A little sweet, a little spicy and a little tangy Kathirikai Gothsu, a perfect side dish for idli, dosa or pongal. With step by step pictures, this is a breeze to make at home!
Kathirikai Gothsu is a lesser known cousin of Sambar one of the popular side dishes for any breakfast in South India. It is not so easy to find Gothsu featuring in restaurant menus. Not everyone makes it at home, at least as frequently as Sambar. Though amma used to make Gothsu, I never liked it. I was not too fond of brinjals or eggplant until few years ago.
Anyway, I digress. Few months back, while I was YouTubing (haha, it has to be a legit verb) I chanced upon this home cooking channel called Geetradhu and what a find it was. There is nothing fancy about the food or the people behind this and that is what makes it so so special. It is like peeping into any middle class South Indian kitchen and getting treated to delicious food. And that is where I learnt to make this beautiful Kathirikai Gothsu.
This Kathirikai Gothsu is like Arachivitta Sambar but it is not. One of the best ways to enjoy this is to pair it with hot idlis or ghee pongal. It is a perfect blend of sweet, spicy and tangy concoction! In fact, any vegetable or even plain onions go really well with this recipe. A fuss free, simple side dish that stays well for a couple of days and comes in handy for busy days.
How to make Kathirikai Gothsu | Easy Brinjal Gothsu
📖 Recipe
Kathirikai Gothsu | Easy Brinjal Gothsu
MEASUREMENT
1 cup = 250ml, 1 tablespoon = 15ml, 1 teaspoon = 5ml
Ingredients
For Gothsu Podi/Powder –
- 2 tablespoon Sesame Seeds
- 2 tablespoon Chana Dal
- 2 tablespoon Urad Dal
- 3 tablespoon Coriander Seeds
- ¼ teaspoon of Fenugreek/Methi Seeds
- 8-10 Dried Red Chillies
- ½ teaspoon Oil
For Kathirikai Gothsu –
- 6 Brinjals/Eggplants (medium sized)
- 1 Onion (medium sized)
- 2 teaspoon Oil (1 teaspoon + 1 tsp)
- ¾ teaspoon Mustard Seeds
- ⅛ teaspoon Asafoetida/Hing
- ¼ teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 1-2 Green Chillies
- 1 Small Lemon Sized Ball of Tamarind
- 2 tablespoon Gothsu Podi
- 2 tablespoon Jaggery
- Few Curry Leaves
- Salt as needed
- Water as needed
Instructions
Making Gothsu Powder –
- First dry roast sesame seeds until they begin popping. Set it aside.
- In the same pan, heat ½ teaspoon of oil. Add the rest of the ingredients – chana dal, urad dal, coriander seeds, methi seeds and dried red chillies. Roast them on low flame until golden brown. Let them cool down completely and grind into a smooth powder.
Making Kathirikai Gothsu –
- In a pan, heat 1 teaspoon of oil. Add de-stemmed brinjals and cook on low flame until they are soft. Once they are cooled down, peel off the skin. Gently mash the brinjal pulp and set aside.
- In a pan, heat 1 teaspoon of oil. Add mustard seeds and let them splutter. Add asafoetida, curry leaves and cut green chillies. Fry for a few seconds. Add finely chopped onions and fry until translucent.
- Meanwhile, soak the tamarind in some hot water and extract the pulp.
- Add turmeric powder to the onions followed by the tamarind pulp water. Once this comes to a boil, add mashed brinjals pulp. Mix well.
- Cook this for 4-5 mins. Add extra water if it is too thick. Now add 2 tablespoon of Gothsu Powder and mix well. Add salt as needed followed by jaggery.
- Let this boil and cook for another 5-6 mins. Remove from heat. Serve hot with idli, dosa or pongal.
Note –
- Instead of using 6 medium sized brinjals, two large eggplants can be used)
- I cut the brinjals length wise just to make sure there are no insects. It is optional.
- The gothsu powder stays well for over a month in air tight container.
- Adjust spices as per preference.
Kathirikai Gothsu Recipe with Step by Step Pictures
Making Gothsu Powder
1. First dry roast sesame seeds until they begin popping. Set it aside.
2. In the same pan, heat ½ teaspoon of oil. Add the rest of the ingredients – chana dal, urad dal, coriander seeds, methi seeds and dried red chillies. Roast them on low flame until golden brown.
3. Let them cool down completely and grind into a smooth powder.
Making Kathirikai Gothsu
1. In a pan, heat 1 teaspoon of oil. Cut off the brnjal stems and cut them length wise making sure they are still intact. Add them to the pan and cook on low flame until they are soft.
2. Once they are cooled down, peel off the skin.
3. Gently mash the brinjal pulp and set aside.
4. In a pan, heat 1 teaspoon of oil. Add mustard seeds and let them splutter. Add asafoetida, curry leaves and cut green chillies. Fry for a few seconds.
5. Add finely chopped onions and fry until translucent.
6. Meanwhile, soak tamarind in some hot water and extract the pulp.
7. Add turmeric powder to the onions followed by the tamarind pulp water.
8. Once this comes to a boil, add mashed brinjals pulp. Mix well.
9. Cook this for 4-5 mins. Add extra water if it is too thick.
10. Now add 2 tablespoon of Gothsu Powder and mix well. Add salt as needed followed by jaggery.
11. Let this boil and cook for another 5-6 mins. Remove from heat.
12. Serve hot with idli, dosa or pongal.
Recipe Notes
- Instead of using 6 medium sized brinjals, two large eggplants can be used.
- I cut the brinjals length wise just to make sure there are no insects. It is optional.
- The gothsu powder stays well for over a month in air tight container.
- Adjust spices as per preference.
I would be delighted to know if you have tried this recipe, don’t forget to share your feedback and comments below. If you have any questions, you can e-mail me! I am also available on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter 🙂
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