Receta Pulikachal | Puliyogare | Puliyodharai | Tamarind Rice
Food and special occasions always go hand in hand. A simple celebration or a festive celebration; apart from the getting together with the loved ones and enjoying the moment, sweets and savouries delights us. Every occasion has some signature dishes. So for the first week of Mega Blogging Marathon you will get recipes that are made during the Tamil festive occasions. Check out the other Blogging marathoners here.
Aadiperukku is a unique South Indian more specifically a Tamil festival celebrated on the 18th day of the Tamil month of Aadi. This festival is celebrated to pay tribute to water bodies and to welcome the onset of Monsoon season in the region. Adiperukku, otherwise called Pathinettam perukku is basicallly a religious water-ritual practice. The water levels rise due to the onset of monsoon, which is expected to occur invariably on the 18th day of the solar month, Aadi. Hence the name “Padinettam perukku” – Padinettu (in tamil) is eighteen, and Perukku denotes rising.The day is an occasion for rejoicing particularly for those living on the banks of the all the main rivers, its branches and tributaries.People pay their thanks to the natural resources by following some religious practices. As with most of the festivals, this is also predominately observed by women.The highlight of this is we have a variety of rice preparation with papads and vadams. As the seeds are planted this month for cultivation and rice being the major crop for the Kaveri belt, people celebrate this festival by making Rice varieties. They go the nearby river bank and spend the evening with the family and enjoy their meal.
Growing on the banks of the Kaveri River (Trichy) I have colourful memories of this festival. As a child, we were more excited to play and bathe in the river rather than following these rituals. Kalki in his epic "Ponniyin Selvan" has wonderfully described the richness and prosperity of the the great Chola kingdom along the Kaveri belt. His book starts with this Aadi peruku celebration. It is a pleasure to visualize his writing. Today's post is Puliyodaharai / Tamarind Rice. Pulikachal - Tamarind mix spiced up with chillies and peanuts. A perfect stimulant when you need something spicy , salty and sour.
Roast the ingredients and grind them to a powder.
Add the tempering and bring the tamarind extract to a boil.
Once they start boiling, add the ground powder mix and keep stirring it till the raw flavour of the tamarind leaves and until it starts thickening.
PULIKACHAL | PULIODHARAI | PULIYOGARE
Cook Time: Under 30 Mins | Prep Time: 10 Mins | Yield: 4-5
Ingredients
- Lemon sized Tamarind, soaked in warm water
- 1/2 cup peanuts
- (I) For Dry Roasting and Grinding
- 2 Tbsp Channa Dahl
- 2 Tbsp Coriander seeds
- 1/2 tsp Peppercorns
- (II) For Roasting in oil and Grinding
- 2 tsp Sesame seeds
- 7-8 no's Red Chillies
- 1/2 tsp Asafoetida
- 1/2 tsp Fenugreek seeds
- For Tempering
- 1/4 Cup Sesame Oil
- 2 tsp Mustard seeds
- 1 tspTurmeric powder
- Bunch of Curry leaves
- For the Rice
- 1 Cup Rice
- 3-4 Tbsp Pulikachal
- Ground mixture (I)
Instructions
Soak the tamarind in warm water for 10 minutes. Extract the concentrate with approximately 2 cups water. Keep it aside. (1)
Heat a pan over medium heat and dry roast the ingredients one by one mentioned under (I). Allow it to cool. (2)
In the same pan, add a Tbsp of oil and roast the ingredients mentioned under roasting in oil (II). Allow it to cool.
Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Once it is smoking hot, add the mustard seeds and as soon as they start crackling, add turmeric powder, curry leaves and asafoetida. Then add the tamarind extract and allow it to boil.
Meanwhile grind the roasted ingredients (I) & (II) separately.
Once the mixture starts boiling, add 1-2 Tbsp of ground mixture (1) and ground mixture (II). Store the remaining ground powder (I) in an airtight container for later use.
Once the raw smell of the tamarind goes and the concoction is reduced and starts thickening turn off the stove. Add the roasted peanuts. Do not allow it to thicken completely. Remove it when it is in a semi solid state. It will thicken as it cools.
For the Rice
Cook the rice. Drizzle some sesame oil over and allow it to cool. Once it is cooled, add the pulikachal and ground powder and mix well. Season it with salt.
Notes
Tanginess of the tamarind vary a lot. It is said that the old ones are more tangy and tastier than the newer ones. Just like wine ageing and quality plays a role here. So the lemon sized amount is just a bar. If you use more tamarind in your cooking, you can adjust accordingly. If not go with the above mentioned amount and if the final mix is more tangy, roast some more red chillies in little oil and add them to it. If its less tangy, increase the amount of pulikachal mix when mixing it in rice. Add a Tbsp or 2 more.
The amount of powder will be more than what is required for the mix. Store the remaining powder in an air tight container and use it every time you make the tamarind rice.
The pulikachal mix stays good in refrigerator for weeks. You can make a huge batch and store it. Make sure you use a clean spoon whenever you use it.
Serve the tamarind rice with Papads, vadam or with Aviyal.