Nobody can beat grandma’s cooking right? Simple yet delicious. You don’t need exotic spices or heavy machinery to produce super delicious meals. You only need a old specialist cook to assist you or even cook for you the simplest dishes that taste so unique. Kotsu is one of her speciality dishes, because it is tangy, spicy yet so flavourful dish made with brinjal. I have my way of making kotsu, i have posted that recipe here before. But this is her way way of doing it, so simple but so flavourful.
Specially this Kotsu, it doesn’t call for any ingredients that is fancy. Just simple stuff that are cooked on open flame to get its maximum flavour. The highlight of this recipe is you can cook this with zero oil. My grandma doen’t use spoon or masher for this, she just uses her hand to do all the mixing. That is really a rustic way of cooking.. Hope you will try out and let me know how it turned out for you.
Preparation Time : 20 mins for charring veggies
Cooking Time : 15 to 20 mins
Serves – 4 to 5
Ingredients:
Brinjal – 2
Dry Red Chillies – 4 to 5
Asafoetida / Hing / Kaya Podi – 1/2 tsp
Tamarind – 1 small lemon size
Salt to taste
Method:
Take brinjal and clean them well. Now cook them on open flame till it is nicely charred and cooked on all sides. Cook on a medium flame so it gets evenly charred and cooked. Immerse them in cold water so it gets cooled and you can peel the skins off easily. Mash them well and set aside.
Now cook the chillies on open flame too till it is charred. Set them aside.
Soak tamarind in some water and mash them well with your hands.
Pour the strained tamarind juice over mashed brinjal and mix well.
Add in salt and asafoetida.
Pour this mixture over a heavy bottom kadai. Boil them till it is reduced and thickened.
Serve.
Pictorial:
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| Take all your ingredients |
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| Start by cooking brinjal on open flame |
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| That’s my grandma, she is so focused |
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| Cook till it is nicely charred |
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| Soak the brinjal in water |
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| Peel the skins off |
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| Mash them up |
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| Now take some dry red chillies and roast them in flame as well |
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| Till they are nicely charred |
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| Take tamarind in a bowl |
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| Soak them in water |
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| And use your century old hands to mash them up |
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| Pour the tamarind water over the brinjal |
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| Mash them well with hands |
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| Add in charred red chillies too |
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| Add a touch a asafoetida and salt |
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| Mix well |
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| All done |
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| Add this to a kadai |
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| Boil till it is reduced and thickened |
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| Like this |
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| Serve |
That's a real tasty and simple dish… Looking forward for more grand ma versions…
lol.. Century old hand 🙂
Lik ethe idea, its just like Bharta we make in Punjab.. lovely recipe though, without the use of Oil etc,…. bookmarked for my next trial 🙂
it goes well with rice r chappathi?
Simple and yummy kothsu… Reminds me of my grandmas flavourful recipes with her magic hands…missing her so much…
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Hi Aarthi, I really enjoy your grandma cooking! I almost love the eggplants smoked, so I surelly will try this simple and taste recipe.
Just one thing, whats the meaning of Asafoetida / Hing / Kaya Podi. Could you please give me a substitute.
Thanks!
mouth watering tangy pachadi…..
I do this too.. Very tasty and simple one
Superb dish. Thought only big size bringal can be used for sutta kathri kai kotsu. First time knowing that even red chillies can be charred. Thanks to grandma.
@ambika clytonIt taste best with rice and dal
@CoccoAsafoetida is a pungent spice. You can skip that in this recipe if you dont have it
Superb dish