Puliyogare or Tamarind Rice is a common but much liked dish from South India. It’s derived from the words Puli meaning Sour and Ogara mening rice in a South Indian language and so it means Sour rice. It’s called Huli anna in Karnataka and Chitrannam in Andhra Pradesh. I usually make prepare the Puliogare paste and store it and mix it up with rice as and when the need be. The paste has a shelf life of around 1 month. Even when you are preparing it the aroma of tamarind with other spices will arouse your taste buds and send your digestive juices on high gear.
Tamarind rice is perfect for festivals and is served in the temples in South India as temple food or prasad.
Tamarind Rice
Time taken: 30 min
Taste-o-meter: Savoury
Ingredients:
• Rice: 1 cup
• Salt: according to taste
• Tamarind (lemon-ball sized): 1
• Water: 200 ml
• Spilt black gram: 50 g
• Bengal gram: 50 g
• Dried red chillies: 20 g
• Oil (preferably sesame oil): 150 ml
• Asafoetida: 1 tsp
• Mustard seeds: ½ tsp
• Black pepper: 4-5
• Turmeric powder: a pinch
• Green chilli: 1
• Ginger: a small piece
• Curry leaves: a few sprigs
• Peanuts: 5 tbsp
Method:
• Cook the rice with salt to taste and keep it aside.
• Soak tamarind in 200 ml water and extract the pulp.
• Roast the spilt black gram, Bengal gram and red chilies separately and grind to a coarse powder.
• In a pan, heat the oil and add asafoetida, mustard seeds, pepper, turmeric powder, green chilies, ginger, peanuts and curry leaves.
• When the mustard seeds crackle, add tamarind pulp, powdered masala and salt to taste.
• Cook till all the water evaporates and the mixture thickens.
• Add the mixture/paste to the rice and mix well.
• Serve hot with papad and curd.