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    Home » Blogging Marathon » Katharikai Puli Kuzhambu With Coconut | Tangy & Spicy Brinjal Gravy

    Katharikai Puli Kuzhambu With Coconut | Tangy & Spicy Brinjal Gravy

    Posted on June 17, 2016 · Last Updated on November 9, 2021 · By Srividhya G · 19 Comments

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    Katharikai Puli Kuzhambu | the Brinjal gravy/sambar is a tasty and lip-smacking rice accompaniment prepared with tender brinjals. Here comes an authentic and traditional Tirunelveli style kuzhambu recipe prepared with tender brinjals with fresh ground coconut and shallots. Check out the detailed recipe with step-wise pictures below. 

    I know there are zillion variations to this kuzhambu and also this kuzhambu is one of the staples and common recipe in most of the households in Tamil Nadu. This recipe is from my friend who is from Tirunelveli.  The fresh ground masala adds extra flavor to this yummy kuzhambu.

    When I visited my friend’s place, this was one of the rice accompaniments to the scrumptious meal they served. I don’t know if it was the brinjals or the coconut masala that made me fall in love with this gravy. I got the recipe right away and asked mom to prepare it too, and from that point, this variation became staple in our household.
    KatharikaiKuzhambu
    Brinjal, Eggplant, Aubergine and I bet it has other names too. One of the favorite veggie used worldwide. It is a low carb vegetable with sufficient magnesium. Why suddenly am I talking about brinjals? This week’s blogging marathon theme is “one veggie – 3 different recipes”. Of course, I went with my favorite veggie brinjals. I know I picked the same veggie last year too but what to do? I still have a lot of recipes to share. :-)

    Katharikai Puli Kuzhambu With Coconut | Tangy & Spicy Brinjal Gravy

    An authentic and traditional Tirunelveli style kuzhambu recipe prepared with tender brinjals with fresh ground coconut and shallots.
    BrinjalKuzhambuTirunelveliStyle
    Ingredients:

    • Small Tender Brinjals – 10
    • Oil – 3 tbsps
    • Mustard Seeds – 2 tsps
    • Hing – 1 tsp
    • Fenugreek Seeds – 2 tsps
    • Turmeric Powder – ½ tsp
    • Red Chilly Powder – 2 tsps heaped 
    • Salt – 2.5 tsps
    • Grated Coconut – ¼ cup 
    • Water to grind coconut – 2 tbsps
    • Water for tamarind – 1 to 1.5 cups
    • Tamarind Paste – 1 tbsp (If using tamarind, small lemon sized)
    • Curry leaves – 1 strand
    • To Grind
    • Shallots – 5
    • Cumin Seeds – 1 tbsp
    • Water – 3 to 4 tbsps

    Prep Work:

    • Wash the brinjals and slit them as we do for ennai katharikai like below.

    SlitBrinjals

    • Peel the shallots and grind it along with cumin seeds with required water and set aside.

    MasalaMix

    • Grind the coconut coarsely with about 2 tbsps of water and set aside.

    GratedCoconutMix

    • If using tamarind, soak in water and extract about 1 to 1.5 cups of juice. If using paste, mix 1 tbsp of tamarind paste in 1 cup of water and set aside.

    Steps:

    • Heat the kadai and add oil.
    • Once the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds, methi seeds, and hing.
    • When the mustard seeds start to splutter, then add the curry leaves and let it fry for 30 seconds.
    • Turn the heat to medium-low. Now add the ground shallots-cumin paste and turmeric powder and cook till the raw smell goes for about 7 to 8 minutes.
    • Then add the brinjals and drizzle some water and cook till it becomes tender for about 10 minutes. Make sure you mix well so that the cumin and shallots masala gets coated nicely on the brinjals.

    KatharikaiKuzhambuStep1

    • After about 10 minutes, add tamarind water, chilly powder, and salt. Mix it well and bring it to boil.
    • When it starts to boil, then add the ground coconut paste and mix it well and let it simmer for about 2 to 3 minutes.
    • After the first boil, turn off the heat.

    KatharikaiKuzhambuStep2

    That’s it. Yummy kuzhambu is ready. Serve hot with rice.

    BrinjalKuzhambu

    Notes:

    • The original recipe calls for about one heaped tbsp of chilly powder. But as we prefer less spicy, I used only two tsps.
    • Adjust salt according to your preference.
    • You can substitute brinjals with drumstick or lady’s finger. You don’t need to add any additional tomatoes or onions for this kuzhambu. But if you prefer, you can add them. But adjust the tamarind depending upon the tanginess of the tomatoes.

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    Katharikai Puli Kuzhambu | Tangy & Spicy Brinjal Gravy

    An authentic and traditional Tirunelveli style kuzhambu recipe prepared with tender brinjals with fresh ground coconut and shallots.
    Prep Time10 mins
    Cook Time35 mins
    Total Time45 mins
    Course: Main Course, rice accompaniment
    Cuisine: TamilNadu
    Servings: 3
    Calories:
    Author: Srividhya G

    Ingredients

    • Small Tender Brinjals - 10
    • Oil - 3 tbsps
    • Mustard Seeds - 2 tsps
    • Hing - 1 tsp
    • Fenugreek Seeds - 2 tsps
    • Turmeric Powder - ½ tsp
    • Red Chilly Powder - 2 tsps heaped
    • Salt - 2.5 tsps
    • Grated Coconut - ¼ cup
    • Water to grind coconut - 2 tbsps
    • Water for tamarind - 1 to 1.5 cups
    • Tamarind Paste - 1 tbsp If using tamarind, small lemon sized
    • Curry leaves - 1 strand
    • To Grind
    • Shallots - 5
    • Cumin Seeds - 1 tbsp
    • Water - 3 to 4 tbsps

    Instructions

    Prep Work

    • Wash the brinjals and slit them as we do for ennai katharikai like below.
    • Peel the shallots and grind it along with cumin seeds with required water and set aside.
    • Grind the coconut coarsely with about 2 tbsps of water and set aside.
    • If using tamarind, soak in water and extract about 1 to 1.5 cups of juice. If using paste, mix 1 tbsp of tamarind paste in 1 cup of water and set aside.

    Steps

    • Heat the kadai and add oil.
    • Once the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds, methi seeds and hing.
    • As they start to splutter add the curry leaves and let it fry for 30 seconds.
    • Turn the heat to medium low. Now add the ground shallots-cumin paste and turmeric powder and cook till the raw smell goes for about 7 to 8 minutes.
    • Then add the brinjals and drizzle some water and cook till it becomes tender for about 10 minutes. Make sure you mix well so that the cumin and shallots masala gets coated nicely on the brinjals.
    • After about 10 minutes, add tamarind water, red chilly powder and salt. Mix it well and bring it to boil.
    • As it starts to boil, add the ground coconut paste and mix it well and let it simmer for about 2 to 3 minutes.
    • After the first boil, turn off the heat.
    • That’s it. Yummy kuzhambu is ready. Serve hot with rice.

    Notes

    • The original recipe calls for about 1 heaped tbsp of red chilly powder. But as we prefer less spicy, I used only 2 tsps.
    • Adjust salt according to your preference.
    • You can substitute brinjals with drumstick or lady’s finger. No additional tomatoes and onions are required for this kuzhambu. But if you prefer, you can add them. But adjust the tamarind depending upon the tomatoes.

    I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.

    Tried this recipe?Mention @vidhyasvegetariankitchen or tag #vidhyasvegkitchen
    For Video RecipesCheck out My YouTube Channel

    PS:

    • Sending this recipe for the 3-week blogging marathon. Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this BM#65.
    • Also submitting this for the June Week 3 – Cooking from Cookbook Challenge (CCC Challenge).
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    Filed Under: Blogging Marathon, South Indian Kuzhambu Varieties Tagged With: authentic recipes, brinjal gravy, brinjal recipes, how to prepare katharikai puli kuzhambu, Katharikai Puli kuzhambu, tangy and spicy brinjal gravy, Thengai ariacha puli kuzhambu, tirunelveli style puli kuzhambu, traditional recipes

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Suja Ilangovan says

      July 23, 2016 at 12:37 pm

      Can almost smell the aroma of all those south indian spices…So flavorful & lip-smacking, Vidhya!

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        July 23, 2016 at 5:38 pm

        Thanks a lot Suja. :-)

        Reply
    2. Priya Suresh says

      June 30, 2016 at 1:34 pm

      Lipsmacking puli kuzhambu,can survive for many days with this kuzhambu.

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        July 01, 2016 at 8:01 am

        Me too. Thankooo Priya.

        Reply
    3. Srivalli says

      June 29, 2016 at 2:53 am

      Fantastic way to cook these brinjals..must have been so lip smacking!

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        June 29, 2016 at 8:50 pm

        Yup Thanks Valli. :-)

        Reply
    4. Amara says

      June 27, 2016 at 6:35 am

      Love those blend of spices with eggplant Srividhya. I have to try it soon:)

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        June 28, 2016 at 9:17 am

        Thanks Amara.

        Reply
    5. Mireille Roc (@ChefMireille) says

      June 25, 2016 at 6:35 pm

      I’m not an eggplant person but looks like a flavorful gravy

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        June 26, 2016 at 1:10 pm

        ;-) ;-) Thanks Mir..

        Reply
    6. Pavani says

      June 24, 2016 at 5:27 am

      What a delicious looking eggplant curry Vidhya. Coconut masala sounds sooooooo yummy!!

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        June 26, 2016 at 1:43 pm

        Thanks Pavani. :-)

        Reply
    7. Smruti | Herbivore Cucina says

      June 21, 2016 at 12:05 pm

      Such a wonderful and delicious looking curry you got there!!

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        June 22, 2016 at 10:19 am

        Thanks Smruti. :-)

        Reply
    8. alkajena says

      June 18, 2016 at 11:43 pm

      The curry looks awesome

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        June 19, 2016 at 6:13 pm

        Thanks a lot :-)

        Reply
    9. usha says

      June 17, 2016 at 7:42 pm

      Gravy looks very good. This is similar to pulusu that we make in Telugu cuisine.

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        June 17, 2016 at 10:06 pm

        Thanks Usha. :-)

        Reply

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