Kathirikai Rasavaangi/Brinjal Rasavaangi

Rasavaangi is a recipe full of flavours. This is a dish that has the consistency and tanginess of a rasam and has dhal like that of a sambar. But it has unique flavours on its own. Traditionally rasavaangi is made from brinjals.
This is a recipe handed over to me by a friend who watched the famous Chef Arusuvai Natrajan explain it in a TV show. What can i say? Anyone who knows me knows I am a brinjal maniac. Well! I adapt the recipe to suit  our taste.Whenever i see fresh brinjals i buy a kilo (for 2 ppl) and then the whole week those brinjals keep appearing in various forms for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It’s just that i don’t get bored of these purple beauties. So this time it appeared in this form. Cooking them / eating them is a divine experience for me! It’s just meJ. Well enough of memes. Now off to the recipe.

Ingredients:

Brinjals-2 big, cut lengthwise

Toor Dal-1/2 cup

Tamarind- lemon sized, extracted in 1 cup of water

Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp

Salt-as needed

To Grind:

Coconut-1/4 cup

Dhania/Coriander seeds-2 tbsp

Channa dal-1 tbsp

Red chillies-5

Heat a tsp of oil in a kadai, roast the above mentioned ingredients to golden brown. Cool and grind them to a medium coarse paste with little water.

To Temper:

Oil-1 tbsp

Mustard seeds-1 tsp

Urad dal- 1 tsp

Asafoetida- a pinch

Curry leaves-1 sprig

Onion-1 finely chopped

How it Happened:

1. Wash the brinjals cut them length-wise and keep immersed in water until use so they don’t get oxidized. Pressure cook the toor dal for 2 whistles and slightly mash them with the back of your ladle. Extract the tamarind juice and set aside.

2. In tamarind water add ½ cup of water, turmeric powder, salt and brinjal pieces and switch on the flame.

3. When the brinjals are cooked, add the mashed dal and mix well. Allow it to boil in simmer for 5 minutes.

4. Add the ground coconut paste and mix well. Check for salt and let it boil for 2 minutes and switch off the flame.

5. In a kadai, heat the oil and add the ingredients given under the ‘to temper’ list. When they pop add the chopped onions and when they turn golden brown add the tempering to the rasavaangi .

6. Mix well and serve hot with rice and papad.

Notes:

*Adjust the tanginess and spiciness according to your taste. But generally the rasavaangi should hit a high note on tanginess and should have some heat from the red chillies.

* Grinding the coconut to a coarse paste gives some texture.

*The consistency is supposed to be thin like rasam, so add water accordingly while boiling.

*In the original recipe onions are not added while tempering but i like an extra bit of crunch.