Kathirikkai Gothsu/Kathirikai Gotsu/Brinjal Gothsu

Kathirikkai Gothsu is a dish that features the creaminess of the brinjal. I have to admit that Amma never have made the real gothsu in this way as we have our own version which will be another post. But my Mom-in-law was the one to introduce this gothsu to me.
What came as a surprise for me is that it was made as a side dish for Pongal which was totally new to me as i have always had only sambar and coconut chutney as sides for Pongal. When a dish is made of brinjal then it sure tops my list of to-dos. First time i made it the way mom-in-law told me by pressure cooking the brinjals. Then i had a recipe from a friend of mine which was more authentic and so when i gave it a try, it was a total yummy. So here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

Brinjals/Aubergines-2 large

Tamarind-Lemon-sized soak in 1 cup of water

Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp

Salt-as needed

Coriander leaves- to garnish

To Grind:

Channa dal-1 tbsp

Coriander seeds-1 tbsp

Long red chillies-4

Roast them in a tsp spoon of oil and grind them to fine powder.

To Temper:

Sunflower oil-2 tbsp

Mustard seeds-1 tsp

Urad dal-1 tsp

Curry leaves- 1 sprig

Shallots-15, peeled and chopped

How it happened:

1. Wash the brinjals and pat- dry them. Insert a skewer thru’ the brinjal and place it directly on the stove flame.

2. Turn the brinjals so that it gets cooked on all sides. When the skin starts blistering and when its charred remove it from the flame and wrap them in foil tightly so that no steam escapes. This allows the inner flesh of the brinjal to get cooked.

3. After 15 minutes, open the foil pack and by now part of the brinjal skin would have fallen off. The remaining skin can peeled off very easily.

4. Now mash the flesh of the brinjals using a masher (matthu).

5. Mix the mashed brinjals with tamarind extract, turmeric powder, freshly ground spice powder (mentioned above) and salt.

6. Heat oil in a kadai, add the ingredients given under the ‘to temper’ list. When the shallots turn glassy, add the brinjal- tamarind mix and mix well.

7. Add ½ cup of water if the gothsu is too thick. Allow the mix to boil for 2 minutes.

8. Switch off the flame, garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with Ven pongal/ idlis/dosas.

Notes:

*The brinjals should be fresh else the gothsu will have a bitter taste and also the brinjals should be large enough to be roasted in stove top.

*You can also pressure cook/ steam the brinjal. But it will miss the slight smoky flavour which is the highlight of the dish.

* The dish is supposed to be a little tangy, as it accompanies ven pongal. So the amount of tamarind mentioned will be right. But you can adjust it to your taste.

* I like some texture in gothsu with little chunks of brinjal. But if you want it to be a little smooth, you can blitz it coarsely in blender.

* The tempering can also be done with gingelly oil.