Puliyodarai, also called puli sadam or tamarind rice, is the most famous prasadam of Vaishnava temples in Tamil Nadu, and Iyengar families have kept the recipe as a point of pride. The heart of it is pulikachal, a tamarind paste cooked slowly in gingelly oil until thick and dark. Made in bulk, the paste keeps for weeks and turns leftover rice into a meal in minutes.
The flavour is sour, spicy and slightly sweet, with a nutty depth from roasted sesame and fenugreek. Good puliyodarai is glossy and well coated, each grain brown and separate. It tastes better a few hours after mixing, which is why it is the standard food for train journeys and pilgrimages.
At a glance
| Region | Tamil Nadu |
|---|---|
| Cuisine | Iyengar |
| Diet | Vegan |
| Course | Rice |
| Prep time | 15 minutes |
| Cook time | 35 minutes |
| Total time | 50 minutes |
| Serves | 4 |
| Spice level | Medium |
| Difficulty | Medium |
| Gluten-free | Yes |
| Key ingredients | rice / tamarind / sesame seeds / peanuts / gingelly oil |
Ingredients
For the spice powder
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp chana dal
- 1 tsp urad dal
- 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
- 1/2 tsp black peppercorns
- 4 dry red chillies
- 1 tbsp white sesame seeds
For the pulikachal
- large lemon-sized ball of tamarind (about 60 g), soaked in 1.5 cups hot water
- 1/3 cup gingelly oil
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tbsp chana dal
- 1 tsp urad dal
- 3 tbsp raw peanuts
- 3 dry red chillies, broken
- 2 sprigs curry leaves
- 1/2 tsp asafoetida
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp grated jaggery
For the rice
- 4 cups cooked rice (from 1.25 cups raw), cooled
- 1 tbsp gingelly oil
Method
- Dry roast the coriander, chana dal, urad dal, fenugreek, pepper and red chillies on low heat for 4-5 minutes until golden and fragrant. Add sesame in the last minute and roast until it pops. Cool and grind to a fine powder.
- Extract about 1.5 cups of thick tamarind extract and strain.
- Heat the gingelly oil in a heavy kadai on medium heat. Fry the peanuts for 2 minutes until crunchy, then add mustard seeds and let them splutter.
- Add chana dal, urad dal and red chillies and fry until the dals are golden. Add curry leaves and asafoetida.
- Pour in the tamarind extract with turmeric and salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer on low-medium heat for 20-25 minutes, stirring now and then, until it reduces to a thick paste and oil separates at the edges.
- Stir in jaggery and 3 tbsp of the spice powder and cook for 2 more minutes. This is the pulikachal.
- Spread the cooled rice in a wide bowl, drizzle with 1 tbsp gingelly oil and add about 4-5 tbsp of pulikachal and 1 tbsp more spice powder.
- Mix gently with your fingers or a flat spoon until every grain is coated. Taste and adjust. Rest for at least an hour before serving.
Tips
- Leftover pulikachal keeps in a clean dry jar in the fridge for a month, provided it is covered with oil.
- Cooking the rice slightly firm with a few drops of oil keeps the grains separate.
- Do not hurry the reduction; undercooked pulikachal tastes raw and sharp.
Serve with
Appalam, vadam and a cup of curd or curd rice.