Puliyodharai|Kovil Puliyodharai|Tamarind rice

ABOUT

Puliyodharai also called Tamarind rice is a variety rice made with tamarind paste and a special Puliyodharai Podi tossed with steamed rice. It is a very popular dish in South India. You can get the best puliyodharai from the temples and nothing can beat that taste. This is such a delicious recipe which brings out the exact Kovil (temple) style taste and you can store the puliyodharai mix as well. We will be discussing about the Puliyodharai podi and Puliyodharai premix as well.

It is so versatile, and has great storage life , and you can make it in no time, when the premix is ready. In my home, almost everyone loves this dish I am a great fan of puliyodharai and I can’t resist it he especially the crunchiness from peanuts and that tanginess!! OMG!! . Whenever we plan an outing , the mandatory lunch we pack is this puliyodharai and lemon rice. This a traditional recipe which can never go wrong! Do it, store it and you will thank me later!!

MAJOR INGREDIENTS

Tamarind

This is one of the major ingredient as the same says! There are two types of tamarind in market. One is old tamarind which will be black and the other is new one, which has a brown color. If you want your mix to be dark, use the old ones. They have more tangy taste than brown ones. I usually mix both of it and use to balance the color and taste.

Puliyodharai Podi

This is a special type of podi made with whole spices like fenugreek seeds, pepper, coriander seeds, sesame seeds, and salt.

Oil

Gingelly Oil is used for this recipe. This gives a super flavor to the puliyodharai mix and also acts as a preservative to store the ready mix. I recommend you to stick with gingelly oil but in case you want an alternative use normal vegetable oil.

Rice

Tamarind rice is always made with steamed rice. You can use normal ponni rice , raw rice or even basmati rice. Make sure it is cooled before it is added to the premix.

You can store the premix and whenever you need it can be mixed with steamed rice. You can also use leftover rice for this recipe.

TIPS AND NOTES

1. It is recommended to roast each whole spice separately to make puliyodharai podi. Each one has its own roasting point, so roast in medium flame till aromatic without burning.
2. The podi can also be stored separately and used later in tamarind(puliyodharai) mix or even in your puli kuzhambu or curries.
3. To make puliyodharai premix, make sure the tamarind paste has thickened and oil has separated before storing. Oil act as preservative for the premix.
4. Don’t add too hot rice , it makes it mushy while mixing. Always cool the steamed rice before mixing.
5. While storing the premix , add 2 tbsp of gingelly oil on top so that it remains fresh and aromatic for long.
6. While taking the premix pulp, strain the oil and use, so that oil will always be there above the premix.

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS WITH PHOTOS

For the Puliyodharai podi, take a pan, add coriander seeds and roast till aromatic. If you are making a small quantity you can put all the ingredients for podi and roast together

Now add sesame seeds and roast. I have used white Sesame seeds. Usually sesame seeds tends to roast very quick, so roasting it separate will give you correct flavor. It starts to crackle as soon as you put it in a hot pan. Keep it separate once done.

Now add Fenugreek seeds and roast. It pops very quickly similar to sesame seeds. Keep the flame in low while roasting Fenugreek and sesame seeds.

Now add whole pepper and roast till aromatic. Pepper gives the touch of temple style Puliyodharai taste.

Once everything is roasted and cooled down, grind them into slightly coarse powder.

To a pan , add gingelly oil 1/4 cup, add the mustard seeds , chana dal, curry leaves and let the mustard seeds crackle and chana dal turn slight golden. These tempering gives a beautiful texture.

Add the curry leaves, red chilli and roasted peanuts. Saute till peanuts turn golden. Make sure the peanuts are fresh without any old smell and use skin peeled peanuts.

Take tamarind and soak in 1.5 cups of water for 20 minutes. Now squeeze the pulp and strain the tamarind water. Add it, once the tempering are roasted.

Add 1/2 more cup of water, turmeric powder and let it cook completely. The raw smell from the tamarind and turmeric powder has to vanish and it will start to reduce.

Now add Red chilli powder based on the spice level. Let the raw smell of red chilli vanish.

Please note this is for premix and you are going to take a portion of it to mix it with your rice.

Now add the grounded puliyodharai powder and mix well. It will start to thicken and give you beautiful aroma. You could feel the puliyodharai flavor from here.

Mix till it reduces and comes together with the oil oozing out. You can store it once it’s cooled a little. Add 2 tbsp of oil over the premix before closing. Don’t think about calories, gingelly oil acts as a preservative and will keep your mix fresh and tasty for long.

Now for mixing with steamed rice, take a little around 3 tbsp of premix and mix with steamed rice. You can reduce or increase the premix based on your liking of tanginess.

Here you go!! Temple style puliyodharai is ready!!

Happy Eating !!