Ambe Saata Tambuli/Ripe Mango Fruit Leather Chutney.

"Ambe Saatache Tambuli/ Sun-dried Ripe Mango Pulp (also known as Mango fruit leather) Chutney" ... A delicious side dish served with rice from Konkani Saraswat Cuisine prepare using sun dried items during monsoon or winter season .....

** Sun dried items were prepared in bulk during summer and stored for year round usage by our ancestors that has sadly now dropped in numbers. Delicious dishes could be churned out of these and my Mom prepared a lot of them specially papads, vodi, brined items like raw mango, raw jackfruit etc. Well, we do get some of them in stores now prepared commercially for sale. It is really not difficult to prepare saat ie dried fruits sheets know as fruit leather but one needs hot sunlight facility for the same. This ambe saat is prepared out of the saat which my hubby friend gave him and is from Mangalore where you do find them in certain particular places prepared and sold during summer. I was really happy to receive it as it had been ages since I had relished the same. Here is my simple recipe for tambuli prepared using ambe saat. I have re-edited this write up but the recipe remains same as was mentioned earlier. 

** Here is my recipe for "Ambe Saatache Tambuli/ Sun-dried Ripe Mango Pulp (also known as Mango fruit leather) Chutney" ... My Style ... 

** Wash clean and soak about 100 gms of chopped Ambe saat in lukewarm water for about an hour. The water should just soak the ambe saat. Do not add excess water as this water will be used for grinding of the tambuli.

** Heat 1 tsp oil in small kadai add 1 tsp mustard seeds (rai/sasam), then add in a few curry leaves (Kadipatta/karbevu), ½ tsp cumin seeds (jeera), 2 tsp coriander seeds (kothimbir/dhania), 4-5 Red chillies (suki byadgi mirchi/kumte mirsanga) and fry for just few minutes. Add in ½ cup of freshly grated coconut (soyi/nariyal) and fry for just a minute or two and remove.

** Note : Addition of Coconut is optional, if you do not want to add it, just skip it and increase the amount of ambe saat for thickness of the tambuli. I have coconut as it not only makes the tambuli bulkier in texture but is also tastier.

** Put all the fried ingredients into a mixer grinder along with a big lemon sized lump of tamarind and 1/2 a cup of grated jaggery/goda (Optional). Add in the soaked ambe saat along with the water in which it was soaked and grind to a paste adding extra water only if needed, the tumbuli texture is that of thick chutney and should not be thinned out. Add salt to taste and mix well.

** Note : Addition of jaggery is optional or do check out the ambe saat by tasting it before including the same as the saat is prepared with addition of jaggery or sugar and each one has their own quantity addition of the same, some are too sweet, while some are not so, though the ones we get in Mangalore, the traditional ones are not sweet and a little bit of jaggery is needed. 

** "Ambe Saatache Tambuli/ Sun-dried Ripe Mango Pulp (also known as Mango fruit leather) Chutney" is done and ready to be served. This tambuli goes well is usually served with hot rice as side dish though in my home I serve it with anything like, Dosa/ Oondi/ Cutlets/ Samosa/ Chapati etc. As the tambuli is khatha meetha teekha it goes well with all dishes, trust me sometime I just have a spoon of it as it is too.

** The shelf life of this tambuli is not good if coconut is added on to it and remain good in fridge for only a day or two. So do not prepare it in excess, but relish it fresh as it tastes best when served fresh. Do try out this dish if you can catch hold of ambe saat from town.