Taikile Tambuli

Taikile Tambuli is a yogurt based, 'no cook' side dish. Taikilo or Cassia Tora is an edible weed which grows like crazy during the monsoon season in my native (and many other regions too). It is slightly bitter and we make spicy dosas, fritters and spicy idlis using it. My mother makes them every year without fail and trust me she makes the best ones!

I am a great fan of Taikilo (cassia tora) but unfortunately it is not available where we stay. Every year I crave for it when my mother mentions me about it. Finally my wishes came true and I got a packet of these leaves during a recent get together. It was like finding water in the middle of the desert! I am seeing it after four long years and I was the happiest person in the world. I wanted to try a new recipe using it so that I can share the recipe here. I asked my mother and MIL about how to make tambuli. But they didn't have any recipe. Finally I found the recipe in a cook book written by Jaya V Shenoy. The original recipe used mixed tender greens. I used only this leaf and it turned out pretty good.

Ingredients:

• Taikilo (Cassia Tora) Leaves - 1 cup, packed
• Ghee - 2 tsp
• Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Grated Coconut, fresh/frozen - 1/2 cup
• Dry Red chilli - 3-4
• Buttermilk* - 3/4 - 1 cup
• Salt - To taste

*I just diluted 1/2 cup of yogurt with water to get little more than 3/4 cup of buttermilk.

Procedure:

Remove the leaves from the tough stalk and rinse the leaves under cold water. Then pat it dry using a kitchen towel. Now give a rough chop.

Take a pan and fry the dry red chilli in few drops oil for a minute and set it aside to cool. In the same pan, add some ghee. Once hot, add mustard seeds. After it starts popping, add cumin seeds. Then add in the chopped leaves.

Fry it until it gets wilted (it takes only few seconds). Then add in the grated coconut and fry it until a nice aroma is got (don't brown the coconut). Then turn off the heat and allow it to cool.

Once cooled, add it to a blender along with roasted dry red chilli and salt. Grind it to a smooth paste by adding little water.

Add this paste to the buttermilk.

Mix well. Add water to get the desired consistency. 

Taikile Tambuli is ready!!

Serve it as a side dish to rice or you can drink as is. Above measurement serves four people.

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Piyava Tambli ( Coconut based Onion Gravy)

Piyava Tambli is an easy, 'no cook' dish. I got this recipe from a cook book written by Jaya V Shenoy. This is a traditional recipe and it comes handy when you don't have any vegetables on hand (assuming onions, potatoes, garlic and coconut are always in stock :-)).

Few months back, my brother suggested to post this recipe. He had eaten it at his friend's place and really liked it. I have been thinking of posting this for a while but never happened. This is the first time I am making it and it turned out very good as I expected. The mild coconut gravy with a hint of coconut oil and the crunch from raw onions really makes it special even though the ingredients look simple and few.

Ingredients:

• Grated Coconut, Fresh/Frozen - 1/2 cup
• Roasted Dry red chilli - 2-3
• Tamarind - A small piece
• Onion, finely chopped- 1/4 cup
• Coconut oil - 1 tsp
• Salt- To taste

Procedure:

Chop the onion (as fine as possible).

Now take grated coconut, roasted dry red chilli, salt and tamarind in a blender.

Grind it along with little amount of water to get a paste (not very fine).

Now transfer this paste into a bowl. Add water to get the desired thickness (I kept it medium thick). Then add the chopped onion. Drizzle coconut oil and give a good mix. 

Piyava Tambli is ready!!

Serve it along with rice and any side dish of your choice. Above measurement serves two people.

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Eerulli Tambuli (Yogurt based Onion Gravy)

Eerulli Tambuli is a yogurt based dish. In Kannada, eerulli means onion. I got this recipe from a good friend of mine.
You can also check my another tambuli recipe here.

Few months back- when I was talking to my friend, she told me that her MIL had made Majjige Huli. I knew that this is a tasty dish and asked her the recipe. She gave me the list of ingredients and the procedure (without the measurements...how can you expect that as well?:-)). She also told me to try Eerulli Tambuli, which is much simpler and can be made within 15 minutes. So finally I tried making it with my own measurements and guess what? it turned out tasty and I loved it a lot. You can try making it for lunch on a lazy Sunday.

Ingredients:

• Grated Coconut, Fresh/ Frozen- 1/2 cup
• Onion, chopped- 1/2 cup
• Yogurt/ Curd*- 1/2 cup (adjust accordingly depending on the sourness)
• Ghee- 1-2 tsp
• Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
• Dry red chilli- 1-2 (I used crushed red pepper)
• Curry leaves- Few
• Salt- To taste

*You can also use buttermilk instead of yogurt.

Procedure:

Grind grated coconut, chopped onion along with little water, to get a smooth paste. 

Transfer the ground paste to a bowl and add curd (or buttermilk), salt and mix well. Adjust the consistency by adding water (I kept it medium thick).

Now add the seasoning to the prepared mixture.

For Seasoning- heat ghee and then add mustard seeds. Once it starts spluttering, add curry leaves and broken red chillies. Turn off the heat.

Eerulli Tambuli is ready!!

Serve it along with rice. Above measurement serves three people.

Note: You have to finish eating the tambuli the same day as it is a 'No Cook' dish. Once refrigerated, it doesn't taste good.

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Sambarballi Tambuli (Coconut-Buttermilk based Cuban Oregano Gravy/Drink)

Sambarballi Tambuli is a very simple and healthy drink/gravy. Tambuli is basically a coconut-buttermilk based gravy.

Sambarballi leaves are very healthy and the juice extracted from the leaves is used to cure cough and cold. The juice is especially given to small children for curing cough and cold. This plant doesn't require special care and hence many people grow it in a pot. The picture below is a picture of the plant in our home, back in India.

This is my husband's grandma's recipe and my MIL made this for me. I loved it as a drink. In one of my earlier posts, I had posted a recipe for chutney using the same leaves. Try making this healthy Tambuli. I am sure you all will love it as a summer drink!

Ingredients:

• Sambarballi/ Cuban Oregano leaves, small sized- 10-12
• Grated Coconut, fresh/frozen- 1/2 cup
• Green Chillies- 2-4
• Tamarind- A very small piece
• Cumin seeds/Jeera- 1/2 tsp
• Ghee- 1/2 tsp
• Buttermilk- 2/3 cup (or adjust according to your taste)
• Salt- To taste

For Seasoning:

• Oil/Ghee- 1-2 tsp
• Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves- Few

Procedure:

Wash the leaves and give a rough chop to them.

Then take a small kadai and add ghee. Start heating it on a low flame and add cumin seeds and chopped leaves. Fry for 30 seconds. Turn off the heat and allow it to cool.

Then grind the fried leaves, cumin along with grated coconut, green chilli, tamarind and salt with little water. Transfer it to a bowl. Add buttermilk and mix well. The consistency of Tambuli should be medium thick.

For Seasoning- Heat oil. Add mustard seeds. Once it starts spluttering, add curry leaves and turn off the heat. Add this to prepared tambuli and mix well. Sambarballi Tambuli is ready!!

Serve it with rice or have it as a drink on a hot afternoon. Above measurement serves four people.

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