This delicious dal recipe prepared with vaakkaya ( Telugu) is very famous and common item in Andhra cuisine. This berry is known as Carissa carandas in English and available only during this rainy season till December. It tastes very tangy and it is a rich source of many nutritional components like vitamins , minerals etc.
Ingredients:
Vaakkaya – 100Gms,
Toor Dal – 200 Gms,
onion – 1 medium, cut into small pieces,
Green chilli – 2, sliced vertically into two,
Red chilli powder – 1/2 Tsp,
Haldi – A pinch,
My special pappu masala powder/ sambar powder – 1 Tsp, ( ref my recipe pappu masala in my recipe list – Basic Masala powder for dal recipes ),
Salt,
Mustard seeds – 1/4 Tsp,
Red chili – 2,
Tomato – medium 1 ,roughly chopped ,
Peeled and crushed garlic – 5 ,
Curry leaves – A few,
Jeera – 1/4 Tsp
Hing – A pinch,
Oil – 2 Tablesp,
Method:
1).Wash the berry and cut them into two. Remove the seeds and keep them aside,
2).wash the dal,put it in pressure cooker ( preferably 3 litres). Add garlic, chilli powder, green chilli, tomato, haldi, pappu masala along with 1/2 litre water.
3).Pressre cook the dal till 3 whistles.
4).When steam escapes, remove the lid of cooker and mash the dal .Add salt and keep it aside.
5).Heat oil, add mustard seeds, red chilli, hing, jeera, curry leaves. Fry for few seconds and add onion pieces. Fry onion till it turns pink and soft.
6).Add vaakkaya pieces and cook till the pieces are tender.
7).Pour the mashed dal into tadka and mix very well.
8).Keep the dal for a minute on fire.Remove from fire and serve as side dish for hot plain rice/ chapathi/ poori.
Tip:
As the berry is tangy it is used in rice preparations, pickles, and chutneys etc.