A Tamilnadu Temple Prasadam / Tirukostiyur Tirumaalai Chamba / tamarind rice with brinjal and bittergourd

Since I am a food blogger, I go through various recipes and view many food shows, to increase my repertoire of recipes.
During one trawling sessions, I came upon a recipe of a Prasad served in a temple in Tamil Nadu hinterlands which I KNEW would taste good. My inner-taste buds (there is something like that inside my head!) started salivating and I just HAD to make it.
So I made it and took it to my uncle's house and everyone of them approved the dish!
How can a centuries old unchanged recipe be wrong?

The food served at all Indian temples as Prasadam are very wholesome. It suits the climate of the region, is filling and supports the local farmers. This dish is a true ode to old style cooking where til oil and ghee is used and for spiciness only pepper and not red chillies.

Tirukostiyur is part of the 108 divyadesam and this dish is served to the deity (and later to the devotees) after the evening alankaaram / aarathi (called Tirumaalai).

Basic Recipe Courtesy : Puliyogare Travels

Ingredients:
Raw white Rice / pachari - 1 cup
Pasiparippu / moong dal / cheru parippu - 1 tbsp
Urad dal / uzhundu - 1/2 cup, washed and soaked for 2 hours
Brinjal / aubergine / vazhuthana gai- 1 large (or) 4 small , cut into large chunks
Bitter gourd / kaipakka - 3 tbsp, chopped fine
Green chilly - 1
Salt to taste
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Ghee / clarified butter - 3 tbsp + 2 tbsp
Til oil / nallenai - 3 tbsp
Mustard - 1 tsp
Curry leaf - 2 sprigs
Tamarind- 1 lime sized ball, soaked in warm water
Pepper corn - 5 tbsp
Fenugreek seeds / menthayam /uluva - 2 tbsp
Oil for deep frying

Method:
Grind the urad dal with very less salt and the green chilly into a fine paste without adding water.
Deep fry spoonfuls in hot oil, till golden brown. (Do not bother with shape) Keep aside.

Pressure cook the moong dal and rice in 3 cups water for 4 whistles. Keep aside. It must get well cooked.

Heat a heavy bottomed vessel and dry fry the pepper and fenugreek seeds separately.
Powder both separately and keep aside.

Heat the 3 tbsp til oil and 3 tbsp ghee together in the same heavy bottomed vessel.
Splutter the mustard and then add in the curry leaf, bitter gourd and brinjal.
Fry for 2 minutes and add 2 cups of tamarind extract.
Season with salt, turmeric powder and 4 tbsp pepper powder.
Reduce flame and cook covered for 5-6 minutes.
The vegetables must just soften, not get well-cooked and the raw smell of the tamarind pulp must go.
Add the urad dal vadais and boil for 1 minute.
Now add the cooked rice, fenugreek powder to this.
Mix well.

The dish should neither be too watery, nor too dry.
Add more hot water, if necessary.
Taste and add more pepper powder, if you so prefer.

Serve hot with the rest of the ghee on top.