Puliyodharai |Tamarind Rice

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I have tasted Puliyodharai aka Tamarind rice at my friend’s place and always wanted to make this. Though I never searched for a recipe earlier and use to think it is just adding tamarind paste to the rice. No it is not just that. A few spices along with tamarind and the masalas are cooked to perfection. They are then mixed with rice, allowed to rested for sometime for the flavours to develop.

Puliyodarai, Puliyogare, or simply Tamarind Rice is a very popular South Indian rice-based dish usually eaten as a snack or for breakfast. Puli means sour taste and Ogara means rice thus Puliyogare means sour tasting rice

I love to find authentic recipes. So my quest for an authentic recipe landed me this recipe. Her description of the process of making the tamarind paste (pulikaachal ) and as the main ingredient in Puliyodharai aka Tamarind Rice, convinced me that this is the perfect recipe. The fact that it is a traditional recipe, made me look no further. I immediately shortlisted this to try and I am glad I did.

A few things to remember in this recipe are first, tamarind masala paste (pulikaachal ). If that is perfect your Puliyodharai aka Tamarind Rice would be simply tasty. The rice should be perfectly cooked and not soggy. Third, once the masala is mixed you need to let the rice rest for at least 1 hour for the flavors to develop. I know the wait is difficult, but it is one of the crucial steps.

I have prepared a jar of this tamarind masala and whenever I have some leftover rice or I at times prepare rice only to make this. This can be one of your easy tiffin box recipes. Just make it a day earlier and pack it, your rice will develop the taste overnight and would be flavourful and yum.

Puliyodharai |Tamarind Rice

A tangy rice dish made with a mix of masalas infused with the flavor of tamarind pulp to get the perfect Iyengar Style Puliyodharai aka Tamarind rice.

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Keyword: Gluten Free, Vegan

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Resting Time: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 25 minutes minutes

Author: Renu Agrawal-Dongre

Ingredients

Spice Powder

• 3 teaspoon coriander seeds (dhania seeds)
• 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds (methi seeds)
• 3-4 dry red chillies (add more for spicy)
• 3 teaspoon white sesame seeds (Til)
• 2 teaspoon black pepper

For Tamarind paste / pulikaachal

• 1/3 Cup sesame oil (Gingely oil)
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds (Rai)
• 2 teaspoon chana dal
• 4 dry red chillies
• 1 teaspoon Gluten Free Hing (Asafoetida) **Please see Notes
• 2 teaspoon Turmeric (Haldi)
• 3 sprigs curry leaves
• 1/2 cup peanuts
• Salt
• 2 tablespoon jaggery
• Big lemon sized tamarind

To Serve

• Rice as required

Instructions

Spice Powder

• Dry roast all the ingredients listed under spice powder one by one.
• Dry roast on slow until they are dark and golden.
• Keep it aside on a plate to cool.
• Once the spices are cooled, grind it to a fine powder.

Tamarind Pulp

• Soak a big lemon size tamarind in 2 cups of water for at least 30 minutes.
• Squeeze the tamarind to extract the pulp.
• Strain the pulp and discard the seeds.
• Set aside.

Pulikaachal – Tamarind Paste

• In a pan add the sessame oil.
• Once hot, add in the mustard seeds.
• Let the mustard seeds splutter.
• Now add the red chillies, and chana dal.
• Roast on slow till the chana dal is golden.
• Now add the tamarind extract / pulp.
• Add the hing, turme3ric powder and curry leaves.
• Add in the roasted peanuts, salt and jaggery.
• Simmer the tamarind mixture on low flame for 15-20 minutes.
• Switch off the flame and now add the ground spice powder.
• Mix and allow it cool completely.
• Store this mix, in a clean and sterile jar in refrigerator for later use.

Assembling the Tamarind Rice

• One can use leftover rice or make fresh rice for making Tamarind Rice.
• Do not let the rice to go mushy.
• Once the rice is cooled completely, mix half a cup of prepard tamarind paste – pulikaachal.
• Half a cup should be sufficient for 2-3 cups of prepared rice.
• One can add more or less of the tamarind paste as per taste.
• Adjust salt if required.
• Mix well to combine.
• Let it sit for at least 1 hour before serving.
• Serve it with some papad.

Notes

• Asafoetida (Hing) powder available in shops contains wheat and is not gluten free. Gluten intolerant people can either skip completely or opt for Gluten Free Asafoetida (Hing)

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Disclaimer: I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.

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