Broiled Eggplant Raita Sutta Kathirikai Thayir Pachadi

Do you love eggplant? Then this recipe is definitely for you. And if you don’t give this a try, you will change your mind. This seasoned eggplant raita is more like an Indian version(Tamil Nadu style) of Baba Ghanoush with yogurt. There are quite a few eggplant raita recipes in North India as well popularly known as baingan raita. Kathirikkai or kathirikai means brinjal/eggplant in Tamil, and sutta means roasted/grilled. Thayir pachadi means yogurt relish. Now you get the name reason behind sutta kathirikai thayir pachadi. We all look for different ways of cooking any vegetables. If you are looking for a new way to try your eggplant, then this is a good bet. My friends JV and Ishu got to try this raita when I first made it. They both fell in love right away. I am not exaggerating. :-) This is one of the staple recipes in our household, and we love it with vathal kuzhambu and rice.

Broiling the Eggplant-

I broiled the eggplant in my oven. I used the big eggplants and I personally recommend that variety for this raita. But you can also roast/grill it over stove-top also. Make sure you sear it thoroughly. In broil mode, we are cooking the ingredient at a higher temperature, which is higher than 500 deg F. And broiling brings charred effect like direct grilling. I know broiling and baking both happen in the oven. There are a lot of articles that explain the difference like this Livestrong article or this one. Most of the ovens here in the US should have broil mode. But if your oven doesn’t have that mode, bake the eggplant at the highest possible temperature for a longer time. I am broiling here for 40 minutes. You might have to bake for one hour. I always keep my food in the middle rack for both baking and broiling. Oven baking time may vary depending on the model. So always keep an eye on the food. For this raita, keep an eye after 35 minutes, and if it’s well cooked and nicely charred, remove it from the oven. Now let’s see how to make this raita. The recipe is quite straight-forward and easy.

Broil the eggplant and let it cool. Peel the skin and mash the eggplant. Add yogurt and salt. Prepare the tempering and add it. That’s it.

The broiling and cooling will take time, so plan accordingly. But other than that, it’s easy to whip this up. What I usually do is to broil the eggplant in the morning while making breakfast and allow it to cool. By the time I come back from work, it will be all cooled down, and I make the raita for dinner. Cooking is all about planning and prepping. (PS – if you are new here, don’t miss to check out my weekly meal planners)

Tempering and spice powders required-

The sky is the limit when it comes to tempering the raita. You can season with mustard seeds and cumin seeds or do like how I did. I went with mustard seeds, urad dal, and chana dal. Hing or asafoetida enhances the flavor, so don’t skip it. If you have gluten issues, opt for gluten-free hing. For this recipe, I used rasam powder for adding that kick. But you can also use sambar powder or red chili powder or even smoked paprika. If you want to keep it mild, you can even skip any of the spice powder and add one extra dried red chili. And kiddo was little, that’s what I do for the non-spicy, kid-friendly version. Now let me share the broiled eggplant raita recipe with detailed pictures.

How to make eggplant raita-

Broiling the eggplant-

Line a cookie tray or cake pan with aluminum foil. Apply the 2 tsps of oil over the eggplant and place it in the tray.

Broil in the oven on high mode for 40 minutes, flipping it once in the middle.

When the broiling is complete, remove it from the oven and let it cool.

Prepare the raita-

When the eggplant is easy to handle, remove the skin. It easily comes off. Remove the flesh and mash it thoroughly.

Now add the yogurt, and salt.

Mix and add the finely chopped cilantro.

Prepare the tempering separately.

Heat a pan and add the remaining 2 tsps of oil. Once the oil is hot, reduce the heat to medium-low now. Then, add the mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal, hing, dried red chili, rasam powder, and curry leaves. Mix and cook it over medium-low heat until the mustard seeds splutter. Turn off the heat and add it to the raita.

That’s it. Broiled eggplant raita is ready.

Recipe notes-

Instead of rasam powder, you can use sambar powder, red chili powder, or smoked paprika. Adjust the spices and salt according to your preference. I prefer one cup of yogurt for this measure. You can adjust depending upon the amount of the mashed eggplant.

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