Pulikachal | Puliyodharai | Tamarind Rice

Pulikachal is a spice mix or paste made with tamarind extract. Spiced up with chillies and topped with loads of peanuts. A perfect stimulant when you need something spicy salty and sour. This spice mix is mixed with rice and it becomes puliyodharai. Suitable for lunch box, long journeys &  picnic box.

Pulikachal

The term pulikachal (in Tamil, puli - tamarind & kachal in this context is boiling vigorously) means reducing the tamarind extract. It is reduced until it becomes a thick paste and is seasoned with aromatic spices in sesame oil. It is spicy, tangy and mouth puckering when you taste it.

This spice mix can be stored for months and whenever you need a quick meal, mix pulikachal with rice and puliyodharai, tamarind rice is ready in no time.

 Tips for making Pulikachal (the spice paste)

1. Tanginess of the tamarind vary a lot with each variety and brand. It is said that the old ones are more tangy and tastier than the new ones. Just like wine, aging and quality is important for tamarind as well.
2. It is difficult to measure tamarind pulp. The recipe below is 1 cup tightly packed tamarind which weighs about grams.
3. The end product is tangy, spicy and salty. So when you mix with the rice, it evens and balances the taste.
4. If the pulikachal mix is more tangy and less spicy, 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 tablespoon or 2 more. Adjust it as per your taste preference.
5. Let the pulikachal mix rest as the flavour has to be absorbed. Try to avoid using it immediately (I know how difficult that is!).
6. Use oil generously and use only sesame oil. In order to store it for a long time, oil acts as a preservative and prevents the mix from getting dried. Hence it is important to use more oil while making pulikachal.
7. The amount of dry spice 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.
8. Always use a clean spoon to take the pulikachal mix and make sure it is moisture free.
9. Store this in the refrigerator if you are in a hot and humid place. This extends the shelf life of pulikachal.

 Tips for making Puliyodharai (tamarind rice)

1. Cool the rice completely and drizzle drops of sesame oil on the rice. Then mix the pulikachal paste. This prevents the rice from becoming sticky and the grains stay separate.
2. While mixing, be gentle. Else, the rice grains will break and it will be mashed.
3. Do not use basmati rice for preparing any kind of south Indian variety rice. We normally use the short grain rice variety - the raw rice variety and not the par boiled ones. Sona masoori is common and is available in all Indian stores.
4. Also, add the ground spice mix whenever you prepare puliyodharai. The spice mix that you kept aside while making the pulikachal.
5. After mixing the rice let it rest for sometime so that the flavours are absorbed completely.
6. You can also add salt while cooking the white rice. This gives a wonderful taste to the prepared rice dish.
7. If you find that the rice is too spicy, add some more sesame oil. It helps in bringing down the spice level.

How to serve Puliyodharai

Since this is a spicy rice balance it with mild side dishes. Curd / yogurt based side dishes pair well with this rice viz., avial, mor kootu and mor keerai. We also serve puliyodharai with papads and Indian type fryums.

Step by step process shots for making Pulikachal

1. Soak the tamarind pulp in warm water for about 10 minutes or until the pulp softens. Extract the tamarind with water; strain and keep aside.
2. Dry roast the ingredients one by one until they turn golden brown (refer to the third pic below) . Cool and grind this to a fine powder. This quantity is more than what you need for the paste. Store the excess spice mix in an airtight container and you will need this every time you make the puliyodharai rice.
3. Each spice has a different roasting time. The pan should be really hot when you add the ingredients and you should constantly stir it. Channa dal and coriander seeds take about 5 to 6 minutes to start browning. Black peppercorns in 2 to 3 minutes. Sesame seeds and fenugreek seeds will brown quickly. So, 30 secs or so is enough. Peanuts will take about 10 minutes.

• Temper the spices in sesame oil (refer tempering here) and pour the tamarind extract and let it boil.

• After it starts thickening, add some more oil, the ground spice mix and mix well. As soon as it comes as a mass, turn off the flame.

Recipe in detail below.

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PULIKACHAL | PULIYOGARE | PULIYODHARAI

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

45 mins

Total Time

1 hr

 

Pulikachal - Tamarind mix spiced up with chillies and peanuts. A perfect stimulant when you need something spicy salty and sour.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian, Tamil Nadu

Author: Nisha

Ingredients

• 1 cup tightly packed tamarind (from a tamarind block)

To roast and grind (pulikachal spice mix)

• 4 tablespoon  channa dal
• 6 tablespoon  coriander seeds
• 3 teaspoon peppercorns
• 20 dry red chillies refer notes
• 6 teaspoon sesame seeds
• ¾ teaspoon Fenugreek seeds

For making pulikachal

• ¾ cup  sesame oil, divided
• 1 cup peanuts
• 2 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon asafoetida
• 20 curry leaves

For the rice - Puliyodharai

• 1 cup Cooked Rice
• 3 to 4 tablespoon  pulikachal ground mixture
• 1 teaspoon ground spice mix

Instructions

1. Soak the tamarind in warm water for 10 minutes or more if the tamarind is not softened. Extract the concentrate to get approximately 8 cups water. Use a strainer to sieve. Keep it aside. 

2. Heat a pan over medium heat and dry roast the ingredients one by one mentioned under to roast and grind.  Keep it aside and allow it to cool. Then grind it to a fine powder (2)

3. Roast the peanuts with skin. Keep aside. 

4. Heat ½ cup oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Once it is smoking hot, add the mustard seeds and as soon as they start crackling, add turmeric powder, curry leaves and asafoetida. Add the roasted peanuts as well. 

   Then add the tamarind extract and allow it to boil. If the oil is too hot, it might splatter over. Be careful and use a oil guard while pouring.

5. Let the mixture start boiling. It will take about 10 minutes to start boiling. Stir it in intervals. 

   In about 20 to 25 minutes the mixture would have reduced to half. Keep stirring. In 10 more minutes, it will start to bubble vigorously. 

   Once the mixture is thickened and is in a semifluid state, add 1 cup of the ground pulikachal spice mixture and the remaining oil. Mix well. 

   Store the  remaining ground powder in an airtight container for later use.

6. Keep stirring the concoction and once it starts thickening (it will come off the pan as one mass) turn off the stove. 

   Do not allow it to thicken completely. Remove it when it is in a semi solid state. It will thicken more as it cools.

For the Rice

1. Cook the rice. Drizzle some sesame oil over and allow it to cool. Once it is cooled, add 3 tablespoon pulikachal and 2 teaspoon ground powder for 1 cup of rice, and mix well. Season it with salt. 

Recipe Notes

Each spice has a different roasting time. The pan should be really hot when you add the ingredients and you should constantly stir it. Channa dal and coriander seeds take about 5 to 6 minutes to start browning. Black peppercorns in 2 to 3 minutes. Sesame seeds and fenugreek seeds will brown quickly. So, 30 secs or so is enough. Peanuts will take about 10 minutes. 

Tips for making Pulikachal (the spice paste)

1. Tanginess of the tamarind vary a lot with each variety and brand. It is said that the old ones are more tangy and tastier than the new ones. Just like wine, aging and quality is important for tamarind as well.
2. It is difficult to measure tamarind pulp. The recipe below is 1 cup tightly packed tamarind which weighs about grams.
3. The end product is tangy, spicy and salty. So when you mix with the rice, it evens and balances the taste.
4. If the pulikachal mix is more tangy and less spicy, 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 tablespoon or 2 more. Adjust it as per your taste preference.
5. Let the pulikachal mix rest as the flavour has to be absorbed. Try to avoid using it immediately (I know how difficult that is!).
6. Use oil generously and use only sesame oil. In order to store it for a long time, oil acts as a preservative and prevents the mix from getting dried. Hence it is important to use more oil while making pulikachal.
7. Always use a clean spoon to take the pulikachal mix and make sure it is moisture free.
8. Store this in the refrigerator if you are in a hot and humid place. This extends the shelf life of pulikachal.
9. The amount of dry spice 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.

Tips for making Puliyodharai (tamarind rice)

1. Cool the rice completely and drizzle drops of sesame oil on the rice. Then mix the pulikachal paste. This prevents the rice from becoming sticky and the grains stay separate.
2. While mixing, be gentle. Else, the rice grains will break and it will be mashed.
3. Do not use basmati rice for preparing any kind of south Indian variety rice. We normally use the short grain rice variety - the raw rice variety and not the par boiled ones. Sona masoori is common and is available in all Indian stores.
4. Also, add the ground spice mix whenever you prepare puliyodharai. The spice mix that you kept aside while making the pulikachal.
5. After mixing the rice let it rest for sometime so that the flavours are absorbed completely.
6. You can also add salt while cooking the white rice. This gives a wonderful taste to the prepared rice dish.
7. If you find that the rice is too spicy, add some more sesame oil. It helps in bringing down the spice level.

How to serve Puliyodharai

Since this is a spicy rice balance it with mild side dishes. Curd / yogurt based side dishes pair well with this rice viz., avial, mor kootu and mor keerai. We also serve puliyodharai with papads and Indian type fryums.