Puliyodharai (Tamarind Rice)

Puliodharai (Tamarind Rice)

Ingredients

 For Tamarind Pickle (makes 2 cups. can be stored in fridge)

• 1.5 cup Tamarind fruit (or 2 cups thick tamarind extract)
• 4 cups warm Water
• 8-10 Dried Red Chilli
• 1 TBsp Black Mustard Seeds (Rai)
• 2 TBsp Chana Dal (brown chickpea lentil)
• 2 TBsp Urad Dal (split black gram) {opional}
• 2 tsp Methi Seeds (Fenugreek)
• 1 tsp Jaggery (or sugar)
• 2 TBsp Salt (adjust to taste)
• 1 tsp Hing chunks (asafoetida) {If chunks not available, use
• 4 TBsp Curry Leaves
• 1 cup Sesame Oil (til oil)

For the Tamarind Rice

• 1 cup cooked rice
• 1 TBsp Sesame Oil
• 1 TBsp Pulikkachal (Tamarind Pickle)
• 1 TBsp roasted Peanuts

Optional (additional flavor)

• 1 tsp Coriander Seeds
• 1 Dry Red Chilli

Instructions

To make the Pickle

1. Soak tamarind fruit in warm water for 15 minutes.
2. Squeeze out all the pulp into the water and discard the fruit.
3. Dry roast fenugreek (methi) seeds Remove & grind to a coarse powder. (use a mortar & pestle or a grinder)
4. Heat Sesame (Til) Oil and add the Hing chunks. Let that fry for 1 minute. (If you don’t have chunks, skip this step & add powder along with the salt.
5. Add Dried Red Chillies. Let them fry in the oil for 1-2 minutes.
6. Add the Chana Dal & Urad Dal & fry until the dals turn golden brown.
7. Add curry leaves & turmeric powder. Add the tamarind extract water & mix well.
8. Add the salt, (if using – asafietida powder), jaggery (or sugar)
9. Let the mixture boil & reduce by half.
10. Add the ground Methi (fenugreek) seeds
11. Mix well and continue to boil.
12. Let the mixture cook until it has reduced and become a thick paste. (another way to tell if its done is when the oil starts to leave & float around the sides)
13. Store in air tight container in the fridge for upto 3 months

To make the Tamarind Rice

1. Cook rice. Cool the rice by spreading it all over a large plate & mixing some oil in it. This helps to cool it faster while also ensuring it doesn’t form lumps.
2. Once the rice is cool, add enough tamarind pickle (pulikkachal). Mix well without breaking the rice.
3. You can add roasted peanuts, if you want
4. For additional flavor, roast coriander seeds & dry red chilli & Grind to a powder
5. Add this powder to the rice. Mix well & serve.
6. This is the kind of rice that tastes better & better as it has time to rest & absorb all that flavor from the pickle.