Puliotharai (Tamarind Rice)

Puliotharai is my all time favorite. We prepared this paste called pulikaichal and mix it with rice. Tastes great with appalams and vadagams.

Ingredients
Tamarind - lemon sized ball
Red Chili - 4
Fenugreek Seeds - 1 tbsp
Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tbsp
Curry Leaves - a little
Roasted Groundnuts - a handful
Salt to taste
Gingelly Oil for cooking

For the powder
Red Chilies - 15
Coriander Seeds - 1 small cup
Chana Dal - 1/2 cup
Urad Dal - 1/4 cup
Fenugreek Seeds - 2 tbsp
Sesame Seeds - 3 tbsp
Asafoetida - 1 tbsp

Method
Dry roast Fenugreek seeds, sesame seeds seperately. Pound into fine powder
Heat a tbsp of oil in a pan and roast the remaining ingredients. Pound this seperately into fine powder.
Heat a cup of oil, add fenugreek seeds and mustard seeds. Once they splutter add red chilies, curry leaves, tamarind extract, salt and turmeric powder.
Once this starts boiling, add the powders and allow to cook.
Once the gravy thickens, add jaggery, groundnuts (peel off the skin after roasting) and turn off the heat.
Mix it well with rice and enjoy with crisps. In Bangalore, we get puliogare with cucumber raitha/coconut chutney. It tastes yummy as well. The Pulikaichal tastes great with idlys and dosas.

Bon Appetit!!
Rudra