The brinjals that we get in Chettinad have no match elsewhere. In the Rottukadai (those belonging to chettinad will surely understand what I mean by Rottukadai ) in all the villages this garden fresh organic brinjals will be sold early in the morning.
The main road in which bus goes and stops will be the place where some shops of the village will be found. It is called as the Rottukadai. Early in the morning itself the teashops will open and the men of the village will have tea here. The women who work in the nearby fields will grow brinjals, sundakkai, plantain, vendakkai etc in the small piece of land that they have around their hut with the water available around and the water used for washing vessels, clothes etc. The manure for these vegetables will be the cow dung available and ashes from the logs burnt while cooking. These women will bring the vegetables available in their garden for selling early in the morning. The taste of this much spoken about organic vegetable available in chettinad from the very old days cannot be explained in words. People coming here sometime during weddings or functions will make sure that they collect some of this vegetable early in the morning itself, so that they can take it to their homes. By seven in the morning these vegetables will be sold out. The spinach they bring also is very famous

Last week when my mom came home she brought me a kilo of this tender, fresh, green brinjals. Everyday, I was making one one dish out of it. Most of the items I have already written. Yesterday I could pluck some drumstick from my garden .So I thought of making this wonderful Kathirikkai Murungakkai masala. Many will be thinking how we can make a masal out of murungakkai, which is little difficult to eat. I also used to think like that until one day I tasted this in one of my friend’s house. The masal was very tasty with curd rice.
Children will find it little difficult to eat, so I will mix the rice with this curry and make rice out of it, adding little extra salt to the rice. Take out the murungakkai pieces after nicely smashing it with the rice. Send this rice to school. They will love the smell and taste of the rice. The older people will have the patience to eat the drum stick along with the masal.
Ingredients
Drum stick -5
Brinjal-3
Small onion-20(big onion-10
Tomato-1
Garlic-10
Sambar powder-1 table spoon
Turmeric powder- ½ teaspoon
Procedure
Keep the kadai in the stove. In 2 teaspoons of cooking oil season the masal with a teaspoon of mustard and fennel seeds. Saute the minced onion, garlic and tomato pieces one after the other. Add the length wise cut brinjal pieces and sauté well. Now add the drumstick pieces. Add 2 cups of water along with the turmeric powder. Close the kadai and cook for 10 minutes in medium fire till the drum stick pieces are cooked soft. Now add the sambar powder and the salt needed along with little water if there is no water left in the kadai. Cook till everything gets mixed well ( at least 5 minutes).Don’t make it very dry. Garnish with coriander leaves. Brinjal, drumstick and coriander smell will make the dish altogether taste divine.