Puliyodare
To serve :16.
Time taken:
For the tamarind sauce: 75
minutes, the garnish:10 minutes, the rice:30 minutes and to put everything
together about 30 minutes depending on the quantity being made.
You will need:
For the tamarind reduction:
½ kilo tamarind.
2 litres water
2 tablespoons Red Chilly powder
2 tablespoons salt
10 dried red chillies
1 teaspoon asafoetida/hing
½ cup sesame oil
1 tsp turmeric powder
For making the tamarind rice/puliyodare:
5 cups raw (uncooked rice)
10 cups water
¼ kilo dry roasted peanuts
2 tablespoons chana dal
2 teaspoons mustard seeds
3 tablespoons sesame oil
½ tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp hing/asafoetida
5 grams curry leaves
Salt to taste
For the garnish:
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
4 dried red chillies
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
Method:
The tamarind
reduction:
1.
Soak the tamarind in two glasses of water for
about 5 minutes or till the tamarind becomes soft and mushy.
2.
Crush the tamarind with your fingers and squeeze
out the juice. Add water and extract tamarind juice in this manner till you
have a thick and pulpy water. You would have used the rest of the two litres of
water in this process. Keep aside.
3.
Heat the oil in a large kadai/wok. Add the mustard seeds. When they start to
splutter, add the red chillies after removing their stem. Reduce flame. Now gently
add the tamarind water, turmeric powder, chilli powder, hing and salt.
4.
Boil this liquid till it reduces to about a
fifth of its original quantity. The oil will surface to the reduction and form
a thick layer. This signals that the sauce is done. This process will take about 45 minutes to an
hour.
5.
Cool. Store in a glass vessel with a lid.
Note
1: The shelf life of this reduction/sauce is about two weeks if stored in a
refrigerator. In the freezer it can last
longer. It is important to use a dry spoon to scoop the paste from its
container. It is also important to ensure that no water droplets fall in it. This
will cause fungal growth.
The
Garnish:
1.
Heat kadai. Dry roast the coriander seeds,
chilly pods and fenugreek seeds till they brown.
2.
Cool. Dry grind to a coarse powder.
3.
Store in an airtight container.
Note 2: This powder has a long shelf life of a month or can remain good for six months in a
freezer. The powder can be used to garnish vegetables and sundals too.
The Puliyodare:
Retrieve
the tamarind sauce and garnish which is in storage in the fridge.
1.
Wash the rice add the ten cups of water and
either pressure cook it or cook it in an electric rice cooker. You may need a
cup or two of water more, depending on whether you like your rice to be cooked
softer.
2.
On a large plate, spread the rice so the grains
remain separate. Cool.
3.
Heat oil in a kadai. Add mustard seeds. When they
splutter, add the red chillies, sauté for 10 seconds, add the chana dal, sauté till
the dal turns golden brown, add the curry leaves, peanuts, hing, turmeric
powder and chilli powder. Turn off flame.
4.
Tip the mixture in the kadai on the rice and steadily work the oil dal and peanuts mixture into the rice taking care not to mash the rice.
5.
Add half the tamarind sauce to the rice. Use a flat spatula to steadily work the paste
into the rice.
6.
Add a tablespoon of the garnish on top of the
rice and work this in also.
7.
Taste for balance. Add more of the tamarind
sauce if you feel the need for a bit more of tartness.
8.
Add more of the garnish and salt to taste.
9.
Puliyodare is ready.
10.
Serve with fried vathals/vadams/fryuums/potato
chips.
Note3:
Puliyodare grows tastier as it a stands for a while. This is the reason why it has been made in
South India, traditionally, for picnics and long haul journeys. However, like
all rice items, this too can spoil. If it is left over, of course!
