Chintapandu Pulihora
Temple-style tamarind rice: tart, a little sweet, crunchy with peanuts and chana dal, and better a few hours after it's made.
Prep 15 min · Cook 25 min · Total 40 min · Serves 4
Ingredients
Rice
- 1 ½ cups Sona masoori rice
- ½ tsp Turmeric
- 1 tbsp Sesame oil
Pulihora paste
- 3 tbsp Tamarind pulp
- 1 tbsp Jaggery
- 1 ½ tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Mustard seeds, roasted and ground
- ¼ tsp Fenugreek seeds, roasted and ground
Tadka
- 4 tbsp Sesame oil
- 3 tbsp Peanuts
- 1 tbsp Chana dal
- 1 tbsp Urad dal
- 1 tsp Mustard seeds
- 6 Dried red chillies
- 4 Green chillies, slit
- 2 sprigs Curry leaves
- 1 inch Ginger, finely chopped
- ½ tsp Asafoetida
Method
- Cook the rice. Cook the rice so every grain is separate. Spread on a plate, sprinkle with the turmeric and sesame oil and toss gently to cool.
- Fry the tadka. Heat the oil and fry the peanuts until crisp. Add the dals, mustard, red and green chillies, curry leaves, ginger and asafoetida and fry until the dals turn golden.
- Make the paste. Add the tamarind, jaggery and salt to the pan and cook until it thickens and oil glistens at the edges. Stir in the ground mustard and fenugreek.
- Mix and rest. Fold the paste through the rice with your fingers so every grain is coated. Rest at least an hour before serving.
Tips
Pulihora travels well, which is why it's the food of temples, trains and festivals. It keeps a day at room temperature.