Puliodharai / Pulikachal
(from Nandini’s recipe box)
Source: http://ticklingpalates.blogspot.in/2011/08/puliodharai-pulikachal.html
Categories: Rice recipies
Ingredients
- Cooked Rice 2 cups
- Tamarind 100 gms
- Mustard Seeds 1 tsp
- Asafetida 1/4 tsp
- Sesame Seeds 1 tsp
- Turmeric Powder 1/2 tsp
- Whole red chillies 5
- Channa dal 2 tsp
- Peanuts 1 handful
- Curry Leaves 2 sprigs
- Gingelly oil 100 ml
- Salt To taste
- For Powder – 1
- Channa Dal 2 tbsp
- Coriander seeds 2 tbsp
- Black pepper corn 1/2 tsp
- For Powder – 2
- Fenugreek Seeds 1/2 tsp
- Whole red chillies 8 - 10
- Black Sesame Seeds 2 tsp
Directions
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For Powder – 1: Dry Roast the ingredients separately one after the other and powder finely. Reserve 2 tsp of this powder separately.
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For Powder – 2: Heat a pan with a tsp of gingelly oil and roast one after the other and powder it finely and keep it aside.
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Bring some water to boiling hot and soak the tamarind in the water and close with a lid. Let it be for 1/2 hour. Now mash the pulp well by hand and it will be very easy to extract the pulp or you can also blend it in a blender and pass it through a sieve. The extract has to be thick.
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Heat the gingelly oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds. once they splutter add asafetida, sesame seeds, whole red chillies, channa dal, peanuts, curry leaves and roast well.
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Add the tamarind extract from the sides of the pan, turmeric powder and salt and let it come to a boil. Add both the powders to the tamarind extract and cook over medium flame till it thickens a bit or till the oil starts to separate. This is the time to take it off the stove.
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Pulikachal is ready to be served. You can store this in an airtight container and it stays good for a fortnight. Remember to use a clean spoon always.To make Puliodharai: Spread the cooked rice on a plate. Drizzle gingelly oil all over the rice. Add required amount of pulikachal and the reserved Powder-1 and mix well taking care not to break the rice. Serve with vadams.
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Notes:
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Do not add pulikachal to hot rice. Cool the rice first to room temperature.
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Cooking the pulikachal for a long time to make it thick will render it bitter.
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For enhanced taste use both old or aged and new tamarind equally. While the aged tamarind gives nice taste, the new one will give nice color.
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Using rock salt will make pulikachal to last long.
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Use Gingelly oil for authentic taste. You can use other oils too.