South Indian special dish ( Pulihora )

History

Pulihora or Puliyodhara is very common preparation in Andhra pradesh, karanataka and Tamil nadu.  Puli means sour taste, Phlihora can also be referred as sour rice.   It is commonly known as tamarind rice, also known as chaddi and Chitrannam in some areas. Pulihora is commonly served as prasadam at temples and it tastes delicious. Pulihora is also known as poor mans feast. You can feel the sour, tangy, spicy taste all in one wonderful dish. Pulihora is a regular done for all  festivals.  Pulihora is made in difference varities (rice, ravva, lemon, mango).

Basic Information


Prep Time: Under 15 min
Cook Time: 1 to 2 hours
Serves: 2 people
Yield: The rice serves 2 ppl but the paste serves more than 10+ ppl

Ingredients

For the Tamarind Paste (shelf life 1-2 months (could be more..)

200 grams (7 oz) - Tamarind (seedless variety makes life easier)
20-25 dried red chillies
50 grams (around 2 oz) Bengal gram (channa dal)
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 cup sesame oil (not the toasted variety)
Salt to taste (using rock salt is traditional)

For the Powder (shelf life -"ever?")

5 tbsp coriander seeds
2 tsp fenugreek seeds
10-15 dried red chillies (optional)
Small sized Asafoetida (powder)

For the rice (at the time of preparation)

1 cup rice, cooked (make sure the strands are separate - Leftover rice works great)
1 tsp split black gram
1/4-1/2 cup peanuts
1/4-1/2 cup cashew
Few sprigs of curry leaves
2-3 dried red chillies (optional)
1-2 tsp sesame oil
Salt to taste


Method

1. Soak the tamarind in 2  cups of hot water for around 30 minutes.
2. Take this in a food processor
3.  and process it few times until it becomes thick
4. Strain this mixture to discard any lumps. The result should be a thick paste - if it is too thick for the strainer, add a little more of hot water, give it a whirl in your processor and strain again. The consistency should neither be too thick nor too watery.
5. Meanwhile make the powder. Dry roast the coriander seeds and fenugreek seeds seperately (or red chillies if you are using.)
6.  Grind them seperately.
7. Until ground fine. Mix them together and store them in a plastic container. They keep well and are handy while making the rice. Use this powder carefully. Too much of it will give a bitter taste to the dish.
• Note:You can alternativly grind only little of these (seperately, of course) at the time of making the rice and add it towards the end since the aroma that this imparts to the dish is mind blowing. But take care, esp. with fenugreek seeds powder since it can give a bitter taste if added even a little bit in excess.
8.  Now lets make the paste. Take a skillet and add the oil. Add the red chillies, then mustard seeds and then bengal gram.
• Note: We need to have some oil warming on the side hence added just a little to temper and then added the oil in the next step. It was simply for our own convinience and is not done this way.
9. Next add the Tamarind water(or sauce!)
10. Now starts the slow cooking process. Keep the heat at simmer and let it cook. You know its done when the raw smell of the tamarind is gone, the water reduces and thickens into a paste like consistancy and the oil oozes out on the surfaces. You can at the point do two things optionally -  add 1 tsp of fenugreek seeds or the powder. This is to give it more aroma. The recipe given my mom did not do this.
11. Remove from heat, cool it well and store it in a glass container. Keeps very well for a long time and requires only a wee little bit (depending upon your taste) at a time to be mixed in the rice.
• Note: The more solid the Tamarind paste , lesser is the amount required to be mixed. If you make sure to keep the paste within the oil, then it would last longer. If your mixture is dry, then it naturally reduces its shelf life. Use it sooner in that case.To prepare the rice, in 1 tsp of oil, temper the lentils, along with red chillies and curry leaves (or you can use fresh without tempering in oil) and then add in the peanuts and cashew (you can roast them seperately too).
12. Meanwhile cool the rice on a plate. Add 1 tsp of sesame oil and the required Tamarind Paste along with the tempered ingredients. Add the powder in pinches along with little salt. Adjust the powder and salt according to your tastes. Mix until well combined and serve