Moving Away from Doddapatre
My earliest recollection of doddapatre is from our little garden that my mother studiously tended to, along with her roses and jasmines. Wandering around the herb patch, while I straggled behind her, she’d pluck off tender tulsi (holy basil) and doddapatre leaves and persuade me to munch on them. “They will prevent you from falling sick and catching a cold or cough” she’d say.
As a young child, I listened to her and diligently chewed on these herbs. I must admit, I didn’t find them repulsive at all. The blind and trusting childhood devotion we have towards our parents and teachers is amazingly endearing.
However, as I grew older, so did my scorn of such “foo-foo” stuff. Goodbye tulsi. Bye bye doddapatre. I was too “modern” for such stuff. I had my youth, my health and my indefatigable energy to fall back on. No time for herbal remedies and such. It was SO much easier and “cooler” to suck on a cough drop or to down some off-the-shelf congestion syrup.
Moving Towards Doddapatre
Fast forward several decades. I became a member of the local Dallas Herb Guild. It is an association of herb and plant lovers. We meet once a month and a ‘volunteer’ talks about an herb of interest. One of the talks was about an herb called “Cuban Oregano“.
What do I see presented on the screen? It is our doddapatre!! Here I am, in the United States, listening to a herbalist extol the virtues of the very herb that I had turned my nose up and back on.
Life comes full circle. So, off I went and got myself a tiny cutting from my herbalist friend. Since then, there has been no turning back. This herb is a constant in my home throughout the year.
Growing Doddapatre
Growing doddapatre is amazingly easy. It is a tropical plant and grows lush with just a small twig inserted into a compost-rich pot of soil. Doddapatre grows quickly (see pictures on how my little twig turned into a bushy plant in just 2 months). It will do will in sun or part shade. Use an inexpensive water meter to make sure you are not over or under watering it.
The plant will not survive the winters of North Texas, so it must be carried indoors. Bring it in before the official frost date; put it out after the official frost date. While indoors, leave it by a well-lit window where it can get a few hours of sunshine.
There are several varieties of doddapatre. The herb that I’ve used for this tambuli has succulent, fuzzy, thick green leaves that have serrations around the entire circumference. It is a pleasure for all the 3 senses: sight, smell and taste. But then, all herbs fit this category!
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- A little twig…
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- …goes…
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- …a long way!
Doddapatre Tambuli
This is not your run-of-the-mill recipe, since you’d be hard-pressed to find a plethora of recipes for this herb. You can make this refreshing and cooling side dish anytime of the year, especially if you have Cuban oregano growing indoors in a pot.
All you need is to snip off a few leaves from the tops. The plant will continue to grow and put out new leaves after the tops are pinched off.
You may love the strong menthol or camphor scent that this herb bears. If you grew up with this fantastic aroma and want the biggest bang for your health buck, use the leaves raw for this dish. Just remember that the fragrance intensifies when the leaves are crushed. If you prefer a milder version, quickly sauté the leaves for a couple of minutes before grinding them. My recipe provides both options.
Doddapatre (karpooravalli) or Cuban oregano contains high amounts of ascorbic acid, or vitamin C, vitamin A, and the essential fatty acid, omega-6. It also contains compounds that have anti-inflammatory properties. This wonderful herb also contains properties that can neutralize the capsaicin in hot peppers. Some gardeners rub cuban oregano all over the skin and use it as an insect repellant. It is also known for its antioxidant and antibacterial properties. This herb is a great way to keep those sniffles and coughs at bay. Yogurt, especially homemade, is a wonderfully gut-healing probiotic.
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Doddapatre Tambuli (Karpooravalli Thayir Pachadi)
Ingredients
Tambuli:
- 4 Cups Ajwain/Doddapatre/Karpooravalli Leaves - Washed, dried, packed in
- 1 Teaspoon Black Pepper - Whole (1/2 teaspoon if you prefer less spicy)
- 1 Teaspoon Cumin Seeds - Whole
- 1/2 Cup Yogurt - Or Kefir
- 1/2 Teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt - Or to taste
Tempering:
- 1/2 Teaspoon
Ghee - Make your own Ghee - 2 Dry Red Chili - Skip if you prefer less spicy
- 1/2 Teaspoon Mustard Seeds
Instructions
- Wash and dry the doddapatre leaves. You can place them between a kitchen towel and press them dry.
- In a small pan, dry roast whole black peppercorns on low to medium heat, for 2 mins. Stir constantly.
- Add cumin seeds and allow them to become fragrant (about 1 minute).
- In a spice blender, blend the peppercorns and cumin to a smooth powder. You can store this powder in the refrigerator in an air-tight container for future use.
- Add roughly chopped doddapatre leaves to the blender. See "Sauté Option" below if you want to lightly cook the leaves.
- Add 1 tablespoon yogurt/kefir and blend the leaves smooth. You may not need yogurt, should you decided to cook the leaves, since the leaves have a lot of water content.
- Add salt, the blended peppercorn/cumin powder and blend again for a few seconds. Empty this into a serving bowl.
- Whisk in additional yogurt/kefir depending on how thick you like your tambuli to be.
Sauté Option
- I love the taste and aroma of raw herbs. Doddapatre is at its healthiest best when consumed raw. However, if you are new to this herb, roughly chop the leaves and sauté for 2-3 minutes until the leaves wilt. This will reduce the intensity of the flavor. Blend the leaves with the water. Follow the rest of the cooking instructions in the recipe.
Tempering:
- Heat ghee (or oil) in a small pan. Splutter mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and dry red chili peppers for 20 seconds. Pour this tempering into the tambuli bowl, mix well and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Perfection!
Thanks Bindu!