Puliyodarai (South Indian Tamarind Rice)
Puliyodarai, is a speciality of the South Indian coastal state of Tamil Nadu. Also see Pulihora.
- Time
- 20 minutes
- Servings
- 5
Ingredients
Garnishing powder
- 1 tbsp split peas
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds
- ½ tsp fenugreek seeds
- 2–3 dry red chillies
Puliyodarai
- 4 cups cooked white rice
- Vegetable oil
- 2 tsp mustard seeds
- 3 tbsp gingely (sesame) oil ("Til" oil in Hindi, "Nallennai" in Tamil)
- 2 tbsp split peas
- 2 tbsp groundnuts (peanuts)
- ½ tsp asafoetida (heengh in Hindi, perungayum in Tamil)
- 3–4 dry red chillies
- 4–5 curry leaves
- 1.5 tbsp tamarind concentrate
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- ¾ tbsp salt
Method
- Dry roast all ingredients in a pan without oil until deep brown.
- Grind to a fine powder after the mix cools down.
- Heat the oil in a pan.
- Add groundnuts and split-peas, and fry until golden brown.
- Add mustard seeds, asafoetida and red-chillies (broken into pieces). Wait until the mustard seeds splutter, then remove pan from stove.
- Mix rice, salt, turmeric powder and tamarind concentrate. Add a little oil to the raw rice before cooking it. This gives it a better texture.
- Add the garnishing powder and curry leaves and mix well.
Notes
- Serve with yogurt/curd.
- Garnishing powder can be prepared ahead of time and can be stored for up to 2 months (no refrigeration needed).
- Vary amount of salt/spices as needed.
- 1 tsp sesame can be powdered and added for more taste.
- A pinch of jaggery can be added