Ava Pettina Pulihora (or Ava Pulihora) is a special type of Tamarind Rice that is flavoured with Mustard Paste. The result is a one dish meal that has the tang from the tamarind and a nice, spicy hit from the mustard paste. This rice dish needs absolutely no accompaniment to enjoy it.

A Bowl of Ava Pettina Pulihora: The Andhra Tamarind Rice Flavoured with Mustard Paste — Ava Pettina Pulihora | Ava Pulihora

Pulihora has a special place in my heart. I can honestly eat it for every meal and do make this often at home, especially when I am feeling lazy. Then there is my team at work which just waits for me to bring Tamarind Rice for lunch. May be because of this universal love for this vegan rice dish, I have come to specialize in it; I can make it any time, any place and get it right. 🙂

I make many variations of this traditional South Indian rice dish and today I am making a version that is very unique to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. In Ava Pettina Pulihora, we add a ground mustard seed and chilli paste to the traditional Tamarind Rice to change its flavour profile and get a new dish. 🙂

Ava Pettadam: The Andhra Technique of Flavouring Dishes with Mustard Paste

I am a great fan of using mustard paste as a flavouring to dishes and we do this very often in Andhra Pradesh using a technique called Ava Pettadam. In this technique, we grind mustard into a paste (either by itself or with a little raw rice and chillies) and then add this mustard paste at the last stage to curries and stews. This simple variation lends the dish the unique flavour of the mustard, but one that is not overpowering.

Some Points to Note While Making Ava Pettina Pulihora

This dish, as with all variations of Pulihora, is best made with aged rice because then the rice grains remain separate even after being cooked. I use Surti Kolam or Wada Kolam that is about 1 year old. If you are using relatively recently harvested rice, please use less water to cook it.
Make the mustard paste fresh. Using pre-powdered mustard alters the flavour a bit.
It is a bit challenging to make small quantities of the mustard paste as the mustard seeds are too small to be ground easily. Use a tad bit more water, or then add 1/2 tsp rice to the mustard while grinding. If you are using rice, be sure to grind the paste very fine, else you will have bits of uncooked rice that can be unpleasant.
To make this Ava Pulihora spicy, crush the fried red chillies.
After making the Ava Pettina Pulihora, let it rest for at least 30 minutes so that the flavour of the mustard mellows a little and is also well incorporated.
This dish is best made with sesame oil, though you can use any flavourless oil. Peanut oil is a decent substitute for sesame oil.
While I have made the tamarind pulp from scratch, you can use readymade tamarind paste as well.

Andhra Ava Pindi Pulihora or the tamarind rice spiced up with some mustard paste — Andhra Ava Pindi Pulihora

Other Pulihora Recipes for You to Try

How to Make Ava Pettina Pulihora

Making the Tamarind Pulp (You can use 2.5 tbsp readymade tamarind paste as well)
1. Soak 2 tbsp of tamarind (about a 2″ ball) in 1/4 cup war water for 10 minutes.
2. After the tamarind has soaked, mash it well with your fingers.
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3. Squeeze the tamarind well to extract the pulp and discard the pulp. I got about 2.5 tbsp of thick pulp.
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4. If the pulp is very thick, add 1 tsp of water.
Making the Mustard Paste
1. Grind 1.5 tsp mustard seeds, 1 red chilli, and 1/4 tsp to a coarse powder.
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2. Now add 1 tbsp water and grind the mix to a fine paste.
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3. Set aside.
Getting the Rice Ready
1. Wash 1/2 cup rice well under running water.
2. Add 1 cup water and pressure cook for 3 whistles.
3. Turn off the heat and leave the cooker as is for about 10 minutes. If you take the rice out immediately after the cooker depressurises, the rice will be wet.
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4. Take the rice out and spread it in a plate.
5. To the warm rice, add 1 tsp sesame oil, 1/2 tsp turmeric, and salt.
6. With a gentle hand, mix well and set aside.
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Adding the tempering
1. In a kadhai or tempering ladle, heat 2 tsp oil.
2. Add 1 tsp udad dal and 1 tsp chana dal.
3. Stir-fry for a few seconds.
4. Now, add 1 tbsp peanuts and fry till the dals are light golden brown.
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5. Next, add 1/2 tsp mustard seeds and 2 split red chillies.
6. As soon as the mustard seeds start to crackle, turn off the heat.
7. Add 1/4 tsp asafoetida and a few curry leaves and mix well.
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8. Add the tempering to the rice.
9. {Optional} If you like your tamarind rice to be spicy, crush the red chillies.
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10. Mix the tempering into the rice.
Making the Tamarind Paste
1. In a kadhai, heat 1 tsp oil.
2. Add the tamarind pulp and stir-fry till the oil leaves the sides.
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3. Now, add 1/4 tsp jaggery and mix well.
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4. Add the fried tamarind paste to the rice and mix well.
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Adding the Mustard Paste
1. Add the mustard paste to the Tamarind Rice and mix well.
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Set aside the Ava Pettina Pulihora for 30 minutes.
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Enjoy the Ava Pulihora by itself or then with papads (potato chips are also a great accompaniment) and/or yogurt.

Ava Pulihora is an Andhra specialty where mustard paste is added to the classic tamarind rice — Ava Pulihora | Andhra Tamarind Rice with Mustard

Recipe for Ava Pettina Pulihora | Tamarind Rice with Mustard

A Bowl of Ava Pettina Pulihora or the Andhra Tamarind Rice with Mustard Flavour

Ava Pettina Pulihora | Andhra Tamarind Rice Flavoured with Mustard

Aruna

Ava Pettina Pulihora is a specialty of Andhra Pradesh. It is the traditional Tamarind Rice flavoured with a mustard paste. I love the slight bitterness and the spiciness of the mustard. This vegan Ava Pulihora makes for a nice change and is a complete one-dish meal in itself. As a bonus, you can omit the asafoetida and make it gluten-free as well.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Course Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine American, Andhra, Indian, South Indian, Telangana, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings People

Calories 344 kcal

Equipment

Kadhai
Large Plate
Bowl to cook rice
Ladle Spoon

Ingredients

1/2 Cup Rice

For the Tamarind Paste (See Notes for Substitute)

2" Ball Ball Tamarind
1/4 cup Water
1 tsp Oil (Sesame Oil preferred)
1/4 tsp Jaggery

For the Mustard Paste

1.5 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 Dried Red Chilli
1/4 tsp Turmeric
1 tbsp Water

For the Tempering

2 tsp Oil (Sesame Oil preferred)
1 tsp Chana Dal
1 tsp Udad Dal
1 tbsp Peanuts
1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds
1/4 tsp Asafoetida (Omit for a Gluten-Free Dish)

Other Ingredients

1/2 tsp Turmeric
1 tsp Oil (Sesame Oil preferred)
Salt to Taste
A Few Curry Leaves

Instructions

Making the Tamarind Pulp (See Notes for Substitute)

Soak 2 tbsp of tamarind (about a 2″ ball) in 1/4 cup war water for 10 minutes.
After the tamarind has soaked, mash it well with your fingers.
Squeeze the tamarind well to extract the pulp and discard the pulp. I got about 2.5 tbsp of thick pulp.
If the pulp is very thick, add 1 tsp of water.

Making the Mustard Paste

Grind 1.5 tsp mustard seeds, 1/4 tsp turmeric, and 1 red chilli to a coarse powder.
Now add 1 tbsp water and grind the mix to a fine paste.
Set aside.

Getting the Rice Ready

Wash 1/2 cup rice well under running water.
Add 1 cup water and pressure cook for 3 whistles.
Turn off the heat and leave the cooker as is for about 10 minutes. If you take the rice out immediately after the cooker depressurises, the rice will be wet.
Take the rice out and spread it in a plate.
To the warm rice, add 1 tsp sesame oil, 1/2 tsp turmeric, and salt.
With a gentle hand, mix well and set aside.

Adding the tempering

In a kadhai or tempering ladle, heat 2 tsp oil.
Add 1 tsp udad dal and 1 tsp chana dal.
Stir-fry for a few seconds.
Now, add 1 tbsp peanuts and fry till the dals are light golden brown.
Next, add 1/2 tsp mustard seeds and 2 split red chillies.
As soon as the mustard seeds start to crackle, turn off the heat.
Add 1/4 tsp asafoetida and a few curry leaves and mix well.
Add the tempering to the rice.
{Optional} If you like your tamarind rice to be spicy, crush the red chillies.
Mix the tempering into the rice.

Cooking the Tamarind Pulp

In a kadhai, heat 1 tsp oil.
Add the tamarind pulp and stir-fry till the oil leaves the sides.
Add 1/4 tsp jaggery and mix well.
Add the fried tamarind paste to the rice and mix well.

Adding the Mustard Paste

Add the mustard paste to the Tamarind Rice and mix well.
Set aside the Ava Pettina Pulihora for 30 minutes.
Enjoy the Ava Pulihora by itself or then with papads (potato chips are also a great accompaniment) and/or yogurt.

Notes

You can use 2 tbsp readymade tamarind paste diluted with 2 tsp water. Of all the readymade tamarind pastes readily available in India, I prefer using the one from Mother’s Recipe.
This dish is best made with Sesame oil.

Nutrition

Calories: 344 kcalCarbohydrates: 53 gProtein: 7 gFat: 12 gSaturated Fat: 1 gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4 gMonounsaturated Fat: 7 gTrans Fat: 1 gSodium: 302 mgPotassium: 228 mgFiber: 4 gSugar: 10 gVitamin A: 78 IUVitamin C: 31 mgCalcium: 55 mgIron: 2 mg

Keyword Ava Pettina Pulihora, Ava Pindi Pulihora, Ava Pulihora, Chintapadu Pachadi, Pulihora, Tamarind Rice, Tamarind Rice with Mustard

Tried this recipe?Do let me know how you liked it @aahaaram or tag #aahaaram!