Sundakai

Sundakai

The fruits are berries that grow in clusters of tiny green spheres (ca. 1 cm in diameter) that look like green peas. They become yellow when fully ripe. They are thin-fleshed and contain numerous flat, round, brown seeds. The green fresh fruits are edible and used in Thai cuisine, being one of the essential elements of the Thai green curry. In Tamil Nadu, the fruit is consumed directly, or as cooked food like Sundaikkai Sambar, Sundaikkai Poriyal, Sundaikkai Aviyal. The word 'Vathal' means sun dried vegetable. so sundakkai vathal means sundried sundakkai vegetable. After soaking in curd and drying, the final product is fried in oil as Sundaikkai vathal.

It is also known as turkey berry, prickly nightshade, shoo-shoo bush, wild eggplant, pea eggplant, pea aubergine, susumber ( Jamaica), boo, terongan, tekokak, berenjena cimarrona, berenjena de gallina, berenjena silvestre, tabacón, pendejera, tomatillo, bâtard balengène, zamorette, friega-platos, kudanekayi (Kannada: ಕುದನೆಕಾಯಿ), sundaikkai (Tamil: சுண்டைக்காய்),[ (Malayalam: ചുണ്ട ), thibbatu (Sinhala), makhuea phuang (Thai: มะเขือพวง), suzume nasu (Japan: 雀茄子), jurubeba (Brazilian Portuguese), and many other names...

              

While buying whole sundakkai berries, opt for ones which appear in dense clusters. Individual fresh berries are small, round, 10 mm (1/4") in diameter and green colored. The berries can be dried and crushed to form a coarse greenish powder. Ready to use ground sundakkai vathal powder should be checked for expiry date and any sign of lumpiness or discolouration.

The green fresh fruits are edible and used in Thai cuisine, as an ingredient in certain Thai curries or raw in certain Thai chili pastes (nam phrik). They are also used in Lao cuisine and Jamaican cuisine. The fruits are incorporated into soups and sauces in the Côte d'Ivoire.

In Tamil Nadu, India, the fruit is consumed directly, or as cooked food like Sundaikkai Sambar, Sundaikkai Poriyal, kootu (also see), Sundaikkai pachadi & Sundaikkai Pulikulambu. After soaking in curd and drying, the final product is fried in oil as Sundaikkai vattral and this sundakkai varthals and add it to the vatha kulamboo  it is famous all around in Tamil Nadu. In siddha medicine one of the traditional systems of India Sundaivattral Choornam is used to improve digestion.

Ground sundakkain vathal keeps well if kept away from light and air in an airtight container.

1. The sundakkai vathal have diuretic properties, and are used in bowel complaints and for reducing fever. 

2. In the Middle East, a sour drink is made from them to relieve stomach upsets.

Read more at Wikipedia.
Recipes using Sundakai see Here and Here.