Clam Sukka

Name: Clam Sukka
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Indian (Maharashtra)
Ingredients: 500 g fresh clam meat (tisrya/shimpya), removed from shells, rinsed and drained; 3 tbsp coconut oil; 1 tsp mustard seeds; 10 curry leaves; 2 medium onions (200 g), finely sliced; 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste; 5 kokum petals, soaked and squeezed for their juice; 1 tsp salt (careful — clams are naturally salty); ½ cup dry coconut (kopra), dry-roasted to golden-dark; 5 Kashmiri red chillies, soaked; 3 Bedgi chillies, soaked; 1 tsp coriander seeds, dry-roasted; ½ tsp cumin seeds; 4 black peppercorns; 2 cloves; ½ tsp turmeric; Grind to a coarse (not smooth) paste — texture adds to the sukka crust; "Sukka" means completely dry — if there is any gravy, cook on high heat until it fully evaporates; Natural salt in clam meat is significant — add salt only after tasting at the end; Fresh clam meat (not canned) is essential; canned clams are too soft and release too much liquid

🌱 Vegan🌾 Gluten-free📊 Medium

Cleaned clam meat tossed in a dry, spiced coconut masala until each clam is coated in a fragrant, slightly caramelised crust. The dry (sukka) treatment concentrates the brininess of the clams against the roasted coconut masala — one of the most intensely flavoured preparations from the Konkan coast.

⏱️25 minPrep

🔥20 minCook

🕒45 minTotal

🍽️4Serves

🧺 Ingredients

👩‍🍳 How to make Clam Sukka

Dry-roast masala ingredients (Heat: medium-low): Roast dry coconut until golden-dark. Roast chillies and whole spices separately. Cool and blend into a coarse paste with minimal water.
Fry onions (Heat: medium-high): Heat coconut oil. Crackle mustard seeds and curry leaves. Fry sliced onions on medium-high for 10 minutes until deep golden-brown. Add ginger-garlic paste — fry 2 minutes.
Add masala (Heat: medium): Add ground dry coconut masala paste. Fry on medium for 5–6 minutes, stirring, until masala is very fragrant and oil surfaces. The masala should look dark and dry.
Add clam meat (Heat: medium-high): Add clam meat. Add kokum juice. Stir to coat every clam with masala. Turn heat to medium-high. Cook for 8–10 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes, until all moisture from the clams evaporates and the clams are coated in a dry, clinging masala crust.
Final dry-fry (Heat: high): The last 3–4 minutes on high heat will caramelise the masala coating on each clam — look for slight browning and the masala beginning to darken. Taste salt — the clams provide natural saltiness.
Serve: Turn off. Drizzle coconut oil. Garnish with fresh coconut and coriander. Serve with steamed rice and plain dal — the intensely flavoured sukka acts as a powerful flavour accent, not a main gravy.

📖 Cultural notes

|---|---|---|---|---| | 270 kcal | 22 g | 10 g | 16 g | 2 g | Clam sukka is the ultimate Konkan coast "nalli" (accompaniment) dish — eaten in small portions alongside plain rice and dal as an intensely savoury complement. Every fishing village on the Konkan coast has its own sukka style; the Koli community fries hard to achieve the caramelised crust that makes their version distinctive. Best eaten within 30 minutes of cooking when the dry masala crust is still crisp. ---

Track the macros of Clam Sukka and 100s of Indian dishes with Nutri Macro India.