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kathirikai sambar kathirikai sambar recipe

Kathirikai Sambar Recipe

nags
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
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
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