Brinjal mochai kootu recipe – brinjal and fresh mochai cooked with moong dal, coconut based accompaniment in south Indian lunch menu.
During pongal I really missed the fresh mochai as I never go to little India to buy vegetables sake. When I went to Chennai, I told my MIL, so when I was packing, she went and bought me the fresh mochai and my co-sis peeled and gave for me to carry here. Just a serving enough to make a kootu.
Vj is big fan of this mochai and in my in-laws family, everyone have the habit of peeling the skin off before eating. It tastes different, soft without that skin, but I never had patience to do that. But Vj does it patiently for each mochai. I have seen my MIL doing the same. I wanted to try kari with this combo, but I know Vj likes kootu better, so made it. Sure will post kari also soon. This combo is a winner, how ever you cook, comes out delicious.
Brinjal mochai kootu recipe
Equipments (Amazon Affiliate links)
- ladle
- knife
- chopping board
- kadai/ pan
- Boiling pot
Ingredients
- 6 Brinjal small variety
- 1/2 cup Mochai fresh peeled
- 1/4 cup Moong dal pasi paruppu
- 1 tsp Sambar powder
- 1/8 tsp Turmeric
- 3 Shallots Small onion
- Salt As needed
To grind
- 1/2 cup Grated coconut
- 1 tsp Cumin seeds
To temper
- 2 tsp Oil
- 1/2 tsp Mustard
- 2 tsp Urad dal
- 1 sprig Curry leaves
Instructions
- Pressure cook moong dal for two whistles with 3/4 cup water. Boil fresh mochai in a cup of water. Mean while chop brinjal finely and keep immersed in water.
- Once the mochai is half done, add salt, turmeric, sambar powder, chopped brinjal, finely chopped onion and enough water, just to immerse the brinjals. Once brinjal is done, grind coconut with jeera and little water and add it to the cooked brinjal, along with cooked moong dal.
- Mix well, give a boil and temper with the items given under ‘To temper’ table. Mix well.
Notes
- I think you can use dried mochai too, but soak overnight and pressure cook before using it in this recipe.
- Onion can be ground along coconut and added.
- Instead of sambar powder, you can also add green chillies or red chillies ground along with the coconut.
Brinjal mochai kootu method:
- Pressure cook moong dal for two whistles with 3/4 cup water. Boil fresh mochai in a cup of water. Mean while chop brinjal finely and keep immersed in water.
- Once the mochai is half done, add salt, turmeric, sambar powder, chopped brinjal, finely chopped onion and enough water, just to immerse the brinjals. Once brinjal is done, grind coconut with jeera and little water and add it to the cooked brinjal, along with cooked moong dal.
- Mix well, give a boil and temper with the items given under ‘To temper’ table. Mix well.
Serve with any kuzhambu. Best with poondu kuzhambu, kara kuzhambu but we had with cluster beans sambar, which I will post next.
Nice recipe!!! and super presentation!!! where u get this box? is it Piththalai box?
My MIL got it from some local vessels shop. You can check with big vessels shop like saravana stores, ratna stores etc. in T nagar Chennai.
oh I am loving that dabba!!! looks so good!! and this homey kootu is really tempting..
Yes, I got it at a shop in nachiar koil, but I hope its available in Ponny stores or Rathna stores at Pondy bazar.
I love this kootu very much,it reminds me amma's recipe…
Very nicely put together! Have no idea though what mochai is!!!! Is it some kind of papdi or lilva subzi?
New to me.Pls. Change the t to r in the title Kathirikaai.
Red chilly or Green Chilly not used at all? Even for grinding?
The sambar powder we are adding is enough 🙂