Puliyodharai/Puliyogare/Tamarind Rice

Call it puliyodharai or tamarind rice puliyogare, what you see is a spicy n tangy version of rice commonly seen in South India. It’s most often served as a prasadam in temples. Moreover, it doesn’t get spoiled and stays fresh for a longer duration, making it an ideal recipe for your long train journeys or trips. Pair it with some chips or wafers or papad and a yummy soothing meal is ready. No wonder its a favourite among most South Indians. Unfortunately, it wasn’t

known to us while we used to travel from Mumbai to Kerala in train. All we knew was curd rice, pooris and idli with podi 🙂 Another recipe in this league is lemon rice, which too stays fresh for a longer time.

You make the dry powder before hand and store it in airtight containers. And if you have some left over thin grained rice, this gets done in a jiffy. You don’t really need the long grained superior basmati rice. Roasted peanuts add a nice crunch to this, however you may choose to omit it if you don’t like the taste. I don’t use it when I make this for Neha. You can add less of the spice powder if you prefer a milder taste. Also sesame or gingelly oil works best for this recipe. You can increase the quantity of oil if you are making it for a long travel, so that it stays fresh for a longer period.

Ingredients:

• Cooked rice 1 cup
• Salt to taste
• Udad dal 3 tsp
• Chana dal 3 tsp
• Sesame seeds 1 tsp
• Coriander seeds 2 tsp
• Black pepper corns 8-10
• Fenugreek seeds 8-10
• Asafoetida a big pinch
• Mustard seeds 1/4 tsp
• Dry red chilies 3-5
• Sesame oil 1 tbsp
• Red chili powder 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
• Jaggery powder 1 tsp
• Curry leaves few
• Tamarind a small lime size
• Peanuts 1 tablespoon (optional)

Method:

• Soak tamarind in around 1/4 cup water and keep aside.
• In a kadhai add a teaspoon of oil and add two teaspoons of udad dal and chana dal, sesame seeds, coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, pepper corns and 3-4 dry red chilies. Roast for 3-4 minutes.

• Remove from heat and powder it in a dry mixer jar.

• Heat the remaining oil in a kadhai and add mustard seeds.
• When they splutter, add dry redchiles, curry leaves and one teaspoon of udad dal and chana dal.

• Now reduce the flame and add roasted peanuts, asafoetida, salt, red chili powder and turmeric powder.

• Add the tamarind pulp and bring to a boil. Add the jaggery powder.

• Once the tamarind pulp thickens, add around 1.5-2 tbsp of the powdered masala and mix well.

• Add around one cup of cooked rice to this mixture and mix gently. If the mixture looks too dry, then sprinkle some water.

• Let this sit for five minutes before serving.
• Serve it with papad of your choice or pack it for your long train journey.