Puliyogarai / tamarind rice

This is an all time favorite and my mother-in-law, Mrs.Rajam Ganapathy makes THE best puliyogarai!

The best part is this rice stays good for 2 days and thus ideal for travel.

The gravy can be made in advance and refridgerated for many months.

In our community, this rice is packed and given to guests who have come from far away to attend the marriages, so that they need not buy anything from outside.

Tamarind rice + a pack of crispies + a good book = great train journey!!

My mother loves this dish, but my dad who hates spicy food, loves - coconut rice.

In our houses, we use 2 varieties of tamarind - aged and new. Aged tamarind gives a dark juice and that is what gives the colour for the dish.

Ingredients:

Cooked and cooled rice - 2 to 3 cups

Tamarind - 1 golf ball

Til oil - 4 tbsp

Ground nut - 1/4 cup

Salt

Turmeric powder - 1 tsp

Asafoetida / kayam - 1 small ball or 1 tbsp powder

Mustard - 1 tsp

Red chilli - 15, broken

Channa dal / kadala parippu - 1 tbsp

Til seeds / ellu - 1 tbsp

Methi seeds / uluva / fenugreek -1 tsp

Curry leaf - 4 sprigs

Dry roast the til , methi seed and keep aside.

Fry the groundnuts in 1 tsp oil and keep aside for garnish.

Heat the til oil and splutter the mustard.

Then add the red chilli and channa dal.

Once the dal turns golden and red chilli gets dark add the curry leaf.

Take out 4 pieces of red chilli from the oil and add to the toasted til and methi.

The toasted til + methi + red chilli has to be powdered and added as garnish in the very end.

Into the oil , add the tamarind syrup.

Add the salt, turmeric powder and asafoetida.

Boil till the oil starts floating.

Cool and store this sauce for later use.
Always keep the granish powder separate.

When you want to consume, preferably, prepare an hour in advance so that the rice soaks in the flavors.
Mix in the rice and add the powdered spices.

Serve with pappad or potato chips.