South Indian Tamarind Rice

Posted On December 29, 2018

This is a special dish from South India. It is also known as Pulihora or Puliyogare, where puli means ‘sour taste’, which is given by Tamarind water. It is typically prepared using rice, but I have tried making it using both rice and cracked wheat and in my opinion, both versions taste good. People who are on diet can definitely go for cracked wheat.

Prep time: 20 min

Cook time: 10min

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 cup rice or 1 cup of cracked wheat

2 tsp coriander seeds

1 tsp fenugreek seeds

4-5 red chilli

2 tsp chand dal (Split Bengal Gram)

1/4 cup soaked chana dal

15-20 peanuts

1 tsp of mustard seeds

8-9 curry leaves

Asafoetida

1/3 cup tamarind.

2 tsp of clarified butter(ghee)

Preparation method with rice:

First of all, wash rice and chana dal separately and soak it in the water for half an hour. (you can use rice without soaking).

Take 3/4 water in the pot, add salt, bring it to boil and add soaked or un-soaked rice into it. Let it cook till it gives little crunch on the bite and softer enough from outside. Once it is done, drain water and put it aside.

Soak tamarind in warm water for 15 min. Then squeeze soaked tamarind with your hands in the same water and also press it against the strainer to get a pulp of it.

Puliyogare powder preparation

Dry roast 3-4 dry red chili, fenugreek seeds, coriander seeds, chana dal (Bengal gram split) together in a pan. (You can also roast separately with Red chili and coriander seeds together, while Fenugreek seeds and chana dal together).

Let it cool down and pour it into the mixing bowl to make powder separately or all together.

Final preparation

Take a saucepan, add 2 tsp of clarified butter(Ghee) to it and let it heat at low flame.

Once it is done, add 1tsp of mustard seeds, a pinch of asafoetida, 2 red dry chili, curry leaves to it and let it splutter.

Then add peanuts, chana dal and cook it with continuous stirring till both becomes little bit brown.

After that, add tamarind water and let it reduce (if tamarind water quantity is more).

Once tamarind water is reduced, add spices powder and mix it well.

Lastly add boiled rice to it and mix well. Add salt, if it it is not enough in rice.

Preparation method with cracked wheat:

Wash cracked wheat with water and soak it for half n hour if possible, otherwise you can use directly.

Take a medium sized pot, add 3/4 of water into it and bring it to boil.

Then add cracked wheat to it and let it cook till it gets soft from outside, yet crunchy on bite.

Once it is cooked, the entire ingredients and recipe is same as with the rice.