Kaju Katli Recipe - Cashew burfi - Munthiri Cake With Video

How to make Kaju katli recipe at home with step by step photos, video and tips - Easy method of making cashew burfi. It is known as Munthiri cake in Tamil, Kaju barfi in Hindi. 

Kaju katli is my family’s favourite sweet recipe.Every time we used to buy it from AAB sweet shop Bangalore & Tamil nadu even though it is costly in price. So I wanted to make it perfect just like sweet shops and tried it many times during Diwali and other family occasions ;) Kaju katli recipe is a very simple Indian sweet with very less ingredients. I heard milk powder, saccharine or mawa/khoya is used in sweet shops to yield more in quantity.But I don't think it is necessary.Homemade kaju katli tastes way better and healthy as well.This was the first sweet I tried on my own ( without my MIL’s help) after my marriage for Sendhil & Raksha.

Long back I had posted this recipe without much details along with some other sweets & savouries during diwali. But I want to have a separate post for kaju katli in my blog with step by step pictures, video and some tips for easier understanding especially for beginners. I have tried this recipe several times and it comes out perfect. After I got the confidence of preparing kaju katli , I started making kaju lotus sweet which tastes very similar to kaju katli but it looks colourful. Both the sweets are very easy to prepare once you know the knack and tips for troubleshooting. So when you try this recipe , don’t forget to try kaju lotus. U’ll love it. For 1 cup of cashews, you can get 10 pieces using this recipe.

Check out my Easy Badam Cashew Burfi if interested !

I have updated this recipe with a full video for beginners reference. Hope you find it useful :) Please watch the video below !

Kaju Katli recipe

How to make Kaju katli - Diwali sweets recipes

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Sweet

Serves: 8-10 nos

Prep time: 5 Minutes

Cook time: 10 Minutes

Total time: 15 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup = 250ml Cashew nuts – 1 cup Sugar – 1/2 cup Water – 1/4 cup Ghee – 1 tsp ( to grease the tray) Milk – 1-2 tsp (optional, only if needed)

METHOD

HOW TO POWDER CASHEWS Cashews should be dry. If u have kept in the refrigerator, bring it to room temperature by spreading them in a towel or paper to absorb all the water. OR Dry roast the cashews in a broad hot kadai in low flame without changing the color.Switch off the stove and put the cashews in the hot kadai for 10-15 mins till it becomes crisp & dry. I have followed both the methods & it works. Grind cashews to a fine powder. U can do this by two methods.One is :Run the mixie at low speed for short intervals , stir in between to get a fine powder. Repeat the same for 2-3 times till u get a nice powder. Make sure u do not over grind them . If over ground , cashews will leave oil & becomes a sticky paste.. Second method is : Run the mixie continuously for one minute till u get a fine powder. U should be careful . Do not grind for more time. Cashew will release oil and becomes a sticky paste. I have tried both the methods .. They work very well. U can try any. When u grind 1 cup of cashews u’ll get  2-3 tbsp more than 1 cup of powder. U can use the same quantity and proceed further. No need to measure 1 cup of powder. 1/2 cup of sugar would be enough. After grinding, sieve the cashew powder through a wire mesh. You will get very fine cashew powder. Grind the leftover coarse ones and mix with cashew powder. This is the basic method of making cashewnuts powder. Once you have this powder in hand, making kaju sweets is a breeze :) HOW TO PROCEED After grinding the cashews,set aside.Grease a plate with ghee & keep it ready. In a kadai , take 1/2 cup of sugar & add 1/4 cup of water just to cover the sugar. Allow it to boil till frothy. Switch off the flame. Check if it reaches one string consistency.ie.take a drop of syrup from the back of ladle and test it between your thumb & fore finger. When u release it , u’ll get a thin,uncut single string.( oru kambi padham) Now switch on the flame to low. Add the ground cashew powder & mix well till u get a whole mass.ie, Keep stirring until the mixture starts to leave the sides of the pan and becomes thick.  It takes maximum of 4-5 minutes in low to medium flame.Do not wait for the dough to become too thick like chapathi dough. It should be soft and sticky. Test the consistency by making a small ball from the dough using ghee greased fingers. U should be able to roll a soft, non sticky ball out of it. Transfer the mixture to the greased plate, spread the dough with a spoon, add a tsp of  ghee ( optional)  and leave it for 5  - 10 minutes. It will be hot but good enough to handle it. Grease your hands with little ghee & Knead well like chapathi dough.  Initially u’ll feel dry & hard but as u knead well, cashews release oil and becomes soft, smooth. ( If u have missed the right consistency, the mixture will become very hard & crumbly. In that case add 1 -2 tsp milk and start kneading. U’ll get a soft ball like this at the end. But adding milk reduces the shelf life of the sweet.Add milk only if u feel the dough is too hard to handle. Else add a tsp of ghee for kneading. ) In a plastic sheet or butter paper,grease it with ghee, roll the kneaded dough using a rolling pin. Trim the corners and cut them into the desired shapes. Please note color of cashew burfi may vary based on the purity of sugar. If the sugar is with more impurities, katli comes out in pale white like u see in the picture below. But its color improves the next day !  So try to use pure, white colored refined sugar :) It just melts in ur mouth. Enjoy !! Stays good for 2-3 days  if store in an air tight box without refrigeration.. Enjoy ! Trouble shooting tips  In case, you missed the right consistency and if the dough becomes crumbly and hard, just break them into pieces. Grind in a big mixie jar adding little water or milk and make a smooth paste. Transfer the mixture to the kadai and again cook it till you attain the correct stage.You can easily identify the right stage as you had experienced where you went wrong. So do it patiently and remove it at the right stage. Its always better to cook in low flame for safer side.

Note

Cashews should be completely dry before grinding.While powdering the cashews please be careful in running the mixie. Over doing it makes the cashews sticky & wet.U wont get the perfect smooth powder. One string consistency is very important. If sugar reaches more than one string consistency , katli will become hard. So as soon as the sugar syrup becomes slightly thick and frothy, switch off the flame.Check for one string and then continue. If the dough become hard, you have to add more milk to make it soft. Adding more than the required milk makes it wet & sticky.It reduces the shelf life of the sweet. So remove the dough at the right time.  U can check the consistency of dough by making a small ball out of it.The ball should be non-sticky.Suppose if u over mix the dough and if it becomes hard,no worries.Just keep the dough in a plate and let it warm.Add little milk to it and knead it well.It will become soft.Then u can roll it and make pieces as mentioned above.

  

Enjoy this kids favorite Kaju Katli for Diwali  & have a great celebration !!

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EGGLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE IN PRESSURE COOKER

I tried this cake from an old cookbook. I wanted to post an eggless chocolate cake in my blog but i couldn’t do it. Now i am so happy i did a cake in pressure cooker which is very easy for beginners and for people who don’t own a oven. I just followed the recipe i noted in my cookbook and the result was soft , moist & delicious tasting chocolate cake. 

I have not used oil/butter/ ghee in this recipe. But i used fresh cream & curd to bring the softness. Do try this cake. You’ll get it perfect for sure.You can also try this recipe in microwave oven ( use convection mode @ 180c) . This cake is apt for beginners.Kids would love this cake !!

Eggless chocolate cake in pressure cooker

How to make Eggless chocolate cake in pressure cooker

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Cake

Serves: 10 pieces

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 20 Minutes

Total time: 30 Minutes

INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 250ml

PART - I All purpose flour/ Maida – 1 cup Baking powder – 3/4 tsp Cooking soda – 1/2 tsp Cocoa powder – 1.5 tbsp Salt –A pinch PART-II Sugar – 1/2 cup Fresh cream – 1/2 cup Thick Curd – 1/3 cup Milk – 1/4 cup Vanilla essence – 1/2 tsp

METHOD

Mix all the ingredients mentioned under Part - 1.Set aside. Powder the sugar nicely and add the other wet ingredients like curd , fresh cream & vanilla essence in the mixer and pulse in once or twice in low speed.All the ingredients will be mixed well. In a separate bowl take the wet ingredients and add the dry ingredients (PART-I) . mix well in the same direction. The consistency of batter should fall like a thick ribbon.If not add little more milk and mix well. Make sure consistency should be right. Now cover the bottom & sides of the vessel ( i used my aluminum baking pan) with a butter paper and pour the cake mixture into it. Pat it in the bottom of vessel for even spreading.U should fill the batter till half of the vessel because the cake will rise while it cooks..Again cover the top of the vessel with another butter paper tightly o avoid the vapour that goes inside the cake. Then take a big pressure cooker and add water in the base.Keep a plate inside( just as a stand for the vessel in which u bake ,i used mini idli plate here ). Now keep the vessel over the plate. If you are adding water ( if using salt,refer notes section),please add water till half of the size of vessel. If u add more water , the extra water may go into the vessel & the cake mixture will become watery. Do not put the weight valve , keep the flame high and allow the water boil till the full steam comes. Once the full pressure is reached , simmer the flame completely and allow it to cook for 20 minutes exactly without putting weight valve.During this time , steam will be coming out in low pressure. After 20 minutes switch off the flame & give a standing time till all the steam is released completely by itself. Please do not open till that time. It takes maximum of 20 minutes for all the steam to go by itself. Remove the vessel from the cooker and insert a knife or spoon. If it comes out clean ,your cake is done. Cut into pieces & enjoy !! Enjoy ! Note : You can bake the cake in a cooker by adding salt.For that,you should spread powdered salt in the base of cooker for 2 inches.Use 1/2 kg of salt.Then place the cooker plate and close the cooker by removing the gasket and weight valve.First preheat the cooker in high flame for 5 minutes.Then place the baking pan with cake mixture and cook in  low flame for 20-30 minutes.Check with the back of spoon and remove after the steam is released.

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GARLIC PICKLE | PICKLE RECIPES

I love garlic pickle & onion pickle a lot. Yesterday I told my MIL to prepare this garlic pickle ( Poondu oorugai in Tamil) for me. She made it instantly. Its very easy to do. I stood nearby and noted down all the ingredients with measurements. Hope i’ll try this on my own very soon. We made in very less quantity (1/2 cup) and i finished all the pickle in one go...Now u know how much i loved this pickle & how tasty it was . It was tasting great for curd rice & roti..Thank u Aunty ( this is how i call my MIL) ..  As my MIL says , next to red chilli powder ,3 ingredients are most important for any pickle .They are fenugreek seeds , turmeric powder & hing (ie . vendhayam , manjal , perungayam in tamil).. These 3 ingredients are responsible for taste & flavour of the pickle.Other than these , some pickles may need tamarind paste too..So beginners , making pickle is really an easy job. Storage has also become easier because of refrigerator..So don’t panic and go ahead trying this easy pickle recipe.U’ll succeed

INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 250ml

Garlic cloves – 1/2 cup ( 2-3 bulbs) Red chilli powder – 1.5 tsp Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp Hing – 1/4 tsp Grated jaggery – 3/4 tbsp Tamarind – Big gooseberry size Roasted & ground methi seeds – 1/4 tsp Cooking oil – 1 tbsp Salt & water – as needed To temper Sesame oil / gingely oil – 2 tsp Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp Urad dal – 1/2 tsp

METHOD

Peel the skin of garlic , dry roast & grind the methi seeds & powder them. set aside. In a kadai , heat 1 tbsp of cooking oil and saute garlic cloves till golden brown. Then add 1 cup of tamarind extract and allow it to boil till the garlic is cooked well.Now add salt , red chilli powder, turmeric powder , hing and mix well. Finally add the grated jaggery and methi seeds powder. Mix well till jaggery melts.Allow it to boil for few minutes. U’ll get a thick paste. Switch off the flame and temper the above said ingredients..Mix well and serve with curd rice !!

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PUDINA THOGAYAL FOR RICE |MINT THOGAYAL- THOGAYAL VARIETIES

 

Mint thogayal /Pudina thogayal recipe is one of the yummiest thogayal varieties / chutney recipe for rice. I usually pack this thogayal sadam for my husband’s lunch box. Mint thogayal can be prepared in advance and stored for weeks in refrigerator. My MIL makes this thogayal adding roasted urad dal just like coriander leaves thogayal. But addition of urad dal is completely optional. Add only if u want to increase the quantity / yield of thogayal. This thuvayal tastes great when mixed with plain rice adding sesame oil ( nalla ennai). Try it and enjoy !

Mint thogayal/Pudina thogayal

 Delicious mint thogayal recipe for rice,idli,dosa,upma

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Thogayal

Serves: Serves 2

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 10 Minutes

Total time: 20 Minutes

INGREDIENTS
1cup = 240ml

To roast n grind Mint leaves/pudina leaves – 1 cup (tightly packed) Red chillies - 3 nos ( use 5 for spicy taste) Urad dal - 1 tbsp Jaggery – 1/4 tsp Tamarind - Small gooseberry size Salt - as needed

METHOD

Wash mint leaves. Heat a  kadai with a tbsp of oil and fry the red chillies & urad dal.Remove  in a plate. In the same oil, fry the mint leaves for a minute so that it will be shrinked and get reduced in quantity. This gives a special flavour to the thogayal . Soak tamarind in little water. Now grind the red chillies, urad dal, soaked tamarind with salt to a coarse mixture.Then add the mint leaves and grind to a smooth, thick paste adding the required water. Remove and serve with plain rice topped with gingely oil . If u want to grind in large quantities and store , u have to follow the next step. Else stop with this step & enjoy. Heat a kadai with little gingely oil / nalla ennai ( 1 tbsp )and put the thogayal into it. The water content in it will be absorbed and becomes thick , heat it for a while. Cool down. It can be stored in a box, refrigerated and kept for 10 days. But this step is purely optional if you are consuming immediately. U can enjoy this thogayal without sauting in oil. But shelf life will be reduced. For variations u can skip urad dal and add a tbsp of  grated coconut  while grinding.

YUMMY MINT THOGAYAL is ready to be served with hot rice & tiffin. Enjoy adding sesame oil..

 

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CABBAGE KOOTU | MUTTAIKOSE KOOTU RECIPE

Cabbage Kootu

Cabbage kootu ( muttaikose kootu in Tamil) is one of the best side dish for puli kulambu / Vathakuzhambu / kara kuzambu.My mom makes either this kootu or chow chow kootu most of the time. I have used finely chopped ginger pieces to supress the cabbage smell. Addition of coconut oil gives a nice flavour to this kootu.Even people who hate cabbage loves this kootu recipe.  My mil also makes the same way but the only difference is mom adds milk before serving.For variations and to bring a hotel taste, you can use soaked chana dal ( kadalai paruppu) and finely chopped tomato along with dal.Try this simple kootu recipe.U’ll love it for sure.

Do check out my easy cabbage stir fry recipe – Bachelor’s recipe if interested !

INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 200ml

Grated cabbage – 2 cups Moong dal – 2.5 tbsp Finely chopped ginger – 1/2 inch piece ( optional) Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp (optional) Salt & water – As needed To grind Grated coconut – 3-4 tbsp Green chilli – 2 nos Small onion – 2 nos Jeera – 1/4 tsp Rice flour – 1 tsp To temper Coconut oil – 1 tbsp Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp Urad dal – 1/2 tsp Curry leaves – few Milk – 3 tbsp ( adjust)

METHOD

In a cooker base take the grated cabbage , moong dal , ginger bits, salt and water.Pressure cook for 2 whistles. Remove the lid and mash well.Set aside. Grind all the ingredients given under ”to grind” to make a paste.First grind coconut & green chillies coarsely. Then add the jeera , rice flour and small onions. Run the mixie twice or thrice to make a paste.Set aside. Add the ground paste to the cooked cabbage and boil for few minutes. Temper all the above said ingredients using coconut oil and mix well.Switch off the flame. Remove & let it cool down. Add milk when the kootu becomes warm. Mix well and serve with rice & kulambu..

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PULI KULAMBU | TIRUNELVELI GARLIC PULI KULAMBU

Hello friends , sorry for disappearing these days from blogging. My sis & mom were with me So I was bit busy..We had a good time together. Time went on by chatting ,roaming n shopping. We enjoyed our mom’s Tirunelveli recipes after a long time. I learnt all my mom’s special recipes and clicked them. So next few recipes will be from my mom’s hand. Coming to this post,

This is my mom’s Tiruneliveli style puli kulambu recipe she learnt from her mom ( my aachi). This kulambu is made with freshly ground masala. So it smells great. U can also use vegetables like brinjal, drumstick, dried mango (manga vathal) and small onions. I used garlic here. We love to have it with kootu and papad as accompaniment. Its a very nice combo. For curd rice, we mix dal/paruppuand this kulambu and have it as a side dish. It tastes yummy. We also make sunda curry with this left over kuzhambu by mixing it with keerai kadayal. It’s one of the best side dishes for curd rice. This kulambu stays good for a week when refrigerated. This version is very different from our usual kara kuzhambu and vathakulambu. Try this Nellai puli kulambu recipe, you’ll love for its fresh masala flavour.

INGREDIENTS

Tamarind – A big gooseberry size Salt and water - as needed To roast and grind Cooking oil – 1 tsp Dhania/coriander seeds – 1/2 tsp Urad dal – 1/2 tsp Chana dal – 1/2 tsp Red chilli – 6 nos ( add 4 if you want less spicy taste) Pepper corns – 1/2 tsp Jeera – 1/4 tsp Small onions – 3 nos Curry leaves – few (5 nos) To temper & saute Cooking oil - 2 tsp Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp Methi seeds – 1/2 tsp Urad dal – 1 tsp Garlic – 20 cloves Curry leaves – few

HOW TO MAKE PULI KULAMBU - METHOD

Soak tamarind in warm water and take the extract using 1.5 cups of water. Set aside. Peel the garlic cloves and crush it slightly using the bottom of tumbler or rolling pin ( crushing the garlic slightly helps in getting a nice flavour of garlic while u saute).. Keep it aside.  Roast all the above said ingredients using a tsp of oil .. Grind to make a smooth paste. Then add small onions and curry leaves and grind them again to make a very nice paste. Make sure the paste is very smooth , add water accordingly.. In a kadai , heat a tbsp of oil and temper mustard , urad dal , methi seeds. Let it splutter. Now add the crushed garlic and saute till you get a nice smell. Finally add 1.5 cups of tamarind extract , turmeric powder , salt and the ground masala paste. Let it boil very well for 10mins. It thickens. This kulambu will be slightly watery and not very thick like vatha kuzhambu. Boil for some more time to make it thick if you like.  Switch off the flame & transfer to a vessel. Enjoy mixing with plain rice topped with gingely oil (optional) !

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KARISALANKANNI KEERAI THOGAYAL | THOGAYAL RECIPES

Most of u would have heard about karisalankanni keerai. This keerai is easily available in Tamilnadu..It acts as a liver tonic and it is specially recommended in the treatment of Constipation, Eye defects, Jaundice, Enlargement of liver, Spleen disorders, Skin diseases, Hair fall and Premature graying of hair.Most of us would have used this herb for hair oil ( Bhringraj hair oil)
I got this recipe from my MIL.As we got bored of karisalankanni kootu / poriyal , we make either thogayal or stuffed chapathi and have it once in a month just because of its health benefits.. This thogayal tastes great when mixed with plain rice and ghee. I pack this for my husband’s lunch box usually. Don’t forget to check the end of post to know its names in other languages & amazing health benefits..

INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 200ml

Karisalankanni /   - 1 cup Red chilli –1  no Pepper corns – 8-10 nos Tamarind – Berry size Garlic cloves – 3-4 nos Salt & water – as needed

METHOD

Remove the karisalankanni leaves from the stem , wash & set aside. In a kadai heat a tbsp of cooking oil and saute the leaves along with a red chilli.. Saute till the leaves shrink. Add salt for quick sautéing.Grind the sauteed keerai & red chilli along with tamarind and water to make a smooth paste. In a mortar & pestle (ding chick) take the pepper corns and garlic cloves . Crush it coarsely and then add to the mixie jar. Use inch/pulse button, press once or twice and mix well. Remove & mix with plain rice adding ghee..

Serve with plain rice topped with ghee !

Karisalankanni (Eclipta prostrata) is the herb of choice in treating liver diseases. This herb grows in marshy areas throughout the year. It grows abundantly during the rainy season. There are two varieties of karisalankanni, one has yellow flowers and the other white. The yellow one is more potent.Here are the names in various languages… The Botanical name : Eclipta alba Tamil name : karisalankanni Telungu : guntagalijaeru Malayalam : kanjunni/kayyoni Kanada : kadige garage Sanskrit : bhringaraja/kesaranja Arab : radium-el-blint Hindi : bungrah/mochkand Duk : bhangra Other lang : kesatti/kesari Medicinal properties karisalankanni is also a specific remedy for jaundice. It has a great medicinal value in the treatment of hair. Karisalankanni is said to protect against night blindness and other eye diseases probably because of its high carotene content. Uses1. It is good for teeth, skin and hair. 2. It induces appetite. 3. It aids digestion and helps expel fecal matter from the large intestines. 4. It heals ulcers. 5. It cleans the liver and encourages secretion of bile. 6. It cures inflamed liver also called fatty liver. 7. It expels intestinal worms, cures coughs and asthma, and tones the body. 8. The yellow variety is said to be particularly good for the skin and eyes. source: http://a1tamilnadu.com/karisalankanni-false-daisy/

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EASY KARA KUZHAMBU | KATHIRIKAI KARA KULAMBU - BACHELOR RECIPES

This is my father's Kathirikai kara kuzhambu recipe without coconut in Bachelors style. When I was young, my father was in Mumbai for two years. He stayed in a bachelor’s room. He learnt some simple recipes from his friends and started cooking. Whenever he comes for vacation, he used to cook for us. We(me and my sis) loved our appa’s cooking more than my mom’s as we got bored of her routine food.

But now after marriage, I crave for my mom’s recipes like anything. My appa makes rasam and kara kuzhambu very well. Both are very simple recipes but tastes great. So I thought of sharing Kara kuzhambu/Puli kuzhambu recipe today. It can be done very quickly during busy mornings. It has no grinding part. So I have mentioned this as Bachelor’s recipe. It tastes spicy and hot. I followed my father’s recipe as such.

Don’t feel exhausted by seeing the ingredients list. It looks big but this recipe takes hardly 20 minutes to prepare. I used brinjal / kathirikai and whole garlic flakes. Its a simple kathirikai kara kulambu recipe. U can also try adding drumstick OR dried berries (sundakkai, manathakkali vathal) for more flavour. 

I had this kuzhambu for 3 days by refrigerating it. The taste got improved day by day. This kuzhambu stays good for 3-5 days as it has no coconut. The addition of sambar powder, red chilli powder and coriander powder makes this gravy very thick. So adjust the consistency as per your liking by adding more water. Use gingely oil for nice flavour and also it helps to reduce the body heat developed by tamarind..

A tip from my father : My appa always tells me to taste the tamarind extract after adding masala powders (chilli powder , sambar powder , dhania powder ) & salt. If it tastes good, kuzhambu comes out really well. We can adjust the quantity of tamarind or chilli powder/sambar powder based on the taste. But every time I forget to do this. This time I reminded my father’s tip and followed it. May be that’s the reason , this kuzhambu tasted great.

INGREDIENTS

Tamarind – Big gooseberry size/ Medium lemon size (Based on the tanginess of tamarind you have) Brinjal – 4 nos (medium sized) Sambar powder – 1.5 tbsp ( any brand or home made) Red chilli powder – 1/2 tsp Coriander seeds / Dhania powder – 1 tsp Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp Jaggery – 1 tsp Salt and water – As needed To temper & saute Gingely oil / Nalla ennai – 4 tbsp Mustard seeds – 1 tsp Methi seeds – 1/2 tsp Urad dal – 1 tsp Jeera/cumin seeds – 1 tsp Channa dal – 2 tsp Hing – A big pinch Red chillies – 2 nos (pinched) Curry leaves – few (chopped) Big onion/ small onion – 1 no / 10 nos (finely chopped) Whole garlic cloves – 10 nos Tomato – 2 nos (finely chopped)

HOW TO MAKE KARA KUZHAMBU - METHOD

Soak tamarind in warm water for 10 minutes & take the extract using 1.5 cups of water. Add all the spice powders given above and salt..Taste it and adjust as per your need. Cut brinjal lengthwise into 4 pieces and keep them immersed in water to avoid color change. Chop onions and peel garlic. Set aside. Now in a kadai , heat oil and temper all the ingredients given above in the same order..Make sure to add all the ingredients after the mustard seeds splutter ..Saute everything in medium flame.Then add onions , whole garlic cloves & curry leaves..Saute till it turns golden brown. Add the brinjal pieces , saute for sometime & then add the tomato pieces.Saute till musy.Now add the tamarind extract which we kept ready .Add jaggery ,1/2 cup of water ,cover the kadai with a lid till brinjal gets cooked. Usually it takes 8-10 minutes. Keep the flame medium. Then open the lid and check whether brinjal is completely cooked. Check for water. Add more water if necessary. Allow the gravy to boil for 10 minutes to get thicken. Switch off the flame and transfer to a serving bowl.Add a tbsp of gingely oil & raw curry leaves. Cover it with a lid.. Serve it after 30 minutes.Mix with plain rice ..Enjoy with papad & any kootu as accompaniment..

NOTE :This Gravy/ kuzhambu should be boiled well for minimum 10 minutes in medium flame to get a good taste. Otherwise you’ll get the raw smell of powders.. Kuzhambu will thicken by itself as time passes. So add little more water , reheat and serve. Using gingely oil is a must. If you dont have gingely oil , use any cooking oil. But gingely oil gives the actual taste.

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