Tamarind Rice or Puliyogare

Tamarind rice is a tangy rice preparation from the South of India. I have memories of Amma making this for us when we were little. The homemade spice powder used to season elevates the dish to another level. Puliyogare is best eaten with curd rice as it neutralizes the tangy spicy preparation. It can be also had with tea or even served at parties or gatherings as an accompaniment to other preparations.

Tamarind trees are also a common sight in coastal Karnataka. When I was a little girl, our (my sister and neighborhood kids’) summer afternoons were spent climbing trees all around our locality. Tamarind, mango, and star fruit trees were the most popular ones. We went in a group and plucked sour fruits from the trees and enjoyed it with chili powder and salt. We practically knocked on any of our neighbors close to the trees we plucked the fruit from and requested them to share the spices. The tamarind fruit also has seeds in it which was collected, sun dried and roasted. The seeds were cracked open and eaten as a treat. Love the earthiness of the roasted tamarind seeds and the adventurous childhood summer afternoons.

Back to reality now and on with making some puliyogare.

Servings

4-6

Prep Time

15-20 minutes

Cook Time

15 -20 minutes

Total Time

35-40 minutes

INGREDIENTS

2 cups rice
2 tsp urad dal
1 tsp chana dal
1 tsp cumin seeds
4 tbsp raw peanuts
4 dried red chilies
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp turmeric
½ tsp asafetida or hing powder
1 tsp each black and white sesame seeds
2 tomatoes, chopped
2 green chilies, chopped
2 sprigs of curry leaves
2 tbsp cilantro chopped
2-3 tsp coconut
2-3 tbsp tamarind paste
Salt to taste
2 tsp jaggery
2 tbsp sesame oil, ghee or any oil

For the spice powder:

2 tbsp urad dal
1 tbsp chana dal
1 tsp each cumin and coriander seeds
1 tbsp each black and white sesame seeds
10 dried red chilies

PREPARATION

Step 1
Soak rice for 20 minutes, cook and keep aside to cool.

Step 2
To make the spice powder roast all the ingredients in a pan until light brown and fragrant. When it cools dry grind to a fine powder and keep aside.

Step 3
Heat oil or ghee in a pan add the urad and chana dals, peanuts, red chilies, sesame seeds, mustard and hing. When mustard splutters add turmeric, hing, curry leaves and tomatoes. Add salt and cook until tomatoes are soft.

Step 4
Add jaggery, tamarind paste , coconut and the prepared spice powder. Cook until the mixture turns brown and oil releases from the mixture. Now add cilantro.

Step 5
Add cooked cooled rice to the mixture and mix well. Turn off the flame and serve hot.

Notes:
If you are short on time you can use sambar powder instead of the spice powder.

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The famous proverb "you are what you eat” as quoted by the French author Anthelme Brillat-Savarin is very true. Food nourishes you from the inside out. Good health is of utmost importance to me. Vegetarianism and Veganism are gaining immense popularity these days. Natural, organic, healthy and homemade is my mantra.