pulihora making / pulihora recipe

Pulihora rice / Tiger Rice

For the first day of Navrathri I have posted carrot kheer which tastes heavenly. For the second day of this Navrathri I am posting the most popular and famous yet simple dish of South India - Pulihora. Pulihora also known as tamarind rice in English is a must for any festival in South India especially in the Telugu states of Andhra and Telangana. Almost every household prepares this pulihora for any auspicious or festive occasions.

In my childhood days, my friends used to call this rice as tiger rice. Because puli means tiger in Telugu, hence the name. It indeed sounds very funny. My kids call it yellow rice. They always give names to the dishes with the colours they associate with. For example, they call palak rice as green rice, coriander rice as light green rice, beetroot rice as red rice, carrot rice as orange rice, etc.,.

This tamarind rice is very simple and easy to prepare. Cook rice, do a little tempering and mix. That is it. Your dish is ready in minutes. The most important and crucial part of preparing this dish is the tempering. If the tempering is good, then only the dish will be perfect. You will not even ask for a side dish if the tempering is done well.  Pulihora is also one of the best lunch box idea recipes.

There are various versions of preparing pulihora. The version that I am presenting today is the most simple and easiest recipe. There are no masalas or spices that are added to this dish except that of ginger and garlic paste. There are other versions where you can add methi powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, etc.,. I will be discussing those recipes in another post. There is also a different version of preparing the temple style pulihora which I will be posting soon. But for today, I am finishing off with the most simplest version of preparing the yellow rice.

Preparation

Cook rice in a pressure cooker. Once the pressure is off, transfer the rice into a wide plate and allow to cool. Add 2 tsp of oil and gently mix without mashing the rice.

Extract juice from tamarind pulp and keep aside. Take a pan and add oil in it.

Once the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and methi seeds.

When the mustard seeds splutter, add peanuts and roast for 1 minute.

Now add the split urad dal. I have used to urad dal with the skin on it. You can use the normal ones which doesn’t have any skin on it. You can also add channa dal and moong dal as per your preference.

When the peanuts change to a light brown colour, add red chillies.

Fry for a minute and add hing and curry leaves.

Sauté for a minute and put the green chillies.

Give a nice mix and add the ginger garlic paste.

Mix well and put the turmeric powder.

Sauté for a minute and add tamarind juice and sugar. Also add salt and mix well.

Bring it to a boil. Cook until you see oil floating on the top.

At this stage, switch off the flame and pour it on the cooled rice.

Mix gently taking care not to mash or break the rice. If by any chance, lumps are formed in rice, mix with your hand breaking the lumps gently. 

Check for seasoning. If the sourness is not sufficient for you, you can add the juice of lemon. Else cook some more tamarind juice and add to the rice. Adjust salt and spice as per your taste and transfer to a serving bowl. This is served to God as Naivedhyam and can be enjoyed with family and friends. 

  

Ingredients

Rice 2 cups

Oil 3 tbsp.

Mustard seeds 1 tsp

Cumin seeds 1 tsp

Fenugreek seeds 1/4 tsp

Peanuts fistful

Split urad dal 1/2 tsp

Red chillies 3

Hing 1/4 tsp

Curry leaves few sprigs

Green chillies 4-5

Ginger garlic paste 2 tsp

Turmeric 1/2 tsp

Tamarind  Juice extracted from the size of 2 lemons 

Salt to taste

Sugar 1 tsp

Method

1. Extract juice from tamarind and keep aside. 
2. Cook rice and transfer to a wide plate to cool.
3. Take oil in a pan for tempering. 
4. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and fenugreek seeds. 
5. Once they splutter, add peanuts and urad dal. Any kind of lentils can be added according to your desire. 
6. When the peanuts change colour, add red chillies and hing.
7. Sauté for a minute and add curry leaves. 
8. Cook for a minute and add green chillies. 
9. Mix well and add ginger garlic paste. 
10. Saute for 2 minutes and add turmeric powder. 
11. Mix well and finally pour the tamarind juice with salt and sugar. 
12. Cook until you see oil floating on the top ( uncovered ). 
13. When you see oil floating, switch off the flame. 
14. Pour this tempering on the cooled rice.
15. Mix gently without breaking or mashing the rice. 
16. Adjust salt, spice and sourness and take it into a serving bowl.
17. Serve hot with plain curd, raita or any masaledaar curry.

Notes

• Tempering should be done very well for the best taste of pulihora.
• Any kind or all kinds of lentils can be added according to your likes or availability. 
• Adding sugar will enhance the taste of the pulihora cutting out on the sourness of the tamarind. 
• Salt, spice and sourness should be perfect for the dish, else you will have to compromise on the taste.
• Other versions of pulihora will be discussed very soon. Watch this space for more.