Kathirikai masiyal | Chidambaram Kathirikai Gothsu | Easy side-dish recipe | No-onion, No-garlic recipe

This Kathirikai Masiyal / Gothsu is an easy side-dish recipe taught by my MIL which can be prepared in under 20mins time. It does'nt involve any complicated procedures, but nevertheless, it is an excellent accompaniment to Idli, Dosa and Pongal. I remember those days at our hometown Tuticorin where my MIL does this often with fresh, tender brinjals harvested from local farms and Iam a big fan of this simple side-dish, especially to go with Dosa. I believe this recipe is one of the many variations of Chidambaram Gothsu, which is prepared at Chidambaram temple as an offering to Lord Natarajar, using grilled brinjal. I love that mild smoky flavour which is not too overpowering with a simple blend of flavouring.

Preparation time - 15mins

Cooking time - 3-4mins

Serves - 4

Ingredients:-

Brinjal - 2, big (any variety)

Tamarind - 1 small gooseberry sized

To temper:-

Sesame oil - 2tsp

Mustard seeds - 1tsp

Fenugreek | Methi seeds - 1/2tsp

Green chilli - 3,finely chopped

Curry leaves - a sprig

Salt - as needed

Asafoetida - 1/4tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/2tsp

Method:-

1.  Choose tender and big-sized brinjals for this recipe. Also, make sure the brinjals don't have any tiny holes on the surface.Having holes mean that they have worms inside. As this recipe involves cooking the whole brinjal as such, checking for good ones is essential.

2.  Soak the tamarind in warm water and extract about 1cup of thin tamarind water.Set aside.

3.  Char-grill the brinjal by placing directly on medium flame, turning it now and then so that it get cooked evenly on all sides. This may take about 5-7mins. Now, the skin turns completely black and it feels wobbly when touched.

     

4.  Take off the flame and let it sit in water until it cools down. 

     

5.  Peel off the skin. Place it under running water for a few seconds to wash away any debris sticking to it.

     

6.  Trim away the stalk and mash the cooked brinjal in a bowl.

     

7.  Heat sesame oil in a pan, season it with mustard, fenugreek, chilli, curry leaves, asafoetida and turmeric powder. Adding turmeric powder to oil removes its raw smell.

8.  Add tamarind water,mashed brinjal and salt and bring to a boil. Switch off the flame. Note that it does not require boiling for a long time.

     

Serve this easy and tasty Kathirikai Masiyal / Gothsu alongside Idli, Dosa, Pongal or Upma varieties.



Submitting this recipe to 'Cooking with Alphabets - K' for Blogging Marathon week 1. Checkout what other Marathoners are doing here.