Kathirikai Kara Curry

This South Indian-style eggplant fry is a delicious side dish for a quick evening dinner. Kathirikai kara curry is a perfect side dish for rice or roti/paratha. Brinjal is one of my favorite vegetables, and this stir fry is something I make regularly for lunch or dinner.

We grow a lot of eggplant in our home garden and I try several different varieties. This kara curry is a great recipe to make with any kind of eggplant we have on hand.

Eggplant and onion stir fry in a bowl. - 1

I usually use the small round Indian eggplants or the long Japanese kind. But I have also used the big, round eggplants that we make Baingan Bharta or Eggplant Parmesan .

When making South Indian-style curry, I usually stick to making the kathirikai podi curry or a quick stir fry with seasoning. A few years back, when at my parents’ house in India, my dad had made kathirikai curry with onion.

My younger son fell in love with it, and ever since then, I have been asked to make only brinjal curry with onion.

Why make this eggplant curry?

Eggplant lover - If you are an eggplant lover, there is no excuse not to make this easy and delicious brinjal curry.
Flexibility - We can use any kind of eggplant to make this quick kara curry.
Kid’s approved - This is a kids-approved recipe. I started making it only after I was strictly asked by my then 9-year-old to always make the eggplant curry with onion.
Vegan and gluten-free - This eggplant kara curry is vegan and does not have any added gluten in it. When using store-bought spices, ensure that they are gluten-free.
Quick and easy - this brinjal curry with onion takes just about 30 minutes from start to finish and is an easy recipe with pantry ingredients.

Variations of eggplant curry

If you are looking to add more eggplant recipes to your meal, check out these other variations. They are all wonderful sides to rice or roti/chapathi.

Kathirikai Podi Curry - This is a delicious eggplant stir fry made with freshly ground homemade spice powder.

Aloo Baingan - A wonderful curry with eggplants and potatoes, and the combination works perfectly with roti/Indian flatbread.

Dahi Baingana - Yogurt lover? Then you have to make this delicious fried eggplant in yogurt sauce. A great recipe for summer.

Kathirikai Rasavangi - One of my favorite South-Indian stews/kootu made with brinjal. All we need is some hot rice to enjoy this.

Ingredients needed

Ingredients labeled to make eggplant curry. - 3

Check the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact measurements and printable detailed recipes.

Eggplant/brinjal/kathirikai - I use the small round Indian eggplant or the long Japanese kind. Use any kind that you have. Chop them into uniform long slices.

Onion - Another star ingredient in this kathirikai kara curry. I use any kind of onion I have on hand - yellow onion, sweet onion, or red onion. Chop them into thin, long slices as well.

Spice powders - I have used turmeric powder, red chili powder, and dhania powder in the kara curry recipe.

Seasoning ingredients - mustard seeds and urad dal are all I have used for seasoning. We can use some asafoetida as well, but Amma has always instructed me not to use asafoetida when using onions.

Oil - Use any kind of cooking oil. I either use coconut oil or vegetable oil when making stir-fries.

Step-by-step process

Chop the eggplants and onion and uniform long slices and keep them ready.

Tip - Keep the eggplants soaked in water until ready to use as this helps in preventing discoloration.

Heat a wide, heavy-bottomed pan and add oil. Once the oil heats up, add the mustard seeds and urad dal/ullutham paruppu and let it crackle (about 30 seconds).
Now add the chopped onions and let them fry until translucent.
Once the onions are soft, add the spice powder - turmeric powder, red chili powder, and dhania powder. Mix well to combine.
Drain the eggplant well and add it to the pan. Mix well and add the salt needed.

Cover the pan and let the eggplants soften a little. At this stage, remove the lid and saute until the vegetables are entirely cooked.
If you like the kathirikai kara curry to fry a little longer, simmer the heat and let it fry uncovered. Keep stirring once in a while to prevent burning. If the curry appears to dry out too quickly or burn, sprinkle a little water and continue cooking.

Eggplant poriyal is now ready to serve!

Serving suggestions

Rasam rice has to be my favorite main dish to eat with this kathirikai kara poriyal. Steaming hot rasam rice with some ghee and this kathirikai curry is magic.

I also like to serve this brinjal curry with roti/pulka and some dal on the side.

My son loves this poriyal with rice and thogayal. Two of his favorite thogayals that he enjoys this curry with are thengai/coconut thogayal and paruppu thogayal .

I love to eat this brinjal curry with yogurt rice/thayir sadam and Thayir oats/oats in yogurt , and once you try it, you will realize why it is my favorite.

Expert tips

Keep the eggplants in water until ready to cook. This prevents the vegetable from discoloring.
Chop the eggplants into uniform sizes so they can cook evenly.
Adjust the spices based on your liking. I make it medium spicy.
If you don’t want to add onion, feel free to skip it. Follow the exact recipe and just skip sauteing the onions.
Eggplants shrink when cooked, so adjust the quantity based on that.

I usually use the small purple Indian eggplant. We could use the long Japanese eggplant or the big purple eggplant as well.

Yes, we can skip onions in the brinjal kara curry and just use eggplants.

We can use sambar powder instead of red chili powder. If not, we can fry whole red chilies along with seasoning and proceed.

More similar poriyal

Bindi Subzi | Okra Subzi | Bhindi Masala
Mooli Palak Subzi | Radish and Spinach Curry
Butternut Squash Curry | Kaddu ki Subzi
Beetroot Poriyal With Onion | Beetroot Curry | Beetroot Stir Fry

Recipe Card

Recipe

Featured image for eggplant curry with onion. - 7

Ingredients

▢ 6 Cups Eggplant/kathirikai/Brinjal sliced thin
▢ 1 Cup Onion any kind of onion (red, yellow or sweet)
▢ 1 Tablespoon Oil any cooking oil
▢ 1 teaspoon Mustard seeds
▢ 2 teaspoon Ullutham Paruppu/Urad dal
▢ ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder
▢ 1 ½ teaspoon Red chili powder
▢ 1 teaspoon Coriander powder/Dhania powder
▢ to taste Salt

Instructions

Chop the eggplants and onion and uniform long slices and keep them ready. 6 Cups Eggplant/kathirikai/Brinjal, 1 Cup Onion
Tip - Keep the eggplants soaked in water until ready to use as this helps in preventing discoloration.
Heat a wide heavy bottom pan and add oil. Once the oil heats up, add the mustard seeds and urad dal/ullutham paruppu and let it crackle (about 30 seconds). 1 Tablespoon Oil, 1 teaspoon Mustard seeds, 2 teaspoon Ullutham Paruppu/Urad dal
Now add the chopped onions and let it fry until translucent. 1 Cup Onion
Once the onions are soft, add the spice powder - turmeric powder, red chili powder, and dhania powder. Mix well to combine. ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder, 1 ½ teaspoon Red chili powder, 1 teaspoon Coriander powder/Dhania powder
Drain the eggplant well and add it to the pan. Mix well and add salt needed. 6 Cups Eggplant/kathirikai/Brinjal, to taste Salt
Cover the pan and let the eggplants soften a little. At this stage remove the lid and saute until the vegetables are entirely cooked.
If you like the kathirikai kara curry to fry a little longer, simmer the heat and let it fry uncovered. Keep stirring once in a while to prevent burning. If the curry appears to dry out too quickly or burn, sprinkle a little water and continue cooking.
Eggplant poriyal is now ready to serve!

Notes

Keep the eggplants in water until ready to cook. This prevents the vegetable from discoloring.
Chop the eggplants in uniform sizes so they can cook evenly.
Adjust the spices based on your liking. I make it medium spicy.
If you don’t want to add onion, feel free to skip it. Follow the exact recipe and just skip sauteing the onions.
Eggplants shrink when cooked, so adjust the quantity based on that.

Nutrition

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