Recipe - Thambuli, various types.

I am from Udupi, Karnataka. Nowadays, we get all types of vegetables almost throughout the year. It was not like that in my grandma's days. During the monsoon season, it rained heavily, as if the sky opened up and poured water on us. We could not get out of the house often to buy vegetables and other things. I remember, our house had beams on the ceiling, inside our dining and Pooja rooms. Vegetables like southekai (yellow cucumber/ಸೌತೆಕಾಯಿ), raw banana (ಬಾಳೆಕಾಯಿ), onions in bunches, used to hang from the ropes - the southekai was tied in banana stems (ಬಾಳೆ ನಾರು) and tied to the beam, to hold them for months together. We use all parts of southekai - the skin and seeds also, in our recipes. Likewise, different ingredients, available in the kitchen, are used to make different types of thambuli, gojju(ಗೊಜ್ಜು)/chutney etc. And coconut tree will be there in each and every house! So, we use coconut, butter milk, curd etc. in a number of recipes. Grandma cooked, for months together, without going out for shopping for vegetables! Imagine us, cooking without fresh vegetables now!

Let me give you the recipes of different types of thambuli first. We can mix this with rice and eat. It will be tasty with chapaathis also. Please try them and let me know if you liked it!

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