Kathirikkai / Brinjal / Eggplant is a favorite vegetable at home. I make sambar, puli kuzhambu, poriyal and chutney using it. This chutney is a one-pot dish that is made with readily available ingredients in the kitchen. It is super easy to make and tastes delicious along with idli / dosai.

I’m a big fan of the “Vellai Kathirikai / White Brinjal” we get in down south in Tamil Nadu. It is very flavorful. In the US we get green and purple brinjal. I mostly prefer purple ones. This time I bought fresh brinjal from the farmer’s market and thought of making this simple chutney for breakfast.

It is a common dish at mother’s place. Fresh brinjal is the key ingredient. This results in a tasty chutney. We follow this recipe after my grandmother. She used to use a “wooden mathu” to mash all the ingredients once cooked. I love to use mathu too. It gives a great finish to the dish. This dish has a runny consistency. It is a very mild dish. If needed you can increase the spice level. We used to just soak the idlis in this chutney and enjoy it. This is a must try dish!

Happy cooking..!

Ingredients

• Kathirikkai / Brinjal / Eggplant – 4 (Medium size) or 370 g
• Small onion – 15 (or) Big onion – 1/2 cup, roughly chopped
• Tomato – 1
• Green chilli- 2
• Whole Jeera – 2 pinches
• Water – 2 cups
• Salt – 2.5 tsp

To temper

• Oil – 1 tbsp
• Mustard – 1 tsp
• Urad dal – 1 tsp
• Curry leaves – 2 sprigs

Procedure

• Prepare all the ingredients.
• Chop the onions, tomato, green chilli and brinjal to medium sized chunks.
• Add all the chopped ingredients to a pressure cooker. Add in jeera, salt and water.

• In medium-high flame, pressure cook all the ingredients for 4-5 whistles. Around 10 mins.

• Once the sound settles, open the cooker and strain the contents in a colander. Keep a water underneath the colander to save the water. Keep the saved water aside.

• Using a “wooden mathu” or “potato masher” mash all the other ingredients well. In Tamil it is called “Kadayal”. (Caution : Do not use mixie! It will not result in the same taste and texture)

• Add in the strained water and mix well. Check for salt and add if necessary.

• In a pan, add in oil. Once the oil is warm, add in the ingredients under “to temper” one by one. Add it to the chutney.

• Mix well.
• Serve with some piping hot idli / dosai. I like mine soaked with 3 or more ladles of chutney. Tastes delicious!

Notes

• Use fresh brinjal for the best taste.
• Add 1 more tomato if you like tangy flavor.
• Add more green chillies if you want the chutney to be spicy.