Kathirikkai Ellu Thuvaiyal – Aubergine Sesame Mash

Recipe for Kathirikkai Ellu Thuvaiyal – Aubergine Sesame Mash. Perfect side dish for idli and dosai. Recipe with step by step pictures.

The idea for this thuvaiyal / chutney came from the ever popular middle eastern aubergine dip, Baba Ghanoush. Baba Ghanoush is made with Aubergines, Tahini (sesame paste), garlic and spices. These ingredients are so familiar and we use it extensively in Tamil style cooking too! My son doesn’t like the texture of aubergines at all. So grinding it to a paste and then making it to a chutney was something that was running on my mind for a long time. We do make a brinjal mash Kongunadu style called the “Kathirikkai bajji” but its a rustic dish where the brinjals and tomatoes are cooked and mashed to a coarse paste with spices. I took the same ingredients that go into Baba Ghanoush, added some more and gave it my twist. I am so happy with the flavour of this aubergine chutney. I sautéed garlic, onions and tomatoes to a jammy consistency in coconut oil. I cooked with country tomatoes (naatu thakkali), as they give that nice tangy sweet flavour. Then I added red chilli flakes for heat. I did not add red chilli powder as it might change the colour of the chutney. Red chilli flakes worked just fine. Finally finished it off with ghee and lime juice. Ghee is something that goes so well with brinjals and aubergines. They just absorb the fatty flavour of ghee. Do try this at home. Serve the chutney with idli and dosai. Call it the “Babu Ganesh chutney”.

Here is how to make Kathirikkai Ellu Thuvaiyal – Aubergine Sesame Mash
Pressure cook 500 grams of aubergine with quarter cup of water for five minutes. Remove from heat. Wait for the pressure to settle.

Peel the skin of the aubergine. Set aside.

Grind the cooked and peeled aubergine to a paste. Do not add any water while grinding it to a paste. Set aside.

Dry roast sesame seeds on a low flame until golden. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Grind the roasted and cooled sesame seeds to a powder. Set aside.

Heat coconut oil in a pan and add in the finely chopped onions and garlic. Add in the salt. The salt will help bring out the moisture in the onions. This will help cook the onions fast. Cook till the onions are slightly brown.

Finely chop the tomatoes. If you cannot chop them fine, grate the tomatoes. Add it to the pan.

Add in a tablespoon of red chilli flakes. We like our mash spicy. Adjust the chilli flakes according to how hot or how mild you would like the mash to be. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 6-7 minutes until the tomatoes are cooked and mushy.

The tomatoes and the onion mixture will become a little jammy.

At this stage, add in the aubergine paste. Cook for a couple of minutes. Add in the roasted sesame powder. Mix well to combine.

Add in the ghee and mix well. Switch off the flame and add in the lime juice. Combine well.

Tempering
Heat ghee in a pan and add in the mustard seeds and red chilli flakes. Let the mustard seeds crackle. Add it to the mash. Top the mash with sesame seeds. Serve with idli or dosai. It also makes a great dip.

Kathirikkai Ellu Thuvaiyal – Aubergine Sesame Mash

Pin Recipe

Recipe for Kathirikkai Ellu Thuvaiyal – Aubergine Sesame Mash. Perfect side dish for idli and dosai. Recipe with step by step pictures.

• Total Time: 40m
• Yield: 6 servings 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

For cooking aubergines

500 grams aubergines
1/4 cup water

Other Ingredients

1/4 cup white sesame seeds
1 tablespoon coconut oil
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup onions, finely chopped
4 very ripe tomatoes, finely chopped
1 tablespoon ghee
1 lime, juiced

For Tempering the chutney

1 teaspoon ghee
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon red chilli flakes

Instructions

Pressure cook 500 grams of aubergine with quarter cup of water for five minutes. Remove from heat. Wait for the pressure to settle. Peel the skin of the aubergine. Set aside. Grind the cooked and peeled aubergine to a paste. Do not add any water while grinding it to a paste. Set aside.

Dry roast sesame seeds on a low flame until golden. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Grind the roasted and cooled sesame seeds to a powder. Set aside.

Heat coconut oil in a pan and add in the finely chopped onions and garlic. Add in the salt. The salt will help bring out the moisture in the onions. This will help cook the onions fast. Cook till the onions are slightly brown. Finely chop the tomatoes. If you cannot chop them fine, grate the tomatoes. Add it to the pan. Add in a tablespoon of red chilli flakes. We like our mash spicy. Adjust the chilli flakes according to how hot or how mild you would like the mash to be. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 6-7 minutes until the tomatoes are cooked and mushy. The tomatoes and the onion mixture will become a little jammy. At this stage, add in the aubergine paste. Cook for a couple of minutes. Add in the roasted sesame powder. Mix well to combine. Add in the ghee and mix well. Switch off the flame and add in the lime juice. Combine well.

Tempering – Heat ghee in a pan and add in the mustard seeds and red chilli flakes. Let the mustard seeds crackle. Add it to the mash. Top the mash with sesame seeds. Serve with idli or dosai. It also makes a great dip.

• Author: Suguna Vinodh
• Prep Time: 10m
• Cook Time: 30m

Keywords: kathirikkai ellu thuvaiyal