Monday, January 12, 2015

Aubergine/Egg Plant Tawa Fry/Kathirikkai Varuval


Aubergines are those big, purple veggies that sure make your heads turn to take a look in the fresh market. I make a lot of brinjal dishes but mostly I use small /baby brinjals. Occasionally I buy these for making Baingan bhartha, baba ghanoush,mutabbal or mousakka. Its set in my mind that these bulgy beauties will find their way into my kitchen only through these dishes.
May be I thought they don’t blend in with south Indian flavors. But mind sets are supposed to be changed right? So one fine day I see my mom making this tawa fry within 15 minutes that tastes simple clean and very south Indian! I as a true foodie tried it and clicked and here it is.

Ingredients:
Aubergine/Egg plant/Periya Kathirikkai-2
Curry leaves-2 sprigs
Oil- for roasting
For Spice Mix:
Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp
Red chili powder-1 tsp
Coriander powder-2 tsp
Cumin powder-1/2 tsp
Sambar Powder- 1 tsp (optional)
Lemon juice-1 tsp
Salt- as needed
Mix all the ingredients with 1 or 2 tbsp of water and make a paste.
How It Happened:
1. Wash the aubergines, pat dry and cut them into 1 inch thick round slices.
2. Coat each with slice with the spice mix. Apply well on both sides. Let the slices rest for 10 minutes.
3. Heat a tbsp of oil in a pan, thrown in some curry leaves, then place the aubergine slices carefully on the pan.
4. Do not overcrowd/lay one slice over the other. Each slice should have enough space. Simmer the flame and cover the pan with a lid.

5. After 2 minutes, remove the lid, and turn each slice carefully to other side and cook for another 2 minutes/ or until soft and cooked. Now carefully remove the slices on to a plate.
6.  Again in the pan drizzle some oil, put in some curry leaves and place in the rest of the slices.  Follow the process until the entire batch is cooked.
7. Serve hot with rice and rasam.
Notes:
* Cut them to thick slices, else they won’t hold the shape when cooked. Even thick slices should be handled with handled with care after cooking as they will be very soft and fragile.
* If you don’t have time, just roast those in the kadai immediately after applying the spice mix.
* Every time you begin to roast a batch, do not forget to drizzle oil and add curry leaves. It adds a nice flavor.
*Handle the slices carefully while turning as they become tender when cooked.
* Play with the spice mix as per your taste.
* Always cook in low flame else the spices will get burnt.

* On the contrary, you can also deep fry them.

1 comment :

  1. Wow mouthwatering and very tasty looking recipe. I will definitely try this at home. Have you tried Pakistani Cooking Recipes I love all Pakistani Recipes and mostly the fish fry recipe.

    ReplyDelete