Kathirikai Urulaikizhangu Pachidi

Kathirikai Urulaikizhangu Pachidi – Brinjal Potato in Dal based gravy

Hello all,

Hope you are enjoying a great Saturday.  Burgh looks beautiful this Saturday with a clear sky. Normally, my weekends are meant for non-vegetarian experiments. But, after a stressful week, I overslept this morning and decided to settle down on a simple comforting menu for my lunch.

If you are following this space, then you can say at a glance that I am so addicted to Chettinad delicacies and their flavors. I was very picky about what has to be on my plate during my childhood days. And they changed from season to season. I was addicted to ice creams and chocolates when I was in my primary school. But then, as I grew up , I didn’t had yearnings for ice creams and loved to munch on spicy snacks like murukku, seedai etc. I never liked sweets till my twenties. I hardly had gulab jamun on Diwali and I don’t have any memory of tasting any other sweets. I started loving sweets after my husband’s insistence to taste Jilebi and now, I love only dessert section at any buffet. How our preference changes from period to period?

Once I moved to Chennai for my job, I tried the food at different restaurants and eventually fell in love with Chettinad style. As my husband is also from Karaikudi, I ended up in cooking Chettinad delicacies most of the time. So when my heart yearns for a comforting meal, I know I would be preparing a Chettinad delicacy.

Here goes a simple yet delicious pachidi for a tummy friendly lunch.

Kathirikkai Urulaikizhangu is a Chettinad delicacy prepared by cooking tender Brinjals and Potatoes with moong dhal. It can be served as an accompaniment with idli, dosa, and chapatti. It is a versatile dish which can be served over plain rice. The dish is mildly spicy with only green chilies added and can be prepared with the common pantry items, thus making it as favorite for people of all ages and taste. Prepare this pachidi and serve for rice along with authentic sambar.

Ingredients:

• ½ Cup Moon Dhal
• ½ teaspoon Turmeric Powder
• ½ cup shallots, finely chopped
• 1 large sized Tomatoes, finely chopped
• ½ cup Brinjals cubed (use smaller brinjals for elevated taste)
• ½ cup Potatoes, cubed
• 3 Green Chilies, finely chopped
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• Handful Coriander Leaves for garnish
• For tempering
  • 2 tablespoon Oil
  • Handful Curry leaves
  • 2 Dried red chilies
  • 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
  • 1 teaspoon Urad dhal

Method:

• Soak Moong dhal for 15 minutes. Wash them with water and pressure cook the dal with ¼ teaspoon of turmeric powder and 2 cups of water for 3 whistles.
• Allow the pressure to settle down and mash them into a paste with a ladle. Set aside.
• In a medium sized saucepan/pot, add oil and heat over medium flame.
• When the oil is hot, add the tempering ingredients and fry until the mustard seeds splutter. Fry until urad dal is golden.
• Gently add onions and cook until they become translucent. Add tomatoes, green chilies and turmeric powder. Saute till the tomatoes become mushy.
• Now, add potatoes, brinjals and stir the well.
• Cook over reduced flame until the brinjals and potatoes become tender.
• Add dal and combine well so that they are blended together.
• Add 1-2 cups of water and mix well. Add water according to your required consistency.
• Season it with salt. When the mixture is about to boil, simmer the flame and cook for about 5 minutes.
• Switch off the flame and add coriander leaves for garnish.
• Serve Pachidi with plain white rice or with chapati.