Ajwain Leaves ( Doddapatre ) Tambli (Tambuli), Karpuravalli Thayir Pachadi

          Until sometime back, I didn't know that we can make something other than a ' kashayam ' ( medicinal concoction ) with ajwain leaves/ karpuravalli/ doddapatre ( Coleus Aromaticus ). In our apartment, some members of the association grow fresh greens in small quantities, when I had gone to buy some, I found these ajwain leaves too. As a kid, I remember, that we were always asked to chew on a couple of these leaves ( most of the houses had this plant ) or drink the ' kashayam ' for its medicinal value. These leaves have a slightly peppery and spicy taste, so not many kids are happy eating this. So, when I saw them selling this also, I thought it was for that purpose only, but then, one of the ladies told me about this dish with it, named ' Tambli ' or ' Tambuli ' ( Udipi Cuisine ) and I also got the recipe for it. It's basically a raitha or thayir pachadi ( yogurt-coconut based dish ), very easy to prepare and tastes good when mixed with some rice. The best part is, you don't get the sharp spicy taste that you get when you chew the raw leaves..

Need To Have

• Ajwain Leaves/ Karpuravalli - 20
• Black Pepper - 1/2 teaspoon
• Cumin Seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Grated Coconut - 2 tablespoons
• Curd/ Yogurt - 1 cup
• Mustard Seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
• Asafoetida - 1/8 teaspoon
• Curry Leaves - 5
• Dried Red Chilly - 1
• Salt to taste

Method

          Saute the cumin seeds and black pepper in a little oil and remove. To the same pan add the ajwain leaves ( washed and roughly torn ) and saute for 2 minutes, till it becomes soft, for about 2 minutes.

          Cool all the above and grind it along with the coconut and salt into a coarse paste ( add some water to grind ).

          Mix the ground mixture with the yogurt. Heat a little oil ( about a teaspoon ), add the mustard seeds, when it starts spluttering, add the red chilly, asafoetida followed by the curry leaves, mix for a few seconds and add it to the yogurt mixture. Mix and serve with some hot rice.

Note
Fresh leaves are the best, at the most you can refrigerate these leaves only for 2 days.
You can have this as a raitha along with any mixed rice or pilafs too.