Doddapatre Tambuli or Ajwain leaves Tambuli is a curd-based side dish made with pepper, jeera and coconut.
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Doddapatre leaves grow aplenty in my terrace garden, and they are one of the few herbs that I love to grow because they are low-maintenance. The leaves are thick and have a peppery taste when you eat them raw. But this herb is best for my two frequent dishes – Tambuli and Kashaya.
The word Tambuli is used in Kannada to indicate the use of curd as the base for the dish. Tamilians usually call curd-based dishes pachadi.
I learnt this recipe for Doddapatre Tambuli from my aunt, who makes it regularly. I treasure recipes such as this because they call for using local ingredients that I can grow in my small garden.
Ingredients for Doddapatre Tambuli
Doddapatre – This herb goes by Indian Borage, Mexican mint, country borage, Ajwain ki patta in Hindi, and Karpooravalli in Tamil. The leaves are thick, but their stalks are pretty brittle. I have had two pigeons come to my balcony and fight atop my doddapatre plant, leading to many of the stalks breaking.
Doddapatre leaves are available in a few local markets in Bangalore, but mostly it’s an herb grown in old-timey houses with gardens in Bengaluru. I have seen Doddapatre leaves available in apps such as Healthy Buddha and Farmizen.
- Pepper
- Jeera
- Coconut – You can use fresh shredded coconut.
- Curd – homemade curd would be the best option. If you do not have this, you can use store-bought packet curd but not the thick-set curd you get in plastic tubs.
- Ghee and mustard seeds for seasoning
How to make Doddapatre Tambuli
Wash the leaves thoroughly and break them into pieces. You can use the smaller stalks of the plant, but you may discard the thicker stems.
Keep the grated coconut, peppercorns, jeera seeds and ghee ready. Add curd to a bowl, whisk it and keep it aside.
To a warm pan, add a tablespoon of ghee. Once the ghee has warmed, add the pepper and stir it for a few seconds. Ensure the flame is low so that the pepper does not pop. Next, add the jeera seeds to the pan and lightly toast them in the oil for a few seconds.
Add the chopped Doddapatre leaves, and roast them until they change colour. This will take roughly 5 minutes. Keep stirring, so the leaves don’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Once the colour has changed, add the grated coconut and turn off the flame. Allow the coconut to toast in the residual heat. Let all these ingredients cool down.
Add the pan’s contents to a mixer jar – doddapatre, coconut, jeera and pepper. Grind it to a smooth paste with a little water or curd.
Add this paste to the whipped curd and season the Tambuli with salt. Mix it thoroughly and keep it aside.
To a small tadka pan, add a teaspoon of ghee. Once the ghee is warm, add mustard seeds and allow them to sputter. Add a teaspoon of jeera and allow it to toast. Turn off the flame and add this seasoning to the Tambuli. Mix thoroughly.
Relish this delicious doddapatre Tambuli with some hot rice and ghee.
How to grow your doddapatre plant
If you get access to a stalk long enough with a few leaves, you can propagate it and grow them in your garden.
Here’s a nice video showing how to propagate the Doddapatre plant. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSnOBUIHVA0)
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Please do leave a rating and a comment if you can, on the recipe below–it will help me grow and reach more food lovers like you.
Recipe
Doddapatre Tambuli
Ingredients
- 10-15 leaves Doddapatre leaves
- 2 tbsp Ghee divided
- 1 tbsp Whole Pepper
- 1 tsp Jeera
- 1/2 cup Coconut grated
- 1/2 cup Curd whisked
- 1 tsp Mustard Seeds
Instructions
- Clean the leaves thoroughly, break them into small pieces and keep aside. Whisk the curd and keep aside.
- To a warm pan, add one tablespoon of ghee. Once the ghee is warm, add pepper and jeera. Keep the flame low to ensure that the pepper does not pop. Toast for a few seconds and then add the chopped doddapatre leaves.
- Stir the leaves on the pan on a low flame unti it changes colout. It will take roughly 5 minutes.
- Once the leaves have changed colour, add the half cup coconut and turn off the flame. Let the coconut get toasted in the residual heat. Allow all the ingredients to cool down.
- To a mixer jar, add the contents of the pan and grind it to a smooth paste.
- Add this paste to the whisked curd until they combine well. Your Tambuli is almost ready. Add a teaspoon of salt and mix.
- To a warm tadka pan, add 1 tablespoon of ghee. Once the ghee is warm, add one teaspoon of mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds start to sputter, turn off the flame and add this seasonign to the tambuli.
- Serve this delicious Doddapatre Tambuli with hot rice and ghee.
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