May 8, 2020

At the End of the Day

Almost nine years back, as a newlywed Tamizh pudhu pondatti, I was clueless about the vast Tamizh cuisine. Moreover, growing up a vegetarian, the idea of cooking fish 🐟 was completely new, smelly 😷 and out of question for me. Still, considering my mother’s teaching of feeding the husband with his favorite food and after watching numerous recipes, I zeroed down on cooking this Sri Lankan Tamizh delicacy; Ennai Kathrika Era Karuvadu (Dry Prawns and Brinjal Curry).

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With loads of enthusiasm and a zeal to cook fish, his favorite food, I bought a big packet of dried prawns. Got home and started cooking. The enlightening point of my life was when I realized that dry fish smell lots more than the fresh one 😫 I somehow stopped myself from puking and continued to cook with a firm determination. Splash, spill, splutter, fry, sneeze, get burnt, taste, tears all mingled and formed this dish.

My first attempt to cook something unimaginable was plated neatly on a plate and served alongside the main course meal. I sat nervously in front of my husband waiting for his nod of approval. With my heart thumping loud, fingers crossed and hidden under the chair, I stared at him nervously as he took his first bite. Don’t know if a few beats skipped my heart on that day.

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I saw him calmly eating the curry, trying to relish each bite and then swallowing it down his throat. He looked at me and bursted laughing saying that it tasted awesome 😁👍🎉 Till date, I am not sure whether my nervous face or my first attempt of cooking a non-veg meal for him made that curry taste good.

I have improved a lot in my cooking since then. Nervousness doesn’t take a toll on me while cooking for him anymore. After cooking and serving this delicacy again today, I couldn’t stop myself from remembering those good old days and also admiring the present day when it was relished again by both the dad and daughter👨‍👧equally. It was a delight to watch them finish their meal happily in a few minutes😁 So, what matters at the end of the day? Enlightenment, contentment and a dash of happiness! Woohooo 😙😎

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In case you would love to replicate the recipe, here is the method for you 😀

Ennai Kathrika Era Karuvadu (Dry Prawns and Brinjal Curry)
Preparation time: 20 mins
Cooking time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

  • One cup of dry Shrimp (tiny variety)
  • 1 Medium size onion, cut length wise
  • 2 Medium size tomatoes, cut length wise
  • 3 Brinjal (small round variety), cut length wise
  • 12-15 pods of crushed garlic pods
  • 1 tsp garlic paste
  • 2-3 dry red chilli whole
  • A handful of curry leaves
  • 1 tsp salt or as per your taste
  • 1 tsp turmeric powder
  • 2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
  • 2 tbs coriander powder
  • 1 green chilli (can be increased or decreased according to your taste)
  • Oil for cooking
  • 1 tsp of cumin+black mustard+chana daal for tempering

Preparation:

  1. Wash and cut the onion, brinjal and tomatoes length wise and keep aside
  2. Mix the brinjal with half tsp salt, turmeric and chilli powder and keep it covered for 5 minutes
  3. Heat a wok and dry roast the dry prawns for 4-5 minutes
  4. Take the roasted prawns out and immediately soak it in warm water for five minutes
  5. Pour 2 tbs of oil in the wok and fry the brinjal till it becomes soft. I made it a bit crispy. Take it out and keep aside
  6. Strain the water completely from the soaked prawns and fry it in oil till it become crispy. Drain and keep aside.
  7. Add half of the curry leaves in the oil and take it out as soon as it becomes crunchy
  8. Add a tbsp of oil in the wok again and add the tempering
  9. Once it splutters, add the crushed garlic, dry red chillies, the green chilli, onion and the rest of the curry leaves
  10. Fry it till the onion becomes pink. Add the garlic paste now. Stir and cook for 2 minutes
  11. In goes the salt, turmeric, chilli powder and coriander powder now. Fry for a minute
  12. add the tomatoes, stir and cook it till it becomes mushy
  13. Once the tomatoes start releasing the oil, add the fried brinjal and the prawns (leave a bit of the fried prawns for garnishing) to it. Stir
  14. Cover and cook everything together for 5-6 minutes. Switch off the gas.
  15. Take out the curry in a serving bowl and garnish it with the rest of the fried prawns and the crunchy curry leaves.
  16. Serve it with plain rice or dosa as a side dish.
  17. Enjoy it wholeheartedly with your loved ones and make memories together 🙂

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Do share your thoughts of any such memories of yours. And if you decide to try the recipe, do comment below and let me know how it turned out for you 🙂

Don’t settle for happiness, always demand euphoria! 😀 😀

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