Vakkaya Pappu or Pickle berry dal is a popular Andhra cuisine. Pickle berry trees grow naturally in forests and Carissa carandas is the Botanical name. Vakkayalu are seasonal fruits.These fruits available during Monsoon.
me and my sister used to eat these fruits with salt and dried red chilli powder.after eating , teeth will become sensitive .if we try to eat any other food within few hours a strange tingling sensation occurs. however, these fruits are rich in Iron and contain fair amount of vitamin C.
you need a little patience to clean the fruits.because the fruits are covered with a sticky layer.i have given the instructions for cleaning in the box below.
Pickle berries are used for preparation of pickles,dals,jam,jelly etc. Vakkaya pulihora(vakkaya rice),vakkaya coconut pachadi are also popular recipes.
Video version of Vakkaya Pappu
- Vakkayalu/Carissa carandas – 200 g
- tuvar dal – 1 cup
- onions – 1 big
- green chillies – 4
- curry leaves – 3 sprigs
- turmeric powder – 1/2 teaspoon
- red chilli powder – 1/2 teaspoon
- coriander powder – 1/4 teaspoon
- salt – as required
- For tempering/tadka
- oil – 3 teaspoons
- mustard seeds – 1/2 teaspoon
- cumin seeds – 1 teaspoon
- asafoetida – 1/4 teaspoon
- curry leaves – 1 sprig
- rinse turdal and soak in water for one or two hours before you cook.
- immerse the fruits in water for some time.
- to remove the gummy layer on the fruit,scrape the layer with knife gently but remove the skins.
- rinse thoroughly.
- cut the fruits into halves and remove the seeds.
- take a pressure pan,put soaked dal in it,add water up to 2 centimeters above the level of dal.
- add vakkaya pieces,chopped onion,green chillies,curry leaves,turmeric powder,dried red chilli powder,coriander powder.
- cover the pressure cooker with lid,put the whistle and cook up to 5-6 whistles.
- wait till all the pressure is gone.
- open the lid,mash dal,add salt as per the taste.
- heat a tadka pan.add oil.
- when the oil is hot,add mustard seeds,cumin seeds,dried red chillies and let them sizzle.
- add asafoetida,curry leaves and turn off the heat.
- add tadka to the dal.
