarian Sides

Cuisine Tamil

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

• 1/2 cup of moong dal pasi paruppu, pressure cooked to a mush with water
• 1 cup chopped onions
• 2-3 green chillies
• 2 cups of cubed kathirikai brinjal
• 1/2 cup of chopped tomato
• 1/2 cup of tamarind juice semi-thick
• 1/2 tsp of powdered jaggery or brown sugar, or sugar
• A small bunch of chopped coriander leaves
• 1/2 tsp of mustard seeds
• 1/4 tsp of turmeric powder
• 1 tbsp of oil

For the Spice Powder:

• 1 tsp of oil
• 4 tsp of chana dal kadala paruppu
• 1 tsp of split urad dal ulutham paruppu
• 4 tsp of coriander seeds
• 3-4 dry red chillies
• 1 tsp of whole black peppercorn
• 1/2 tsp of cumin seeds jeera
• 1/2 tsp of white sesame seeds ellu, optional

Instructions

 

• First, cook the moong dal with enough water to cover it by 2 inches, in the pressure cooker for 3-4 whistles or 15 mins until it's soft and mushy. Soaking the moong dal in advance helps.
• Next, heat oil for the spice powder and reduce flame to low.
• Add the ingredients to roast and keep stirring as the chillies start to glow and the dals turn golden brown. Take care not to burn them.
• Cool, powder, and set aside.
• Heat the 1 tbsp oil and add 1/4 tsp mustard seeds.
• When they pop, add the chopped onions, perungaayam, and green chillies.
• Fry until the onions turn soft (about 3 mins) and add the chopped brinjal and tomatoes. Fry again until the tomatoes turn soft (another 3-4 mins).
• Next, add the tamarind water and turmeric powder and bring to boil. Cook until the tomatoes and brinjal turn completely soft (about 5 mins).
• Add the cooked moong dal to this along with the powdered spices and bring to boil again. You can add about 2 tbsp of the spice powder, taste, and then add more if required.
• Add salt and simmer until the right consistency is reached. It should be like a gravy that is pourable on Pongal.
• Turn off flame and garnish with the chopped coriander leaves.

How to Make Gotsu Step by Step

1. First, cook the moong dal with enough water to cover it by 2 inches, in the pressure cooker for 3-4 whistles until it’s soft and mushy. Don’t use roasted moong as it won’t cook down to a mush. Since Gotsu is usually made to serve with Pongal, you can cook required amount of the pasi paruppu for Pongal and Gotsu together. Set aside.

2. Next, heat oil for the spice powder and reduce flame to low. Add the ingredients to roast and keep stirring as the chillies start to glow and the dals turn golden brown. Take care not to burn them. Cool, powder, and set aside.

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3. Heat the 1 tbsp oil and add 1/4 tsp mustard seeds. When they pop, add the chopped onions, perungaayam, and green chillies. Fry until the onions turn soft (about 3 mins) and add the chopped brinjal and tomatoes. Fry again until the tomatoes turn soft (another 3-4 mins).

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4. Next, add the tamarind water and turmeric powder and bring to boil. Cook until the tomatoes and brinjal turn completely soft (about 5 mins).

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5. Add the cooked moong dal to this along with the powdered spices and bring to boil again. You can add about 2 tbsp of the spice powder, taste, and then add more if required. Add salt and simmer until the right consistency is reached. It should be like a gravy that is pourable on Pongal. Turn off flame and garnish with the chopped coriander leaves.

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That’s it. Delicious Kathirikai Gotsu is ready to be served with piping hot Khara Pongal.