Ennai Kathirikai | Stuffed Brinjal curry recipe

Ennai Kathirikai is a tangy curry of brinjals cooked in tamarind water and flavored with South Indian spices. This no-onion no-garlic recipe of ennai kathirikai can be served on a bed of steaming hot rice topped with a dollop of ghee or as a side for idli or dosas. 

What is Ennai Kathirikai?

Ennai(Oil) Kathirikai (Brinjal, Eggplant, or Aubergine) is a tangy gravy of brinjals cooked in a tamarind sauce with a generous amount of sesame oil. It is usually served alongside rice topped with ghee or more sesame oil. It can also be eaten as a side for idli and dosa. 

My journey with Ennai Kathirikai

I’ve been a huge fan of anything made with a base of tamarind, right from Puliyodharai, Puli kozhambu to this lip-smacking Ennai kathirikai. I have fond memories of devouring a lot of ennai kathirikai rice in my life. Mom makes the best ennai kathirikai curry brahmin style, and of course, I recorded it this time when I went home in India. 

I’ve made Amma’s ennai kathirikai countless times in the last decade, but I always wanted to document her cooking this mouth-watering dish on my blog. I had to slow her down and give me exact measurements of all that she added. By the time the dish was done, I got a huge salute from Mom for my patience, haha! She didn’t realize blogging would be this tiring. 

My toddler is a huge fan of ennai kathirikai. He’ll eat double the quality of rice or idli if served with ennai kathirikai. He usually rejects dal rice like a plague. I’ve started serving plain dal rice (paruppu sadam) with a spoonful of ennai kathirikai. He gobbles it up immediately without a single complaint. That alone is a massive motivation for me to make this every week! 

Why you will love this Ennai Kathrikai?

• It is deliciously tangy
• It is Vegan
• It is a wonderful side dish for idli and dosa
• It can be refrigerated for 2-3 days.

Check out other Indian rice accompaniments from my blog

Moru Curry

Keerai Masiyal

Dal tadka

Ingredients for Ennai Kathirikai

Small Brinjals/Eggplants

To make ennai kathirikai, always use the Indian eggplants. Pick the smallest lot of brinjals you can find from the market. The smaller the brinjals, the tastier your ennai kathirikai will be. 

Tamarind

You can use dry tamarind or tamarind pulp for this recipe. I always prefer using dry tamarind. I’ve given measurements for both in my recipe. 

Sambar powder

You can use either homemade or store-bought sambar powder. Adjust it according to the spice level in the sambar powder and your spice tolerance. 

Mustard seeds

Mustard seeds are a staple in any South Indian cooking. It gives a nutty flavor. Use small or big mustard seeds interchangeably.

Urad Dal

When tempered, Urad dal or white lentils give an amazing crunch.

Curry Leaves

Roasting the curry leaves until it crisps gives a wonderful flavor to ennai kathirikai.

Jaggery

I always add a pinch of jaggery whenever I make anything with tamarind as the main base. It cuts down the sharp tange and rounds off the flavor nicely. 

Sesame oil

Sesame seed oil or gingelly oil is a staple in Tamilnadu cooking. There is no substitute for sesame oil for making this dish to get the authentic flavor. If you are out of sesame oil, use a neutral oil as a substitute. Keep in mind that the flavor will be hugely compromised. 

A step-by-step method to make Ennai Kathirikai

Making the tamarind water

Soak tamarind in ½ cup of hot water and keep it aside. 

After 10 minutes the tamarind would’ve softened. Mash it well in the water and filter the juice out. Add ¼ more cup of water and extract all the juice. Add turmeric powder and salt to the tamarind water. Keep it aside. 

Skip the above step if you’re using ready made tamarind pulp.

Preparing the brinjals

Wash the brinjals well under running water. I like to use a colander to wash my vegetables. 

After washing, pat dry and remove the stalk(the top green part) of the brinjals. 

Make two deep perpendicular slits(like a cross) to each brinjal, making sure you don’t slice them all the way through. The slits are for stuffing the sambar powder. 

Take the required sambar powder in a cup and fill in each brinjal with a spoonful of sambar powder. Increase or decrease the quantity of sambar powder depending on how spicy your sambar powder is. If you like it spicy, feel free to increase the quantity of sambar powder. 

Making Ennai Kathirikai

Heat a thick-bottomed kadai/pan, and add sesame oil to it. 

Add mustard seeds, urad dal, curry leaves, and asafoetida when the oil is hot. 

Next, add the prepared brinjals to the tempering and stir gently, ensuring you don’t break them. 

Fry it for 3-4 minutes. Add the prepared tamarind water when you see the brinjal skins being blistered(pic 1 below)

If you use tamarind pulp, dilute it with 3/4th cup of water and add it to the fried brinjals.

Once it starts boiling, simmer it and cover the kadai with a lid. 

Open the lid after 5 minutes and give it a gentle stir.

Keep an eye on the level of the tamarind water, ensuring it doesn’t dry completely. 

At around the 15-minute mark, the brinjals would be fully cooked. Cook covered till then. 

When the brinjals are tender, open the lid and add jaggery powder. Let the tamarind water evaporate. Keep stirring gently every once in a while. 

When you see oil leaving the sides of the pan, your stuffed brinjal curry is ready. 

Finally, turn off the heat and pour more oil if you like. 

How to serve Ennai Kathirikai?

• Add a teaspoon of ghee or gingelly oil to a bed of steaming hot rice and top it with a ladle of ennai kathirikai.
• You can serve it as a side to dal rice or kootu.
• It tastes delicious as an accompaniment for idlis, dosai and pongal.