Kathirikai Gotsu | South Indian Brinjal Gravy

My 254th recipe, "Brinjal | Kathirikai Gotsu", the perfect side for Ven Pongal. Ven Pongal itself is a super easy to make dish and flavorful with the tempering of black pepper, ginger, jeera. One of my favorite breakfasts too. Having said that, at times, Ven Pongal can taste bland without a spicy kick. So, to make it extra special you need a spicy gravy as a side. This Kathirikai Gotsu is the perfect pair for Ven Pongal. My mom always made this gotsu whenever she makes ven pongal at home. However as a kid I never used to appreciated the taste of this gotsu. I would never eat the gotsu and instead would eat ven pongal with sugar. Yes, you read it right. However, after I started cooking on my own I now tend to appreicate the different flavors of a dish much better.

This Kathirikai Gotsu might seem familiar and resemble a sambar or kootu in appearance.But, it is way different in flavor and texture. The moong dal give the perfect base for this gravy. The chopped brinjal adds a nice bit of color and flavor to this gotsu. The addition of both red chilli powder and green chilli gives a nice bit of kick to this gravy which pairs well with the hint of sweetness from the sugar. I now understand that this kathirikai gotsu is a balance gravy perfect to have with your morning South Indian breakfast dishes like pongal, idli and dosa 🙂

Happy Pongal to folks who are celebrating. You can hop on to my post I made last year for more details about the Pongal festival and how it is celebrated.

Kathirikai Gotsu

Kathirikai Gotsu

Revathi Palani

Kathirikai Gotsu is a traditional South Indian gravy made with brinjal and moong dal and pairs perfectly with breakfast dishes like pongal and idli.

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Course Gravy

Cuisine Indian

Servings 5

Ingredients

  

• ¼ Cup Moong Dal
• 2 + 1 ½ Cups Water
• 1 small Onion (finely chopped)
• 1 small Tomato (finely chopped)
• 1 Green chilli (slit)
• 2 medium Brinjal (chopped into ¼ inch cubes)
• ½ tsp Sugar
• 1 tsp Salt (adjust per taste)
• 1 tsp Sambar powder (adjust per taste)
• ⅛ tsp Turmeric powder

To temper

• 1 tsp Oil
• ¼ tsp Mustard
• ½ tsp Broken urad dal
• ½ tsp Jeera
• 1 sprig Curry leaves
• ⅛ tsp Asafoetida
• 2 Dry red chilli

Instructions

 

• First add the moong dal to a pan along with 2 cups of water. Cook until the moong dal is fully done.
  
  
    
  
    
• Now, to the moong dal, add the onion, tomato, green chilli, brinjal and remaining 1 ½ Cups of water. Mix well. Let the mixture come to a boil and cook until the brinjal is half done. Add the sugar, salt, sambar powder and turmeric powder now, mix well and continue to cook until the raw smell of the masala powders are gone and the brinjal is cooked fully.
  
  
    
  
    
• In a separate pan, heat the oil and add the mustard seeds. Once it splutters, add the remaining ingredients listed under "To temper" in the given order. Once the urad dal starts to turn golden brown, transfer the tempering to the dal mixture. Mix well and turn off the flame.
  
  
    
  
    
• Serve hot as a side for idli / pongal.

Notes | FAQ

- After chopping the brinjal, keep it immersed in water until you are ready to use. This will help to prevent browning.

- Adjust the quantity of water based on desired consistency.