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Cook Time :40 Min | Servings : 4 Persons

Tamarind Rice / Iyengar Kovil Puliyodharai / Puli Sadam
An Iyengar Kovil puliyodharai rice recipe. The rice tastes similar to the one we get in Temples. We often pack tamarind rice when we go on trips, they wont be spoiled for 2 days in the normal outside temperature. In our Kongunadu region, we normally don’t add any extra masala podi which we add in this recipe.
Tamarind Rice / Iyengar Kovil Puliyodharai / Puli Sadam

Ingredients :
Tamarind big Lemon size
Rice 4 cup
Sesame Oil 4 tsp
Mustard Seed 1/4 tsp
Channa dhal 1 tsp
Asafoetida 1 pinch
Red Chili 7 nos
Curry leaves 1 strand
Ground nut/ Peanut 1/2 cup
Turmeric Powder 1 tsp
To fry and grid :
Red Chili 5 nos
Channa dhal 2 tsp
Coriander seed 2 tsp
Fenugreek seed 1/4 tsp
Sesame Seed 1 tbsp
Directions:
  1. Step 1

    Extract tamarind juice to not more than 2 cups. Fry the items given in “To fry and grid” in a pan with little oil. Fry till they turn golden brown and the sesame seed starts crackling. Grind them to a fine powder. Cook the Rice and allow it to cool down. Mix the rice with sesame oil- 4 tsp, ground powder – 3 tsp, keep separately in a plate.

  2. Step 2

    In a non-stick pan or wok, heat sesame oil – 4 tbsp, When hot, add mustard. When mustard splutters add Channa dhal, Asafoetida, Red Chili, Peanut, Curry leaves and fry for 2 minutes. Add the tamarind extract, turmeric and salt. Allow tamarind to cook till the raw smell leaves and the oil separates. Do not forget to stir often. Add ground powder – 2 tsp and cook for about 5 minutes in low flame. Add the rice and mix gently well. Taste for salt and add salt if required. Add the remaining ground powder if any now and allow the rice mix to stay for 30 min before serving.

Tips :
  • The ground powder is optional. But if you want it to taste like Temple Tamarind Rice, then powder is must.
  • Peanuts can also be skipped.
  • Cashew nuts can also be added to enhance the taste.
  • You can grind the podi in bulk and save it in refrigerator for future usage.

(*) Serve with Pappads, Applam, Vadam.