Kathirikai Pitlai Recipe – South Indian Tangy & Spicy Brinjal Curry

Kathirikai Pitlai Recipe is a traditional South Indian made with eggplant/brinjal. The the pitlai curry is made with freshly roasted and ground condiments and made tangy with tamarind. The toor dal adds to the protein, making this dish wholesome and nutritious.  Small Brinjal (Baingan / Eggplant), Arhar dal (Split Toor Dal), Tamarind Water, Turmeric powder (Haldi), Mustard seeds (Rai/ Kadugu), Curry leaves, Salt, Sesame (Gingelly) Oil, Chana dal (Bengal Gram Dal), White Urad Dal (Split), Coriander (Dhania) Seeds, Whole Black Peppercorns, Dry Red Chillies, Fresh coconut, Asafoetida (hing)   6 Small Brinjal (Baingan / Eggplant) 1/2 cup Arhar dal (Split Toor Dal) 1 tablespoon Tamarind Water 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric powder (Haldi) 1 teaspoon Mustard seeds (Rai/ Kadugu) 5 Curry leaves , finely chopped Salt , to taste 1 teaspoon Sesame (Gingelly) Oil Ingredients for Pitlai Podi 2 tablespoons Chana dal (Bengal Gram Dal) 1 tablespoon White Urad Dal (Split) 3 tablespoons Coriander (Dhania) Seeds 1 teaspoon Whole Black Peppercorns , 1 teaspoon whole black pepper  3 Dry Red Chillies , (adjust) Fresh coconut , grated 1/2 teaspoon Asafoetida (hing)     20   40     To begin making the Kathirikai Pitlai Recipe, the first step is to make the Pitlai Podi.To begin making the pitali podi, we will first have to dry roast all the ingredients in the same order of ingredients given. The ingredients have to be roasted until they are well browned, but not burnt.Allow the mixture to cool a bit and then grind into a powder, in a mixer grinder.Note: The powder will have a coarse texture, and not a fine powder