Sundakkai Kulambu or Kuzhambu is a flavorsome tangy gravy that uses fresh green turkey berries. Think of this as a Puli Kuzhambu packed with the goodness of Sundakkai.
What is Sundakkai?
Turkey berries also known as Sundakkai in Tamil is a common sight in many houses. You can even find turkey berry plants by the road side in many places.
Sundakkai Vathal is probably the most common form of this vegetable. Foraging in India is fun and I can say that these berries are often foraged rather than bought. They are then crushed, salted and sun dried.
We use these sundried turkey berries in Vatha Kuzhambu or even add it for extra crunch in Mor Kuzhambu.
Interestingly, even Thai cuisine uses these tiny powerhouse berries. They call them cluster eggplants or pea eggplants and add them to curries and stir-fries. And no, they are not the same as Thai mini eggplants.
These berries that belong to the nightshade family (Solanum Torvum) have a mild bitter taste. So, these are generally cooked along with another vegetable and tamarind.
Ingredients for Pachai Sundakai Gravy
The star ingredient here is the turkey berry. Pick ones that are the size of a pea, fresh green in color and without any blackened stems.
To make this curry, we need
- tamarind
- purple eggplants, shallots, garlic, tomatoes and turkey berries
- sesame oil (the Indian version) also called as Gingelly oil
- ground spices like turmeric, chili powder and sambar powder
- a fresh spice paste that uses coconut, poppy seeds among other things
- whole spices like fenugreek seeds and fennel to temper
- salt, water and curry leaves (obviously!)
Variations
Dried Sundakkai vs fresh ones
For this recipe, we need fresh turkey berries. The sun dried ones are fantastic but their flavor profile is a little different.
- I find the eggplant + Sundakkai combination brilliant. However, feel free to skip the eggplants if you want to.
- Other vegetables that work well here are drumsticks or Senai Kizhangu (Yam). I am partial to adding Yam in Puli Kuzhambu and Kara Kuzhambu.
- Switch the fresh coconut to unsweetened dry desiccated coconut if you do not have fresh coconut. You will need 1.5 tbsp in this case.
Recipe Notes
Crushing Sundakkai
The most important step in any recipe that calls for these berries is to crush them coarsely using a mortar pestle. Doing this helps release flavors and also prevents them from popping or spluttering as they fry in oil.
- Poppy seeds are not common in Tamil style Kuzhambu recipes. But they have a beautiful delicate flavor and instantly make this richer.
- It is important to cook the berries thoroughly in tamarind water. This helps balance the bitter taste and brings out the best in this dish.
- This Kuzhambu thickens as it cools down. If you prefer a slightly runnier version, add 1/2 cup more water than mentioned here while cooking.
- In case you are serving it a while after cooking it, then adjust the consistency of the thickened cooled Kuzhambu, add 1/4 cup hot water and reheat gently.
Make ahead, shelf life and storage
- This healthy south Indian gravy can be stored in the fridge for 2 days. Store in a clean and air tight container. Reheat gently before serving.
- To freeze this or any other tamarind based Kuzhambu, allow it to cool down fully. Divide into 1/2 cup portions and transfer to freezer safe portion containers or bags. Label and freeze for up to 1 month.
- Thaw frozen Kuzhambu overnight in the fridge or using the microwave. Always reheat gently before serving.
- Tamarind based gravies like Vatha Kuzhambu, Puli Kuzhambu and Kara Kuzhambu are all freezer-friendly.
Serving suggestions
- We love this gravy with hot rice and a side of roasted Appalam.
- Pair this with a classic south Indian stir fry like the green beans Poriyal or some Keerai Kootu.
- Seppankizhangu Roast and Baby potato roast almost tastes heavenly with this.
Step By Step Instructions To Make Sundakkai Kuzhambu
Soak the tamarind in hot water for 20 minutes. As this soaks, get the prep work going. Peel the shallots. Quarter the eggplants. Crush the turkey berries with a pestle and set aside.
Once the tamarind has softened, squeeze it along with the hot water to make tamarind extract. Discard the pulp and strings. Set aside.
Grind together the grated fresh coconut, garlic, red chili powder, turmeric powder, fennel seeds and poppy seeds using water to a smooth paste.
Heat a pan with oil. Add the shallots and fry till they turn pink. Now add the turkey berries and eggplants. Saute this on medium flame for 3 to 4 minutes until the berries start blistering around the edges.
Tip in the tomatoes next and cook on medium flame for 2 to 3 mins.
To this mixture, add coriander powder and sambar powder and mix well. Now add the tamarind extract and 1/2 tsp of Kashmiri chili powder.
Simmer this on medium heat until the raw smell of the tamarind leaves. Continue to cook this until the eggplants have softened completely.
Add the ground paste along with salt to this mixture and mix well. Simmer for another 5 to 7 mins on medium heat or until the raw smell of the paste goes away.
Heat a pan with sesame oil. Add the mustard seeds and allow them to splutter.
Reduce the flame to the lowest and tip in the curry leaves, cumin, fenugreek and fennel seeds along with the urad dal. Allow the dal to begin to brown.
Add the tempering to the Kuzhambu, stir well to combine. Serve hot.
Sundakkai Kulambu (Pachai Sundakkai Kuzhambu)
Equipment
- 1 Heavy bottomed Saute pan I prefer a 3 or 4 quart pan for this
- 1 high speed blender
Ingredients
- 15 grams Tamarind
- 3 cups hot water
- 15 Turkey berries crushed with a pestle
- 100 grams Eggplant purple ones quartered
- 7 Shallots peeled
- 3/4 cup Tomato chopped into bite sized pieces
- 1/2 tsp Kashmiri chili powder
- 1 tsp Sambar powder
- 1 tsp Coriander powder
- Salt to taste
- 2 tbsp sesame Oil
Spice paste
- 3 tbsp Freshly grated coconut
- 1 tsp White poppy seeds
- 1 tsp Fennel seeds
- 5 Garlic cloves
- 1 tsp Red chili powder
- 3/4 tsp Turmeric powder
- 1/4 cup Water
Tempering
- 1 tbsp Sesame oil
- 1 tsp Mustard seeds
- 1/4 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp Fennel seeds
- 3/4 tsp Fenugreek seeds
- 1/2 tsp Urad dal
- 10 Curry leaves
Instructions
Prep Work
- Soak the tamarind in hot water for 20 minutes. As this soaks, get the prep work going. Peel the shallots. Quarter the eggplants. Crush the turkey berries with a pestle and set aside.
- Once the tamarind has softened, squeeze it along with the hot water to make tamarind extract. Discard the pulp and strings. Set aside.
Make the spice paste
- Grind together the grated fresh coconut, garlic, red chili powder, turmeric powder, fennel seeds and poppy seeds using water to a smooth paste.
Make Kuzhambu
- Heat a pan with oil. Add the shallots and fry till they turn pink. Now add the turkey berries and eggplants. Saute this on medium flame for 3 to 4 minutes until the berries start blistering around the edges.
- Tip in the tomatoes next and cook on medium flame for 2 to 3 mins.
- To this mixture, add coriander powder and sambar powder and mix well. Now add the tamarind extract and 1/2 tsp of Kashmiri chili powder.
- Simmer this on medium heat until the raw smell of the tamarind leaves. Continue to cook this until the eggplants have softened completely.
- Add the ground paste along with salt to this mixture and mix well. Simmer for another 5 to 7 mins on medium heat or until the raw smell of the paste goes away.
Tempering
- Heat a pan with sesame oil. Add the mustard seeds and allow them to splutter.
- Reduce the flame to the lowest and tip in the curry leaves, cumin, fenugreek and fennel seeds along with the urad dal. Allow the dal to begin to brown.
- Add the tempering to the Kuzhambu, stir well to combine. Serve hot.
For Instant Pot & Air Fryer Recipes
Instant Pot timings may vary based on your geographic location. Air fryer settings and timings may vary based on the capacity and the model of the Air fryer.
Disclaimer
Nutrition values are provided here as a courtesy and are only a rough guide. Please consult a health care provider if you have any concerns.
Nutrition
Nikhil says
How much water should I dilute the 1 cup of tamarind extract with ?
anusha says
Hi Nikhil, you need 1 cup of tamarind extract in total. approximately 12 grams tamarind soaked in 1 cup water and squeezed out fully. strings discarded too