Kannada : Challehannu
Hindi : Bahuar
Telugu : Nekkara
Tamil : Viricu
Malayalam : naruveeli
Gujarati : Vado Gundo
Bengali : Bahubara
Assamese : Goborsuta
Other commonly known names : bird lime tree, clammy cherry, fragrant manjack, Indian Cherry, Sebastian Plum. Photo taken from here
After eating we sat and counted the stones and there used be a competition "who eats more challekayi?" None could defeat my chikkamma (aunt)! She was (she can no longer take so much pickles and bonda now due to age factor ) a crazy fan of challekayi and menasinakayi bonda (mirchi bhajji).
In Kannnda ,'Challehannu thinsidra?' means asking the other "were you conned (Conn -Verb-to pursuade by deception) ?" Whenever I said I love this pickle my friends often laughed at me ...uh! whatever..we love it.
The recipe comes from my 85 yr old grandmother (my mother's mother) who narrated this when we were intensly discussing things which my mother liked. I noted it down and I was surprised to get a bottle of the pickle from my atte!
Few preparations :
1. Separate Challekayi from its stem, wash with water to remove dirt etc.
2. Spread them on a dry cloth and pat them dry.
3. Add salt. 4 cups of challekayi = 1 cup crystal salt
4. Take salt and challekayi in a big container (plastic/clay/bone china) and tie the mouth of the container with a muslin cloth. Let it stand in hot sun for next few days till all challekayi gets mixed with salt and changes it's color.
To soak and grind : (measurements are given for '10 seru' challekayi. I am not sure about the conversion of 'seru' to kg but in my experience it is approximatly equal to 1 Kg)
Soak and grind :
Byadgi Menasinakayi/ 'Byadgi' red chillies : 250g
Agase Beeja/Flax Seeds :100g
Bellulli/Garlic : 5 gadde
Menthya/Fenugreek seeds : 100g
Harishinakommu /Turmeric in stems/ Turmeric Powder : 7 numbers/2 tbsp
Grind the above ingredients to a fine paste with water. Add this paste to salted challekayi. Tie back the muslin cloth and let this vessel stand in sun for next 30 days or till the gum inside the challekayi is not felt when you bite it open. Keep stirring the pickle with a long spoon twice everyday. The pickle is ready to serve. If you feel the pickle is too thick add boiled and cooled water and add to pickle and let it stand in sun for few days before it is consumed.
23 comments:
Chellehannu... yavattu nodirlilla... adre yavagalu nim aggi namige baiyyaariu.. 'nim appa nige challehannu tinistiya..' anta!! amongst others that is.. needless to say we never got well nor do we even today.... nodi finally challehannu illi nodakke avakasha sikitu..
Wow thats really mouthwatering .. send me here too.. is it vivakayi in tamil.. if u cut is there any small small holes in it becos i just wanted to know whether it is same what i am thinking. if its same wow its my fav my mouthwaters
Nice reading this!
wow Lakshmi, this is very interesting, totally new to me... the pickle looks yumm
Very new to me,but really sounds yummy Lakshmi:)
That pickle looks yumm LG...
I think i nedd a bucket next to me to catch all the drool i am drooling here seiing that pic.
Delicious.
i am not too sure whether I have seen or tasted this..(i somehow feel I have tasted it somewhere!!!) but it really looks so tempting..nice post..
never tasted this before, would love to give it a try.
Oh i want some ....
totally new things to me, never heard the name even in bengali..looks kind of like a Fig, is it? but pickle looks mouth watering, Lakshmi
I know Gundo, wow brought back some really old memories :) we used to make pickle out of this, it sbeen a long time since i last had this!! thanks for sharing!
chellehannu thinsidra maatra gottitu !, but never heard of a pickle, OMG your pickle is tickling my senses..., my daughter who never eats uppinakaayi tells me if u open the pickle bottle she says it calls her please come & eat me ! antha..., ( baa nanna thinnu antha helathante aadre aval kayalli khara thinakkagalvalla!) so she doesn't want to try it.., the same thing is happening to me it is actually calling me to try it out ! can u send me a bottle please...., this is the first time i ever saw a chellehannu ! thanks for sharing the recipe and photos BM it !
it's very new to me I never heard about this but pickle looks so yum.
Completely new to me.....curry looks spicy and yum.....
This is very new to me, sounds spicy and delicious!
Naanu idanna nodirilla...totally new to me.Looks very tempting
chellehannu uppinakayi nam maneli madolla Lakshmi, but I have tasted it many times from my friend's lunch box. It tastes divine. one more info needed, do we get these challekayi in Singapore ;)
never heard of this... but it looks really nice and spicy...my mouth's watering.. u got a nice blog here.
I have never seen this fruit/ berry. Its interesting o see regional favourites.
And I love pickles anyways.
this is new for me,wish i could taste this,..:-)
Ymm..I tried it with gravy...interesting
Oh my god!! finally there is someone who knows challekai outside of my family. We have the same memories of challekai uppinkai. It was my great grandmothers family recipe and very similar to yours. and it was like a competition to eat this counting the stones of it afterwards......ur blog brought back millions of memories from my school time summers in my avva's place. Thanks..
by the way where do u get these in USA???
oh..my god!!! there is someone finally who knows challikai outside of my family. i have the same memories of challikai like yours. even we used to comepete by couting the stones of challikai. I love it i love it. It is my great grandmothers recipe and very similar to yours. ur recipe brought back millions of memories of school time summer in my avva's house. thanks...
by the way where in USA do u get challikai??? now i want it so badly....
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