Ayurveda in Cooking: Kokum Tambli

Today I was composing an official mail to my colleague and pressed spell check just before hitting the send button. Horrors of horror the whole mail had red highlights which surely had given heart attack to my English teacher. No, I am not talking about spelling mistakes but more serious matter than that. Without realising I have been using too many internet slang/lingo in my day to day life. LHM (Lord Help Me). I didn’t realise how bad it was till the day I had to attend one important call in between our team meeting. I left the meeting room saying BRB (Be Right Back). It took me quite sometime to reassure some of my colleagues that it wasn’t some code they had to encrypt but just e-slang. If you are nodding your head in understanding then you can skip the next few paragraphs (If you are still reading) and go to the recipe part straight away. If you are someone who is still wondering what’s this all about then let me have the pleasure of giving you crash course on so called “Wassup” generation.
My first encounter with internet slang or e-slang was when I was in my early teens. It all started when I was introduced to the most happening ‘in-thingy’ internet chatting. Remember good old AOL, MSN, MIRC chat rooms? I am sure most of you know what I am talking about. When you finally managed to get crash course on how it worked and you hopped your excited ass right into internet cafes, you were faced with new challenge. As soon as you signed into chat rooms you are bombarded with same question, A/S/L? No, I have not misspelled AOL here. They are asking your Age/Sex/Location. Slowly I realised it was common to shorten the words, then sentences as I became more accustomed to e-slang. LOL, GR8, IC, CU, ROFL, BRB, KIT, FYI, H&K, OMG, GMBO, IMO, SETE, SYS, TTFN, TTTL are just few examples from vast collection of e-slang. Well, if you are still wondering what they mean, fret not. There is wide collection of e-slang dictionaries available online. And to some extent even mobile SMS are also reason for ever increasing slang as not many people want to spend time typing long sentences. One way I am thankful to them as I am sure they will keep Alzheimer's at bay as you need every brain cells to decipher what they mean.
If you think e-slang is difficult to understand then wait until you hear today’s teenagers talking. It’s very common feeling that talking to teens today is like learning a new language. My current project had given me a chance to work with teenagers who are major part of the focus group. During these sessions, I must have encountered more unfamiliar slang than if you to drop me in Greek/Latin/Chinese language classes. Dude, Bro (more often pronounced as ‘Brah’), Ay Baybay (nope, it’s not some sleazy pick-up line), Yo Dog (it’s not their pet dog they are greeting. It’s their way to greet their best friends) Wassup are the common way to greet each other. Don’t offer chocolates when they say Sweet. It’s not something they want to eat, Sweet means Cool and something they like it a lot. Other day one of the girls from group really liked the Bling (means expensive jewellery) I was wearing. I make it a point to write down few words or sentences I don’t understand along with other notes so that I can research and expand my slang dictionary. Sometime it’s fun to hear then chatting and other time you are left behind looking like a complete idiot. Well, I must say it is not simple task to understand everything they speak as everyday they seem to have few more words added to their dictionary.
With all these daily humdrums, it really feels good when you come back home and cook something which was passed down from generations. Recipes like Tambli/Tambuli/Tamboli give me reassurance that there are few things in life which will retain its authenticity in this ever changing world. Tambli, yogurt based curries from Mangalore are a must during the sizzling hot summers. This cooling dish not only good during hot summer days but also uses very rare ingredients based on Ayurveda like Brahmi, Dried Pomegranate Peels, Ginger, Garlic, Onion, Gooseberry for their medicinal properties. This time I am posting sour and mildly spiced Tambli made using Kokum. Kokum or Vrikshamla as known in Sanskrit is known for its Vata and Kapha suppressant properties. Served at the end of the meal, this Kokum Tambli aids in the process of digestion. In my home town, Kokum is used in place of Tamarind as it is grown in abundant. As a kid I loved Sharbat (Juice), Saaru/Rasam and Tambli made from Kokum for its pretty Purplish Pink colour. With fruity and sour flavour it is sure to add zing to any recipe. I am sending this to Jugalbandi who are guest hosting Weekend Herb Blogging started by Kalyn.

Kokum Tambli

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Kokum Tambli (Yogurt & Coconut based curry from Konkan Region)

Prep Time: 5-8 mins (Excluding soaking time)
Cooking time: -
Serves: 3-4

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Ingredients:

¼ cup Kokum
¼ cup Coconut, fresh/frozen
¼ inch Ginger
½ tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
1 cup Fresh Yogurt/Curds
½ -1 tsp Black Pepper Powder (Adjust acc to taste)
Salt to taste

Kokum and its extract

Method:

Soak dry kokum in about ¾-1 cup of warm water for about 10-20 mins, so that it softens and releases its juice. Squeeze out as much of juice as possible and discard the peels. You will be left with dark red kokum juice which is used for the Tambli.
Grind fresh coconut with ginger and cumin seeds to smooth paste adding little water at a time.
Mix this ground coconut paste with kokum juice, yogurt, ground pepper powder and salt to taste.
Add little water if you feel the Tambli is too thick. Adjust the seasoning and keep it in the refrigerator before serving it chilled with plain steaming bowl of rice.

Kokum Tambli

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Notes:

The kokum fruit, which grows on a slender evergreen tree in a shape of a pyramid, is round and resembles small plum. This fruit is about 2.5 cm in diameter and is deep purple when ripe and contains about eight large seeds. The fruit is picked, the rind removed, then soaked in the juice of the pulp and sun-dried. It is this rind that is used as a flavouring agent just like Tamarind.
Very commonly used in coconut based curries from Udupi-Mangalore, Maharashtra and some parts of Gujarat as it is grown in Western Ghats of India which is blessed with rich soil, adequate rainfall and sunshine.
It is vata and kapha suppressant. It is widely used in healing of wounds. It also helps in curbing infections in the body. It improves digestion and absorption in the body. It improves the cardiovascular system of the body. It also helps in suppressing the skin related ailments. It also brings down the fever and reduces burning sensation. According to Ayurveda it contains
-Gunna (properties) – laghu (light) and ruksh (dry)
-Rasa (taste) –amal (sour)
-Virya (potency) – ushan (hot)
(Source: www.ayushveda.com & www.uppercrustindia.com)
Find more information on Kokum here and here.

Other Tambli/Tambuli/Tamboli recipes posted on Monsoon Spice

• Brahmi Tambli
• Sun Dried Pomegranate Peels Tambli

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