Puliyodharai or Puli Sadam – no matter how you call it, is indispensable during festival times in South India.
Made with simple south Indian pantry staples, every region has its own signature version. The best part about this rice is that it has a long shelf life and meal-prep friendly.
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This south Indian classic recipe, which also happens to be Prasadam in many temples is a mix of nostalgia and taste for me.
Puliyodharai transports me back to my childhood days when Amma used to take me to Perumal temples on Saturdays during Purattasi and Margazhi months.
I m not a very religious person but the lure of the puliyodharai was so irresistible that I accompanied Amma and stood in the long queues for the Dharshan. All of this only to get a scoop of that tamarind rice.
Ingredients for Puli Sadam
Simple south Indian pantry staples, when added in the right amounts and at the right time create marvels like this no onion no garlic Puliogare.
For this recipe here, we will first soak the tamarind in hot water. As it soaks and softens, we will roast the ingredients for the spice powder and then grind them to a coarse powder.
My spice powder uses all the good stuff including coriander seeds, fenugreeks seeds and pepper.
Once the spice powder is ready, we will prepare the Puli Kachal. This is basically a reduction of tamarind + our spice powder along with sesame oil and peanuts.
There is also salt obviously and jaggery for a balance.
Recipe Notes
- My recipe is an adaptation of the temple style tamarind rice aka Kovil Puliyodharai. This is why it uses a spice powder in the paste.
- Tamarind paste – is a good substitute for tamarind. It is definitely a time saver because you don’t need to soak it and strain it.
- If you are using store bought tamarind paste, the cooking time will reduce by 1/2 because it is already thick. Any ready to use tamarind paste is processed and therefore doesn’t need to be simmered for a long time.
- Using Basmati rice in Tamarind rice – gives a unique flavor. Traditionally, only medium grained rice like Ponni or Sona Masoori is used. But I love this version too.
- Rice that is cooked and cooled thoroughly makes the best Puli Sadam. Hot rice will make the rice mushier and stickier.
- My spice powder uses sesame seeds. This is optional but recommended. While sesame seeds add an earthy taste to this recipe, you can proceed to make this without it at all.
- Sesame oil is what makes this recipe whatever it is. Please do not substitute it with any other oil.
- Cooking rice in such a way that the grains are separate and not starchy makes for fantastic Puli Sadam. I recommend cooking it in the open pan if you have the time. This way, we will drain away the starch and thereby have lovely separate grains of rice.
Puli Kachal
is the lifeline of this rice. But not every tamarind rice uses spice powders or this method to make the Puli Kachal (our tamarind rice mix)
How to make Puli Sadam with store bought Tamarind rice mix?
If you are short on time, feel free to make this rice using store bought Puli Kachal mix. Most of the mixes have a rice: paste ratio mentioned on the packaging. Make sure to follow that. You just have to spritz it up a bit. To do this,
- cook and cool the rice completely by spreading it out on a plate.
- drizzle 1 tsp sesame oil and mix the rice while it is hot to prevent sticking of the grains together.
- Heat a pan with 1 tbsp sesame oil.
- Add raw peanuts when the oil is hot and fry them till they are golden and roasted. Drain and set aside.
- To the remaining oil, add 1 tsp mustard seeds and as soon as they crackle, add 1 tbsp Chana dal along with a pinch of asafetida and some curry leaves.
- Allow the Chana dal to turn a golden brown.
- Add the tempering to the cooled rice along with the fried peanuts.
- Now, add the required amount of the tamarind rice paste and mix gently using a fork.
- When done, serve with Appalam or Vadagam.
How to store Puli Kachal?
- Shelf life for Puli Kachal paste is 2 to 3 weeks when it is handled properly.
- To store Puli Kachal, allow the paste to cool down fully.
- Transfer using a clean wooden spoon into a clean sterilised glass jar.
- The glass jar must be completely free from moisture and should be sterilised to avoid fungal growth or molding.
- If you live in a humid place like Singapore or in hot places like India, I recommend storing it in the fridge to be on the safe side.
- Always handle the paste with a clean wooden spoon and do not use your hands.
Making ahead and batch cooking
Since this rice paste has a long shelf life, it is ideal as a meal prep component and for batch cooking.
With the quantity of Puli Kachal that you can make from my recipe, you should be able to serve a minimum of 10 people when there are also other dishes on the menu.
I generally make this even on non festive days because it is a life saver on busy mornings. To make it a complete wholesome meal, I pack this for lunch along with some Moong Dal Sundal and a protein shake.
Serving suggestions
In our house, we love eating this rice with some variety of Sundal and lots of Papad or Appalam. You can also serve it alongside Keerai Kootu, Aviyal or Paruppu Thuvayal.
Variations
Some of the most popular variations include Iyengar Puliogare, Melkote Puliyogare and Andhra style Puliohara
Step by Step Instructions
Soak tamarind in hot water for 20 mins.
Mash the tamarind well into the water using your hands and strain this liquid. Discard the residual pulp. Set aside the tamarind extract.
Heat a pan with 2 tsp oil and fry urad dal, sesame seeds, coriander seeds, black pepper corns, fenugreek seeds, red chili and chana dal until dals turns golden.
Make sure you make this on low flame. Let cool and grind to a slightly coarse powder.
Heat a pan with sesame oil.
Add peanuts and fry till golden. Drain and set aside.
Add mustard seeds and once they crackle, add urad dal, chana dal and curry leaves along with a large pinch of hing.
Once the dal turns golden, add the fried peanuts and immediately pour in the tamarind extract.
Add salt and jaggery and cook this till the raw smell of the tamarind goes away.
Once done, add the ground powder and mix well.
Continue to simmer this until oil begins to float to the surface.
Your Puliyodharai paste is ready. You can store this in the fridge for a week.
How to make Tamarind Rice with Puli Kachal Paste?
- Pressure cook medium grained rice – ideally Sona Masoori or Ponni. I prefer the rice grains to be fluffy and separate from each other.
- Once rice has cooked, transfer it into a shallow and wide plate and spread it out.
- Drizzle 1 tsp sesame oil over the rice and fluff the rice up using a fork to make sure that the oil coats the rice grains evenly. This step helps prevent the rice from drying and keeps it fluffy and moist.
- Allow the rice to cool down completely.
- Once the rice has cooled down, you will need 1/4 cup of this paste for 1 cup to 1.5 cups cooked rice.
- I recommend that you start by adding 4 to 5 tbsp to the rice and increase the quantity if required.
- The rice should not taste bland. It should taste tangy, spicy and flavorful all at once.
Puliyodharai - Tamarind Rice
Equipment
- 1 deep and heavy bottomed pan
- 1 Blender
- 1 Strainer
Ingredients
For the Puli Kalachal (Tamarind rice paste)
- 100 grams Tamarind
- 2 cups Hot water
- 3 tbsp Jaggery
- 3 tsp Salt or to taste
To roast and grind
- 2 tsp Sesame oil
- 2 tsp Urad dal
- 2 tsp Channa dal
- 4 tsp Coriander seeds
- 1 tsp Whole black pepper corns
- 1 tsp Fenugreek seeds
- 2 tsp Sesame seeds
- 15 Whole Red chilies
- 1/4 tsp Asafetida
To Temper
- 1/2 cup sesame oil
- 1/4 cup raw peanuts
- 2 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp fenugreek seeds
- 3 tbsp Channa dal
- 25 fresh curry leaves
For the Puliyodharai
- 1.5 cups Cooked and cooled short grain rice
- 1/2 cup Tamarind rice paste mix
Instructions
- Soak tamarind in hot water for 20 mins.
- In the meanwhile, heat a pan with 1 tsp sesame oil.
- Add urad dal, chana dal, sesame seeds, coriander seeds, pepper, fenugreek and dry red chilies on low medium flame till dal begins to turn light brown.
- Once done, let cool and grind to a smooth powder.
- Mash the tamarind well into the water using your hands.
- Strain this to get rid of strings.
- Set aside the tamarind extract.
- Heat a pan with sesame oil.
- Add peanuts and fry till golden.
- Drain and set aside.
- Add mustard seeds to this and once they pop, add urad and chana dal along with curry leaves and asafetida.
- Once dal turns golden, add fried peanuts and immediately pour the tamarind extract along with salt and jaggery.
- Simmer this till the raw smell of the tamarind goes away. Takes about 5 mins.
- Once done, add the ground spice powder and mix well.
- Turn the flame to medium heat and simmer until the oil begins to float on top and the mixture has reduced by 1/2 in volume.
- This is our tamarind rice paste.
For making Puliodharai
- Pressure cook medium grained rice - ideally Sona Masoori or Ponni. I prefer the rice grains to be fluffy and separate from each other.
- Once rice has cooked, transfer it into a shallow and wide plate and spread it out.
- Drizzle 1 tsp sesame oil over the rice and fluff the rice up using a fork to make sure that the oil coats the rice grains evenly. This step helps prevent the rice from drying and keeps it fluffy and moist.
- Allow the rice to cool down completely.
- Once the rice has cooled down, you will need 1/4 cup of this paste for 1 cup to 1.5 cups cooked rice.
- I recommend that you start by adding 4 to 5 tbsp to the rice and increase the quantity if required.
- The rice should not taste bland. It should taste tangy, spicy and flavorful all at once.
Video
Notes
Tamarind paste - is a good substitute for tamarind. It is definitely a time saver because you don't need to soak it and strain it.
If you are using store bought tamarind paste, the cooking time will reduce by 1/2 because it is already thick. Any ready to use tamarind paste is processed and therefore doesn't need to be simmered for a long time.
Using Basmati rice in Tamarind rice - gives a unique flavor. Traditionally, only medium grained rice like Ponni or Sona Masoori is used. But I love this version too.
Rice that is cooked and cooled thoroughly makes the best Puli Sadam. Hot rice will make the rice mushier and stickier.
My spice powder uses sesame seeds. This is optional but recommended. While sesame seeds add an earthy taste to this recipe, you can proceed to make this without it at all.
Sesame oil is what makes this recipe whatever it is. Please do not substitute it with any other oil.
Cooking rice in such a way that the grains are separate and not starchy makes for fantastic Puli Sadam. I recommend cooking it in the open pan if you have the time. This way, we will drain away the starch and thereby have lovely separate grains of rice.
For Instant Pot & Air Fryer Recipes
Instant Pot timings may vary based on your geographic location. Air fryer settings and timings may vary based on the capacity and the model of the Air fryer.
Disclaimer
Nutrition values are provided here as a courtesy and are only a rough guide. Please consult a health care provider if you have any concerns.
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