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 dish 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.