Kathirikai sambar recipe, how to make kathirikai sambar

Kathirikai sambar or brinjal sambar is possibly the most popular variation of sambar made in Tamil Nadu. Since sambar is such an everyday recipe, there may be thousands of variations and each of your homes, if you are from the South of India, will have your own. This is mine, and I hope you like this detailed step by step kathirikai sambar recipe even a beginner can make with ease.

In Kerala, sambar isn’t multi-faceted like in Tamil Nadu. Growing up, there was only one kind and Amma added whatever vegetables we had handy that day. It was never a conscious decision to make it kathirikai sambar or drumstick sambar, etc. My dad loves his sambar with potatoes so that’s the most common version I had while growing up. My mom’s sambar is amazing and it doesn’t matter where the sambar power is from – homemade, store-bought, from a relative, etc – it always tasted consistently good when she made it.

I am fortunate that my sister makes her really aromatic sambar powder in large batches and packs them for me. I freeze them and use in small batches until I am ready for the next packet from her. In addition to using her sambar powder in stir-fries like potato masala, I make a batch of sambar at least 3 times a month and we absolutely love it. A few tips and tricks to how I make my sambar awesome are below. This is, of course, to our taste. Tempering your sambar in coconut oil, for example, may not be your thing but try it and you may just love it!

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Kathirikai Sambar Recipe

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Kathirikai sambar recipe or brinjal recipe, a simple Tamil Nadu sambar recipe with kathirikai (also known as brinjal in India) or eggplant. Goes great with steamed rice and any stir-fried vegetable.

4 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

Course Sambar

Cuisine South Indian

Servings 6

Ingredients

  

• 1 cup toor dal or pigeon peas
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 lemon-sized ball of tamarind
• 3-4 baby kathirikai or brinjal
• Salt to taste

For tempering:

• 3 tbsp oil I use and recommend coconut oil
• 1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
• 1/2 cup chopped shallots ulli, chinna vengayam, sambar onions
• A few curry leaves
• 2 heaping tsp sambar powder
• A fat pinch of asafoetida hing, perungaayam

Instructions

 

• Soak the toor dal for at least 2 hours. This step is optional but I find that it really helps to get smooth and mushy cooked toor dal on pressure cooking
• Place the soaked dal in a vessel with enough water to cover it by an inch or so
• Add turmeric powder to the dal and place the vessel inside your pressure cooker with water in the base. I find that this helps the dal not overflow as it pressure cooks
• Let the dal cook for 20 mins or 4-5 whistles and turn heat off. Let the steam escape
• In the meantime, soak the tamarind in 1 cup warm water
• Extract the juice and discard pulp and seeds
• Wash and remove the stems from the baby brinjal (kathirikai)
• Make large slits in them and place in a large cooking pot along with the tamarind and 2 more cups of water
• Bring to boil and simmer until the brinjal is cooked soft
• By this time, the pressure cooker should be ready to be opened
• Mash the dal with the back of a spoon and add to the tamarind brinjal mixture
• Bring to boil adding more water if the sambar seems too thick
• Add salt and turn off heat
• Heat oil for tempering in a pan
• Add the mustard seeds and when they pop, add the chopped shallots and curry leaves
• Fry until the shallots turn golden brown
• Add hing
• Then add 2 heaping teaspoons of sambar powder to the hot oil and turn off heat
• Fry the sambar powder in the resulting heat
• Add the tempering to the cooked dal brinjal mixture and mix well
• Adjust salt as needed
• Serve kathirikai sambar hot with rice and any curry

Step by Step Kathirikai Sambar Recipe

Soak the toor dal for at least 2 hours. This step is optional but I find that it really helps to get smooth and mushy cooked toor dal on pressure cooking. Place the soaked dal in a vessel with enough water to cover it by an inch or so. Add turmeric powder to the dal and place the vessel inside your pressure cooker with water in the base to prevent the dal from overflowing as it cooks under pressure.

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Let the dal cook for 20 mins or 4-5 whistles and turn heat off. Let the steam escape.
In the meantime, soak the tamarind in 1 cup warm water. Extract the juice and discard pulp and seeds

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Wash and remove the stems from the baby brinjal (kathirikai). Make large slits in them and place in a large cooking pot along with the tamarind and 2 more cups of water

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Bring to boil and simmer until the brinjal is cooked soft

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By this time, the pressure cooker should be ready to be opened. Mash the dal with the back of a spoon.

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Add to the tamarind brinjal mixture

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Bring to boil adding more water if the sambar seems too thick. Add salt and turn off heat

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Heat oil for tempering in a pan. Add the mustard seeds and when they pop, add the chopped shallots and curry leaves

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Fry until the shallots turn golden brown. Add hing

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Then add 2 heaping teaspoons of sambar powder to the hot oil and turn off heat

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Fry the sambar powder in the resulting heat.

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Add the tempering to the cooked dal kathirikai mixture and mix well. Adjust salt as needed.

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Serve kathirikai sambar hot with rice and any curry

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Notes:
– You can add the sambar powder to the kathirikai dal mixture as it boils. Adding it to the oil roasts the powder and adds a nice flavour which I love
– You can use onions instead of shallots, although shallots fried in coconut oil is really the bomb, you must try it
– Use coriander leaves for garnish if you have any lying around
– If your sambar powder is not spicy, add some chilli powder along with the sambar powder to the hot oil
– For kathirikai sambar recipe in Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Kannada, Hindi, etc please use the Google translate button in the sidebar.