Brinjal Tamarind Curry (Kathirikkai Puli Kulambu)

Ingredients:

• Brinjal - 4
  
• Tamarind - small lemon size
• Sugar - a pinch
  
• Salt - to taste
• Sesame Oil - 4 to 5 tspn

For Stuffing:

• Onion - 1 (finely chopped)
  
• Masala Powder or Chili Powder - 1 to 2 tspn (Adjust with your spice level)
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tspn

For tampering:

• Mustard seeds and Urad dal - 1/2 tspn
• Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Recipe:

1. Slit Brinjal vertically and horizontally. Don’t cut it completely, So that it can hold the stuffing. Refer the picture. Finely chop the Onion and keep it aside.
2. Soak Tamarind in water for 15 minutes. After that extract about 2 cups of tamarind juice from it and keep aside.
3. Mix finely chopped Onion, Masala powder, Turmeric powder and 2 to 3 tspns of Sesame Oil in a small bowl.
   
4. Fill this mix inside the brinjals without breaking it. Do this carefully. Keep all the brinjals ready.
5. Heat 2 to 3 tspns of Sesame oil in a pan. Once the Oil is hot, add the stuffed Brinjalas and the remaining stuffing, fry till all the brinjals turn into light purple color.
6. Add extracted Tamarind juice, Sugar and Salt o it. Keep the stove in high heat and bring the curry to boil completely, then reduce the heat to medium .
7. Let this curry cook in medium heat till the curry becomes thick and Oil oozes out. Turn the Brinjals once in a while to cook all the sides.
8. Finally do the tampering. Heat a tspn of Oil in a pan. Add Mustard seeds and Urad dal. Once the seeds starts spluttering add Curry leaves and pour this mix to the Brinjal tamarind curry.

Goes well with: White rice