Eggplant & Lentil Stew(Araipuli Kuzhambu)

Eggplant is one of my favorite vegetable, and this stew is a very authentic dish of South Indian origin.

I love eggplant not only for its taste but also for its nutritional profile. Eggplant's ample bioflavonoids may

be beneficial in preventing strokes and hemorrhages. The fruit contains the phytochemical monoterpene,

an antioxidant helpful in preventing heart disease and cancer. This is one of vegetables which can be

included without watching for any portion control by people with Diabetes also. Try this side dish with

brown rice or plain cooked Quinoa and it just tastes awesome.

Preparation Time – 10 Minutes

Cooking Time – 30 Minutes

Serves – 4

Ingredients

Eggplant – 3 (Medium sized) or 4 (Small) (I am talking about the small egg plants that are available in the

Asian Indian store and the not the huge ones)

Soaked Black Chick Pea(Kala Channa) – 1 Tbsp

Chopped Coconut pieces – 1 Tbsp

Cooked Toor Dal – 1/4 cup

Tamarind – Small sized ball(In between the size of gooseberry and a lemon, soak it in enough water)

Salt – 1 and 1/2 tsp (Increase this according to your taste)

Sambar powder – 1 Tsp(Increase this according to your taste)

Oil – 1 Tsp

Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp

Split Urad Dal – 1 Tsp

Asafoetida – 1/4 tsp

Curry leaves – 6 to 8

Water

Rice flour – 1 Tsp

Method

1) Heat a pan and add oil, once the oil gets hot add mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds stop

spluttering, add asafoetida, urad dal. After the urad dal becomes slightly brown add the curry leaves.

2) Now add the chopped egg plant pieces, the eggplant should be chopped into tiny pieces

and not slit lengthwise like the regular sambar.

3) Saute the eggplant pieces for 5 minutes, now add the kala channa and coconut pieces.

4) Take the eggplant and filter the soaked water and discard any impurities settled in the bottom.

Squeeze out the tamarind pulp by adding enough 1/3 cup of water and repeat the same procedure

two more times. That way all the pulp will be extracted without any wastage.

5) Let this boil for 10 minutes and now add the cooked Toor Dal and simmer for 5 minutes.

6) At this stage if the stew is very thick dilute it with little bit of water and simmer for two minutes

and then switch off.

7) If not, take a Tbsp of the simmering stew in a cup and mix the rice flour without any lumps

and add the rice flour paste to stew and simmer in the stove for 5 minutes and switch off. Serve

hot with rice, flat bread or quinoa.

Notes – Always watch the quantity of water you are adding, if need it can also be increased.

A thickened stew can always be diluted by adding little more water at any stage but a runny

stew will give result to a very watery tasting stew. Rice flour can be added to thickened the

stew, but adding a lot of it will give a very funny taste and texture to the whole thing.

Posted in: araipuli kuzhambu, diabetic-sidedish, eggplant recipes, side dish