Dhundu is one type of sweet chutney prepared during festivals, especially during the eve of the rituals performed as part of the 13th day prayers followed by the death of a person. To prepare this, a special vegetable called “Guller (Punyaha Chunda in Malayalam)” is used. This recipe is courtesy to my dear Usha Bhat akka. Guller appears like the Chundephal (Turkey berry), but is a bit larger in size than Chundephal. This is also used for medicinal preparations in Ayurveda. Another interesting aspect of this vegetable is that it is used as a make-up material i.e. to turn the color of his / her eyes to red by the artist who performs in one of the major forms of classical Indian dance Kathakali.
Please check the below links to know more about Guller: –
Guller – Yellow Fruit Nightshade in English and it’s botanical name is Solanum Xanthocarpum (new name is Solanum Surattense / Solanum Virginianum). It is called Kantakari in Sanskrit. The whole plant is covered in thorns and the fruits look like small version of our egg plant but with thorns.
Ingredients:-
- Guller ( a kind of vegetable mostly available in Kerala) – 6 numbers
- Tamarind – a small lemon size
- Jaggery – 1/2 cup
- Rice Flour – 2 tsp
- Salt – as per taste
Seasoning :-
- Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
- Methi seeds – 1/4 tsp
- Pepper powder – 1/2 tsp
- Jeera – 1/2 tsp
- Curry Leaves – 1 sprig
- Red Chilli – 1 (optional)
Method:-
Soak tamarind in a little hot water for a few minutes and take out the pulp
Mix the jaggery, salt and the tamarind pulp thoroughly in a bowl.
Heat a Kadai and add the above mentioned mixture and boil it.
Clean the guller, cut into pieces and cook it in the above mix for 10 minutes or till it is cooked well but firm.
Mix the rice flour in a little water and add it to the above boiling mixture and cook for another minute.
Heat oil in another kadai. Add mustard and when it splutters add jeera, methi seeds, pepper powder, red chilli and curry leaves. Add the seasoning to Dhundu.
Dhundu is ready and it will have a chutney like texture.
Note:-
- Adding Red chilli for seasoning is optional
- Dhundu is served as a side dish during meals
- If Guller is not available, you can use ripe plantain instead of guller to prepare dhundu. In that case – proceed as mentioned without the guller And add the plantain pieces at the end .
- There is one additional method of preparing the Dhundu: – Instead of cooking Guller in the mixture of Jaggery and Tamarind, you can at first deep fry the guller and then cook it in the jaggery and tamarind mixture.
Konkani Khann Anik Jevan 
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