Puliyodharai | Puliyogare | Puli Sadham | Tamarind Rice | Puliyodharai Using Home Made Puliodharai Mix

Tamarind rice/Puliyodharai is a very authentic south Indian dish. I remember those days when I was a kid we used to go to picnics with our family, my Grandma used to make either Tamarind rice/Lemon rice (click here for recipe) and pack it in banana leaves, for us to have on the way. During the travel, we used to sit under shady trees or near some parks and have this food with chutneys/dips, boiled egg and some potato chips (click here for the potato chips recipe) or Crispy potato fry (click here for recipe). It is the best dish ever and whenever I make these I remember my childhood days, my grandma, some recipes make you nostalgic right? So now coming to the recipe it is a very delightful dish with a mild tangy flavor and good aroma. This recipe of mine does not use any ready-made puliyodharai or puliyogare powder. Instead I have used fresh home-made powder, this gives a sure difference in taste and aroma.  You can also use leftover rice.

INGREDIENTS
Serves 3 people
Total Preparation Time - 45 minutes

1. Uncooked Rice - 1 cup 
2. Tamarind - 1 lemon sized ball
3. Garlic pods - 2 
4. Whole Peanuts / Split Peanuts  - A handful (roasted / raw) 
5. Urad dal / Black gram - 1 teaspoon 
6. Split bengal gram / Kadalai paruppu - 1 teaspoon 
7. Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon 
8. Curry leaves - Few 
9. Fenugreek seeds - 3/4 teaspoon 
10. Asafoetida powder - 1/4 teaspoon 
11. Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
12. Dry red chillies - 2 
13. Salt - As per taste
14. Gingelly oil / Any cooking oil - 3 spoons 

PREPARATION TIME

• Soak tamarind in half a cup of water for 15 minutes and extract the juice from it. Set aside. Do not add too much of water. 
• Add 1 cup of rice and 2 cups of water, salt and pressure cook for perfectly 10 minutes on a medium flame. (or) You can also cook rice in a normal sauce pan. Make sure that the rice grains are not sticky, it should be grainy. 

• Add a spoon of oil to the rice and mix well and set aside. (preferably gingelly oil)
• In a pan add fenugreek seeds and asafoetida powder and dry roast until the seeds turns slightly brown. 
• Grind the above fenugreek mixture into fine powder and set aside.
• In a wide pan add oil, after it heats up add mustard leaves and let it splutter.
• Now add roasted split peanuts, urad dal, split bengal gram, garlic pods, dry red chillies  curry leaves, and saute till it turns brownish. Be careful not to burn them. 
• Now add the tamarind extract and the prepared fenugreek powder, turmeric powder, salt and stir well.
• Cook on medium flame till the water content reduces well and oil peeps out.
• Remove from flame.

• Now add this tamarind mixture to cooked rice and stir well so that the mixture spreads well.

• Close the pan with a lid and serve after 10 minutes.
• Serve with Red chilli coconut chutney (click here for recipe) or Coconut chutney (click here for recipe) and boiled egg.

TIP 1: Rice grains should be grainy after cooking. It should not be sticky. The best ratio is 1:2 (1 cup rice : 2 cups water). You can also add a spoon of oil along with rice and water and then pressure cook, this will give you grainy rice. 

TIP 2:  Peanuts add an extra delight to the recipe, but you can also omit it. Split peanuts without skin should be used.

TIP 3: You can also use leftover rice for making this recipe. For that first you have to steam (re-heat) the rice using a pressure cooker or any steaming method to make it fresh, especially if refrigerated before following this recipe.

Delicious and authentic South Indian Tamarind rice / Puliyodharai / Puliyogare, is now ready!!