Sundaikkai vatthal

Sundaikkai is a bushy, erect and spiny perennial plant. 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.