Kathirikai Rasavangi Recipe – Eggplant is a Tangy Coconut Gravy

Kathirikai Rasavangi Recipe - Eggplant is a Tangy Coconut Gravy is a very traditional recipe from the households of Tamil Brahmins. The freshness of the dish comes from adding the freshly ground spice paste to brinjal/ eggplant. It has a very distinct flavour with the addition of coriander seeds and peppercorns. Course : Lunch Ingridients : 1 Brinjal (Baingan / Eggplant) , cubed 1/4 cup Arhar dal (Split Toor Dal) 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric powder (Haldi) 1 cup Tamarind Water 1 teaspoon Jaggery , powdered (optional) Salt , to taste Ingredients to Dry Roast and Grind 1/2 tablespoon Chana dal (Bengal Gram Dal) 1 tablespoon Coriander (Dhania) Seeds 1 Dry Red Chilli 10-15 Whole Black Peppercorns 1/2 cup Fresh coconut , grated Ingredients for Seasoning 1 tablespoon Sesame (Gingelly) Oil 1 teaspoon Mustard seeds (Rai/ Kadugu) 1 sprig Curry leaves Instructions To prepare Kathirikai Rasavangi Recipe - Eggplant is a Tangy Coconut Gravy, pressure cook the toor dal with 1 cup of water for 4 to 5 whistles.Turn off the heat and allow the pressure to release naturally. Once the dal is cooked, whisk the dal well and keep it aside.In the meantime, heat a small pan on medium heat and dry roast chana dal, coriander seeds, red chilly and peppercorns till it gets aromatic and turns golden brown.Once roasted, add the grated coconut to this and keep stirring till it turns brown. Turn off the heat, cool and grind to a smooth mixture by adding a 1/4 cup of water. Keep this aside.Heat oil in a preheat pan; add the mustard seeds and allow it to crackle. Add the curry leaves and brinjal, sprinkle salt and give it a stir. Cover the pan and cook the brinjal until roasted and soft. To the cooked brinjal, add the tamarind water, turmeric powder, jaggery, cooked dal, coconut mixture and salt to taste.Simmer the Kathirikai Rasavangi  for a good 5 minutes until the raw smell of tamarind goes away and the rasavangi has good taste and flavours.Check the salt and adjust to taste accordingly. Once done, turn off the heat and transfer the Kathirikai Rasavangi to a serving bowl and serve hot.Serve the Kathirikai Rasavangi Recipe with Steamed Rice, Keerai Masiyal, Potato Curry to make this recipe a complete south indian meal.