Sundakkai kara kulambu | turkey berry garlic curry for rice
Sundakkai kara kulambu | turkey berry garlic curry for rice is simple, tasty and flavorful recipe to go with rice. we also love this curry with dosas.
Whenever i see sundakkai, i remember going to sabarimala when i was a kid. went with my dad and we went with a big troop. few were plucking these berries all the way till we reached to the top. the plants were difficult to reach and the berries were bitter (I dint taste it raw but my dad said that to me) and i kept wondering why at all they are struggling to get those berries out with so much effort if they were bitter. 🙂
Only now when i knew how much good it is, i wanted to include it in our diet. it has calcium, vitamin A, Iron, Fibre and is used in many Ayurveda treatments for even night blindness, liver disorder and especially they help cure stomach disorders and ailments. may be that is the reason why the old men who came along had it raw.
quick video of making Sundakkai kara kulambu
step by step making of the this kara kulambu recipe:
lets get the turkey berry or the sundakkai ready. for that wash and rinse the berries well and make slits on it. make sure it doesnt break but just a slit. you can also soak the berries in water for 15 minutes before adding it to curry so that the bitterness is reduced. But i dint opt that way, I just added it directly.
soak 1/4 cup of tamarind in 2-2.5 cups water for 5 minutes. squeeze out the extract and discard the leftover. i always have the habit of using warm water to extract tamarind pulp as its fast and also getting out maximum extract is easy.
to the tamarind water, add red chilli powder, coriander powder and pepper powder. mix well without lumps. keep it aside until use. 
heat sesame oil and pop in mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, fennel seeds, urad dal, cumin seeds and fry till it pops and flavour gets in oil.
now, add the garlic, onions and curry leaves. i have added 3 tbsp garlic and 1 cup shallots. together add turmeric powder and salt. fry till the raw smell of garlic leaves. We need not brown the onions.
at this stage, add the prepared sundakkai/turkey berry and fry for a minute. you can roast it well to reduce the bitterness or just keep it simple by frying it for a minute.
further add the prepared tamarind water, close and cook until berries are cooked. takes approximately 10-15 minutes on medium heat.
meanwhile, grind coconut, peppercorns, fennel seeds and khus khus to a fine paste. open the curry and add the ground paste.
mix well after adding coconut paste.
as per your taste preference, add jaggery. since we have added very little berries, coconut almost neutralized the buitterness but for the tamarind that was very tangy, i added jaggery. you can also skip this or add very little after tasting the curry. add water to thin the curry and let it boil for 5 minutes.
lastly, add a tbsp of fresh sesame oil on top, mix once and serve hot with rice.
Sundakkai kara kulambu
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp fenugreek seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp urad dal
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 spring curry leaves
- 3 tbsp garlic cloves
- 1 cup shallots
- 3/4 tsp turmeric powder
- salt to taste
- 1/2 cup sundakkai/turkey berry
- 1/4 cup tamarind
- 2 tsp chilli powder
- 3 tsp coriander powder
- 1/2 tsp pepper powder
- 1 tsp jaggery
- 1 tsp sesame oil to add finally
to grind
- 1/8 cup coconut
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp peppercorns
- 1 tbsp khuskhus / poppy seeds
Instructions
- wash and prepare the berries by making slits on it.
- soak tamarind in 2.5 cups warm water and after 5 minutes, squeeze out pulp and add chilli powder, coriander powder, pepper powder and mix well.
- heat sesame oil in a pan and pop in mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, urad dal and let it crackle.
- now add curry leaves, shallots and garlic cloves and fry for a minute.
- drop the slit turkey berries and fry again for a minute and then add prepared tamarind water.
- close and cook for 15 minutes or until berries are cooked.
- meanwhile grind coconut, fennel seeds, pepper corns and poppy seeds to a fine paste.
- open the curry and add the paste to the curry and mix well.
- add jaggery to taste and adjust salt if needed. mix well and let it boil for 5 minutes.
- lastly add sesame oil , mix well and serve.
some of the tangy curries that you might like:
