Chidambaram Brinjal Gothsu, a special and popular accompaniment for Idli / Dosa / Ven Pongal. Chidambaram is a famous town in Cuddalore district of Tamilnadu. Of the numerous temples the Nataraja Temple at Chidambaram is one of the most significant ones. In terms of its antiquity, richness, in terms of worship & festival traditions, in architectural & sculptural splendour, in its association with music & dance, Chidambaram is a center second to none in representing the rich cultural heritage of India (About Chidambaram – referred from wikipedia).
Offering to the God
This Brinjal gosthu with Jeeraga samba Sadham is prepared at Chidambaram Temple as an offering to Lord Nataraja. Authentically it is prepared by directly cooking the brinjal over the flame. Once the brinjal is cooked, the skin will be removed and mashed it thoroughly. Finally they add the freshly ground spices to make this delicious and rich. In the temple, for the neivedhyam (offering for God), onion will not be added in gothsu.
Perfect accompaniment to Pongal and Idli !
For our breakfast accompaniment, we can very well enrich the Brinjal Gothsu (Kathirikai Gotsu) with shallots (baby onions). Although, conventionally, its made from smoked brinjals, but nowadays many of us especially living in abroad has sometimes no choice of Gas stoves instead we have coil or induction based stove. So it will be very tough to directly cook the brinjals over the flame. So we can either pressure cook or Saute the onions and brinjals and then grind or mash them to a coarse paste. We don’t need perfectly smooth brinjal paste. The chunks of the cooked brinjal add a nice texture to the dish.
Fresh Masala Powder
The key ingredient to Chidambaram Brinjal Gothsu (Kathirikai Gotsu) is the the freshly made masasla powder. We are going to roast and grind spices freshly that enhances the flavor. Instead of just adding broken red chili / green chili or sambar powder, the freshly ground spices increases the taste of the gothsu.
Other Accompaniments
Chidambaram Brinjal Gothsu (Kathirikai Gotsu) is a perfect side dish for idli / Dosa and also for Ven Pongal. But you can also make Brinjal Gothsu with dal or plain Onion Gotsu. Also we can make Sambar with moong dal which is the traditional Tiffin sambar that will also be wonderful for Idli / Dosa and Ven Pongal. Also check the collection of popular and tasty side dish for breakfast food.
Video Version of Chidambaram Brinjal Gothsu | Kathirikkai Kothsu
How to make Chidambaram Brinjal Gothsu?
(for the detailed step by step recipe instruction along with pictures, please scroll down further to Steps section below.)
- Soak the Tamarind in the warm water and extract the Tamarind Juice
- Heat oil in a pan. Add the grinding ingredients and fry them in oil till the dal is golden brown color. Grind all the ingredients to the coarse powder
- Heat a tablespoon of oil in a pan. To the pan, add shallots (baby onions) and saute till translucent. Then toss the brinjal cubes and saute till soft
- Take the sauteed Onions and brinjal in a mixer jar and grind it to coarse paste.
- Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and allow it to sputter. Add Split urad dal and bengal gram dal and fry till dal turns golden brown. Also add curry leaves
- To the pan, add tamarind juice along with salt, asafoetida and turmeric powder. Once the mixture started boiling add the onion-brinjal coarse paste and mix well
- Add the freshly ground spice powder and mix well. Keep cooking the gothsu for 5 mins in low flame.
- Finally add sesame oil and mix well. Garnish with Coriander Leaves
Notes:
- If you have a gas stove, you can try roasting brinjal directly on top of flame. Grease the brinjal with oil and then using a tong hold the stem of brinjal and show it directly on the flame. Flip all the sides while cooking so that the brinjal is evenly cooked
- You can add a teaspoon of jaggery powder at the boiling stage of Chidambar Gothsu which enhances the taste of Gothsu.
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