Jack and Jill, Tom and Jerry, Laurel and Hardy - likewise Pongal and Gotsu. You cannot but think of Gotsu when you talk about Pongal and vice versa. Though each is a perfect dishe on its own, when combined together create mind blowing sensations on our taste buds. Though Coconut Chutney and Sambar are also a good combination, nothing beats this pair.So after posting Ven Pongal can the Gotsu be far behind? The tangy yet lightly sweet taste blends so well with eggplant pulp.I have seen many versions doing the rounds in the blog-o-sphere and this is mine.I learnt this from my MIL and did very few changes to suit my palate. 
Instead of cubing the eggplant, which by the way is must for a traditional Gotsu and using tomatoes, this is done by charring eggplant, the same way you would do for Baingan bhartha and mixing it with Tamarind water. I think this is Iyengar style of doing it. Onions and garlic are avoided during Festival and Auspicious days, hence, this is made sans these items.You can include them if you like.
Method
1.Wash the eggplants and oil them lightly. Place them on a Gas stove flame directly. Alternatively you can poke on the surface with a fork and broil them in an oven.
2.Once charred on all sides, let them cool and peel the surface.Chop it well.
3.Meanwhile mix the tamarind paste with 1 cup water until completely dissolved.
4.In a saucepan, heat 1 tsp oil and temper with lentils,chilli and mustard.
5.When the mustard starts popping, add the tamarind water along with curry leaves and let it come to a boil. The raw smell of the tamarind should leave after 5-10min. If you are using Tamarind instead of the paste, then dissolve the tamarind in warm water and let it sit for 15-20min. Squeeze out the juice from the pulp and discard the seeds and pulp. Do it until all the juice has been extracted. The cooking time is little more in this process - takes upto 15-20min for the raw smell of the tamarind to leave completely.
6.Add the asafoetida, stir for 1 min and then add the eggplant pulp
7.Mix until well incorporated, add some salt and let it cook for another 5-8min. If the gravy is too thick, add little warm water until it comes to the desired consistancy and if too watery,, let it boil for some more time until it thickens.
Goes fabulously well with Pongal, can also be eaten with rice.
