May 27, 2009

Puliyodarai/Tamarind Rice



Puliyodarai is fondly associated with travel. Lemon rice also shares the travel food tag. When packed and taken for a train journey, it stays good for a day. Also it is a common prasadam in many of the temples. Once the puliyodarai paste is made, preparing the tamarind rice is a breeze. It makes a good lunch box food too. The tamarind paste stays good for a week on refrigeration and for a month on freezing. The preserved pulyodaria paste and some cooked rice will come handy, if you have to prepare a quick lunch. There are umpteen ways to prepare the paste. This is my MIL's recipe and its a favorite with our family. Once you taste ice with the fresh, home made paste, you will never go for the instant puliyodarai powders available in the market.

Ingredients

To dry roast and powder
Red chilli - 3 nos
Chana dal/Kadala paruppu - 1 tspn
Urad dal/Uzhunnu paruppu - 1 tspn
Sesame seeds/Ellu - 1/2 tspn
Methi seeds/vendhayam/Uluva - 1/2 tspn

For the paste
Tamarind - lemon sized
Turmeric - 1/4 tspn
salt

Seasoning

Gingely oil/Nalennai - 4 tblspn
Mustard seeds - 1 tspn
Chana dal - 1 tspn
Roasted peanuts - 2 tblspn
Curry leaves

3 cups of cooked rice.
Method
Soak the tamarind in a cup of warm water. Extract the thick pulp and keep it aside.

Dry roast all the ingredients till the dals turn golden. Cool and powder it fine.

Heat a kadai with gingely oil. Add the mustard seeds. When it splutters, add chana dal, peanuts and curry leaves. Let the dal turn golden brown. Stir in the thick tamarind extract and add turmeric. Let it simmer till it thickens. Add salt and the ground powder. Simmer till it blends well.

Spread the cooked rice on a plate to cool. Drizzle some gingely oil so that the rice doesn't stick together. Add the paste to the cooked rice and mix gently. Serve with fried applams and enjoy your meal. I served with home made tapioca vadam and salad.


Thanks to Nags for hosting MM# Ravishing Rice, an event started by Meeta, since the recipe in my drafts, finally made it to the blog. This post is also for my blog reader A, who wanted the recipe. And thanks to my friend R, who introduced A to my blog.


















24 comments:

  1. Oh wow this is my favourite...Love the tangy taste of tamrind with rice....looks yum...

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  2. ummmmmm mouthwatering that plate looks so inviting.yum yum yummy

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  3. looks delicious..i love puliyodharai..looks good with vethal and raitha

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  4. Yummy tamarind rice... last week when we went trekking I was asked to make Pulihora cos its the best thing to carrry during travelling!!

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  5. Ah that is my favorite tamarind rice!

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  6. That's our favourite dish, that too when you are travelling, because it tastes good the next day, looks delicious...with raitha..., is their carrot in the raitha ?, must be tasting very good, I make carrot koshambari with puliyogarai, they are a good combo

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  7. Jaya..thats an amazing comfort food..I loved the look..perfect..:)

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  8. Hello and let me commend you for doing a wonderful job with this blog. Your post are entertaining and the layout of your blog is smooth and clean.

    I would like to offer my congratulations as I have finished reviewing " Experiments in Kailas Kitchen" and I'm happy to inform you that your blog has been added to Blogging Women.

    I wish you continued success with this blog and all you do.

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  9. Nice tamarind rice... I make it from the MTR powder.. Your looks easy to try at home...

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  10. Love the puliyodarai that is served in temples....urs look yummy...

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  11. I agree this is mainly associated with travel,whenever I've travelled in India,this was one of the main food taken along with us.Actually this time,the cook in my place in India made some Puliyogare gojju/paste for me as I wanted to carry with me here.She dint do the seasoning and dint add the peanuts.I believe i need to do the seasoning and saute peanuts,add the tamarin paste and then mix rice as and when i need.I believe by doing this,we can keep the paste for long.This is sumtng i learnt from her.Yours looks wonderful!

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  12. Thank you all for you lovely comments.

    Jaysri, there is carrot in that raitha.

    Fay, thanks. Have added the badge in my blog.

    Nithya, If peanuts are added, it will not stay fresh for long and thats the case with seasoning too. If you are refrigerating immmdtly, then its fine.

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  13. My all time favourite rice dish!

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  14. thank you so much for sending over the tangy classic!! :)

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  15. Love this at all times especially with raita & vadam. Looks yummy.

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  16. thank you very much.we relished it today itself

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  17. Love tangy tamarind rice. Looks delicious.

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  18. Thank you Ajitha for the quick feedback. Glad your family liked it.

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  19. Who could resist such a delicious, tempting tamarind rice! Let me dig into the plate :)

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  20. hi iam a new blogger..
    this is my fav recipe...good job..thank you

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  21. love the tangy and spicy flavour of this rice....

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  22. My all time favorite dish...Fabulous and awesome platter...

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