Whenever I think of puliogare I always think of Iyenger weddings. This is where I had the most brilliant lip smacking puliogare (tamarind rice) ever. Just couldn’t stop myself from licking my fingers and asking for more. Yes, at Iyengar weddings the lunch is a lavish yet simple affair where the food is served to you on tables on a banana leaf and you eat with your hands. The trademark of these wedding is that the food is completely vegetarian and cooked by the Iyenger clan only. If you haven’t yet done this, please do try eating rice dishes with your hands, believe me the taste of the dish doubles. The secret is in biochemics; the subtle oils of our fingers impart some sort of alchemy to the food we eat, adding a unique flavor to it. I remember the taste of simple dal, sabzi and rice mixed by my nani using her bare fingers and it tasted heavenly. The magic was surely in the hands.
Here is a recipe of the perfect puliogare paste which you can make and keep in your fridge for upto 6 months and surprise your guests with this dish when they arrive unannounced.
Soak 350 grams tamarind for 7-8 hours in 750 ml of water.
Blend soaked tamarind along with water into smooth paste.
Extract as much juice as possible by sieving it.
Tamarind paste is ready.
Heat 120 grams of oil in heavy bottomed pan.
Add 1 teaspoon mustard seeds, when it splutters add:
+ 15 curry leaves
+ 1/2 teaspoon asafoetida
+ 8 whole dry red chillies.
Fry the above and add the tamarind paste.
Boil.
Add 8 tablespoon rasam powder after it boils.
Reduce the flame and keep it low.
Add:
+ 2 teaspoon salt
+ 20 grams jaggery
Continue to stir.
Do a taste test and more jiggery or other spices if required.
We want a combination of tanginess, spiciness and sweetness .
When the paste slowly falls back into the pan on lifting with the ladle, the paste is ready.
It takes approximately 45 minutes-1 hour to reach this consistency.
This puliogare paste can be stored in a clean jar in the refrigerator for upto 6 months.
Take 400 grams cooked rice and separate each grain with hand.
Add enough puliogare paste to the rice to coat each grain of rice.
Mix it with hand.
Heat 2 tablespoon ghee in a pan.
First add:
+ 1 whole dry red chilli
+ 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
+ 8 curry leaves
+ 15 peanuts.
When the above changes colour add 1/4 th teaspoon heeng.
Switch off the flame.
After 30 seconds pour this tempering over the puliyogare and eat hot.
You can serve it with raw ghee.
P.S. Ghee makes everything taste better.
Ingredients
Directions
Soak 350 grams tamarind for 7-8 hours in 750 ml of water.
Blend soaked tamarind along with water into smooth paste.
Extract as much juice as possible by sieving it.
Tamarind paste is ready.
Heat 120 grams of oil in heavy bottomed pan.
Add 1 teaspoon mustard seeds, when it splutters add:
+ 15 curry leaves
+ 1/2 teaspoon asafoetida
+ 8 whole dry red chillies.
Fry the above and add the tamarind paste.
Boil.
Add 8 tablespoon rasam powder after it boils.
Reduce the flame and keep it low.
Add:
+ 2 teaspoon salt
+ 20 grams jaggery
Continue to stir.
Do a taste test and more jiggery or other spices if required.
We want a combination of tanginess, spiciness and sweetness .
When the paste slowly falls back into the pan on lifting with the ladle, the paste is ready.
It takes approximately 45 minutes-1 hour to reach this consistency.
This puliogare paste can be stored in a clean jar in the refrigerator for upto 6 months.
Take 400 grams cooked rice and separate each grain with hand.
Add enough puliogare paste to the rice to coat each grain of rice.
Mix it with hand.
Heat 2 tablespoon ghee in a pan.
First add:
+ 1 whole dry red chilli
+ 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
+ 8 curry leaves
+ 15 peanuts.
When the above changes colour add 1/4 th teaspoon heeng.
Switch off the flame.
After 30 seconds pour this tempering over the puliyogare and eat hot.
You can serve it with raw ghee.
P.S. Ghee makes everything taste better.