Puliyodarai Rice (Tamarind Rice)

It's Pongal time(Sankranthi) and this year's festive season begins... Made this wonderful pulikaichal at home. The process takes about an hour or so.

Ingredients:

• Tamarind Paste - 1 cup (I ground the tamarind and extracted the juice)
• Salt - to taste
• Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp.

(Seasoning)

• Mustard - 1 tsp
• Chana Dhal(Bengal Gram) - 1 tsp
• Red Chilli - 4 to 5
• Asafoetida(powder) - 1/2 tsp
• Sesame Oil - 1/2 cup
• Curry Leaves - a few
• Peanuts - 1 cup

For the Powder:

• Oil 1 - 3 tsp
• Coriander Seeds - 2 tsp
• Urad Dhal - 2 tsp
• Black Pepper - 2 to 3 no
• Asafoetida - 1 small piece
• Red Chilli - 3 to 4  

Preparation:

1. Heat a thick bottomed pan and add some oil.
2. Add the Urad Dhal and red chilli and coriander seeds one after the other and roast it until the dhal turns golden brown.
3. Add the Asafoetida. Remove from flame once the asafoetida gets roasted. Allow the ingredients to cool to be ground later.
4. In the same pan add some oil. Once the oil heats up, add some mustard.
5.After the mustard splutters, add some chana Dhal, red chillies, peanuts and keep frying until the everything turns golden brown.
6. Add the Tamarind juice at this point add turmeric powder, asafoetida powder and salt.
7. Mix well and allow it to cook until the raw smell of the turmeric goes off.
8. In the meantime, grind the cooled ingredients that we had kept aside.
9. Add the powder at this point to the tamarind juice to form a thick paste.

10. In a mixing bowl, add the paste to hot rice and add oil and mix well.

Yummy Puliyodharai rice is ready to be served.