Turkey Berry Stew

Turkey Berry also known as wild egg plant or prickly nightshade, is used in India to make stew. The fruits are also dried for a long term storage and fried to be used as a side-dish with rice as and when required.

This instructable will guide you on how to make the Turkey Berry Stew.

Turkey Berry plant is a bushy and spiny perennial plant related to egg plant. The plant starts flowering after about three months of planting and fruits in bunches.

Harvest bunches of matured turkey berry fruits as per your requirement. Remove the stem and wash the fruits.

These fruits are also commonly available in many Indian vegetable markets. So, if you do not have the plant, you can buy them from the market.

The berries need to be lightly crushed before being cooked.

Using a mortar and pestle, lightly crush each fruit and keep aside.

To make the stew, the following ingredients are required :

• Two medium sized onions finely chopped
• Two tomatoes finely chopped
• Five to six garlic cloves finely chopped
• Small amount of tamarind

• Half a teaspoon of turmeric powder
• One teaspoon of cumin seed powder
• One to one and a half teaspoon of red chili powder
• Two three teaspoons of coriander powder

• Salt to taste
• 3/4 tablespoon of cooking oil
• A bunch of curry leaves
• A teaspoon of Fenugreek seeds

Soak the tamarind in a cup of warm water. In a few minutes you will find most of the tamarind is dissolved in water. Now you can separate the paste and keep it aside.

• Heat a frying pan over medium fire and add oil
• When the oil is hot enough, add a bunch of curry leaves and a teaspoon of fenugreek seeds
• Add chopped garlic and chopped onion and stir fry till raw smell disappears

• Add the chopped tomatoes and salt to the pan and mix well

• Add the crushed turkey berries to the pan and mix well.
• Cover the pan and cook over medium heat for about five minutes

• After about five minutes, remove the lid and add the spices like Cumin seed powder, Turmeric powder, Red chili powder and Coriander powder to the pan.
• Mix everything together and immediately add the tamarind paste to the pan
• Add about 3 cups of water to the pan.
• Cook till the stew becomes thick
• transfer the stew from the pan to a serving dish.

This tasteful stew is served with rice and chappaties.