Doddapatre Tambuli / Tambli / ದೊಡ್ಡಪತ್ರೆ ತಂಬುಳಿ

Tambuli is another authentic Karnataka recipe. Tambuli is derived from kannada word tampu. (ತಂಪು ---->ತಂಬುಳಿ). tampu meaning cool/cold. So thambuli is a cooling food. It is made from many greens and vegetables. It is prepared by grinding the vegetable with the spices and then mixing it with yogurt. All ingredients are used raw, (as they are) without any cooking.

Doddapatre Plant in my home

I am sharing a recipe of Thambuli made from leaves of Doddapathre plant (doddipatre). This plant is called by many names Cuban Oregano/ Spanish Thyme/ Indian Borage etc. Its botanical name is Plectranthus amboinicus. The leaves are soft, thick, has a strong pungent flavor. It is a common plant in India. In the US also most nursery have it or you can get it from your local farmer's market. I got this plant from farmer's market as well. If you cant find this plant, don't get disheartened. If your grocery store /supermarket sells fresh oregano leaves, you can use them instead. These leaves are smaller in size than cuban oregano but it has the same flavor:)

Servings: This recipe makes about 1 litre of Tambuli(2 - 4 servings with rice)

Ingredients:
15-20 leaves of - Cuban oregano / Dodda patre / ದೊಡ್ಡ ಪತ್ರೆ ಎಲೆ
1/4 cup - Split roasted gram/ Dalia/ kadale /putani / ಹುರಿಗಡಲೆ
1 tbsp - Cumin seeds / Jeera / ಜೀರಿಗೆ
8-10 black peppercorns or 1 tsp black pepper powder / ಕರಿ ಮೆಣಸು
1/4 cup - fresh grated coconut/ ಕಾಯಿ ತುರಿ
1 tsp - salt / ಉಪ್ಪು
1/2 tsp - turmeric powder / ಅರಿಶಿನ
1 cup Yogurt + 1 cup water / ಮೊಸರು + ನೀರು

Seasoning / ಒಗ್ಗರಣೆ
2 tbsp Oil / ಎಣ್ಣೆ; 1/2 tsp Mustard seeds /ಸಾಸಿವೆ; 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds /ಜೀರಿಗೆ; Asafoetida/ Hing / ಇಂಗು; 2 Dry red Chillies / ವಣ ಮೆಣಸಿನಕಾಯಿ

Wash the leaves and pat them dry with a paper towel or cloth. Heat a pan on medium flame, add these leaves into it. Stir them for 1-2 minutes till they wilt. Take off the flame, keep aside. In the same pan add dalia/kadle, then cumin seeds and pepper corns/pepper powder one after the other. dry roast them till you get a nice aroma. Take off the stove now. let it cool a little bit. Then transfer these ingredients into a blender. Add the wilted leaves, grated coconut, salt, turmeric to it. Add water and grind into a smooth paste. (There is no need to wilt the leaves and dry roast the ingredients. You can use them all raw. But roasting them brings out a nice flavor. My mom always roasts them before grinding, so do I)

Take some yogurt in a bowl,its better if the yogurt is slightly sour. Add this ground paste to yogurt. Mix well. Check the taste. If its too spicy add more yogurt, if its bland add more pepper powder. You can add more water or yogurt to bring to desired consistency. The consistency should like a thick gravy. Heat a small kadai, pour oil, add hing, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, dry red chillies. Pour this seasoning over the yogurt mixture. Tambuli is ready to be served now. It is usually eaten with hot rice. It tastes best when fresh. As it is not a cooked dish, keep it in the refrigerator for later use.