Pindi Pulihora | Andhra Rice Rava Upma with Tamarind

Pindi Pulihora is a traditional vegan Andhra recipe that is similar to Tamarind Rice but is made with Rice Rava rather than rice.

In Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, biyyam nooka or rice rava is widely used in cooking. I realised that I have showcased very few such dishes on this blog and so set out to remedy that. Serendipitously, I was reminded of Pindi Pulihora by my cousin Jyoti, when I was on a family visit to Hyderabad, and I made it on Sankranti. It was a nice change from the traditional Chintapandu Pulihora but was just as delicious.

What I like about Pindi Pulihora is that it is much lighter on the stomach than the rice version.

In days of yore, when we travelled overnight by train to get to our destinations, Pindi Pulihora was one of the dishes that we carried with us. It stays fresh for long and could be had for lunch, dinner or breakfast!

Making Rice Rava or Biyyam Nooka

If you are in South India, you will easily get Rice Rava at the grocers or in supermarkets.

Rice Rava is more like daliya in its consistency than regular upma rava or semolina.

To make rice rava (or biyyam nooka as we call it Telugu):

1. Pulse raw rice in a grinder few seconds at a time to break the rice grains into a coarse powder.
2. Check the consistency and pulse again for a few seconds, if so required.
3. If you so wish, you can sieve the rice rava to remove the finer ground particles. I did not do this.

Err on the side of caution when grinding the rice. It is better to keep it grainier than pulse it too fine. If you grind the rice rava too fine, the Pindi Pulihora or anything you make with it will be lumpy.

Rice Rava is not to be confused with Idli Rava. Rice Rava is made by pounding raw rice to break it into small pieces while Idli Rava is boiled rice that is crushed to a fine consistency.

Some Tips to Make the Perfect Pindi Pulihora

• As I have already mentioned, the rice rava is coarse and grainy in consistency. Just think of it as very small pieces of broken rice. Be careful not to grind the rice too much.
• Do add oil to the water in which the rice rava will be cooked. This ensures that the cooked and cooled mix will separate easily, and become soft and fluffy.
• If you want to use readymade tamarind paste, use 2 tbsp thick paste diluted in 2 tbsp water.
• To make this vegan dish gluten-free as well, use pure asafoetida (not the compounded one) or then omit it all together.

Pindi Pulihora: A Low Potassium Recipe for Renal Diet

Pindi Pulihora is an inherently low-potassium recipe whose potassium content can be further lowered by reducing or omitting the dals and peanuts in the tempering.

In addition, you can reduce the sodium content to make it even more heart and kidney-friendly by reducing salt or then using amchur in its place, though the taste does change a bit with amchur.

Other Traditional Upma Recipes That Use Rice Rava

• Andhra Uppu Pindi | Uppudu Pindi | Rice Rava and Moong Dal Upma
• Biyyam Rava Challa Upma | Majjiga Upma – An Andhra Recipe
• Arisi Upma

How to Make Pindi Pulihora: Rice Rava and Tamarind Upma

1. Making the Tamarind Paste
   1. Soak a 1.5″ ball of aged, dark brown tamarind in 1/4 cup warm water for 10 minutes.
   2. Mash the soaked tamarind well with your fingers and squeeze to extract the tamarind pulp.
   3. Discard the tamarind and save the pulp. 

Or

You can alternatively use 2 tbsp ready made tamarind paste diluted with 2 tbsp water.

2. Making the Rice Rava
   1. {Optional} Wash 1/2 cup rice well under running water and spread out on a clean cotton cloth or towel for 10 minutes.
   2. Pulse the rice in a grinder till it is of a coarse powder where you can still see pieces of rice. Essentially you just want to break the rice grains down to smaller particles. 
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3. Cooking the Rice Rava
   1. To a heavy-bottomed vessel, add 1 cup water, 1/2 tsp salt and 1 tsp oil (Sesame or Peanut Oil, preferred).
   2. Over medium flame, bring the water to a boil.
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   3. Lower the heat.
   4. Add the rice rava and mix immediately to avoid lumps being formed.
   5. Over low heat, cover and cook while mixing every 2 or 3 minutes to ensure that the mix does not stick to the bottom and char.
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   6. When the mix comes together as a ball, turn off the heat and keep uncovered so that it can cool.
   7.  After the mix cools, break up the dough your fingers or then with a spoon or fork till so that you get a grainy yet slightly damp mix.
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4. Adding the Tempering
   1. In a small wok or pan, heat 1.5 tsp oil.
   2. Add 1/2 tsp mustard seeds and wait till they splutter.
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   3. Now, add 1/2 tsp udad dal, 1/2 tsp chana dal, and 1 tbsp peanuts.
   4. Stir-fry till the dals are light golden brown.
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   5. Next, add 2 or 3 split red chillies, a few curry leaves, and a large pinch of asafoetida. Omit asafoetida for a gluten-free recipe.
   6. Stir-fry for a few seconds.
   7. Turn off the heat and add 1/3 tsp turmeric to the tempering and mix well.
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   8. Add the tempering to the cooked and cooled rice rava mix and mix well. To make the Pindi Pulihora spicy, crush the red chillies a bit so that they break apart.
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5. Adding the Tamarind Paste
   1.  In a small wok or pan, heat 1 tsp oil.
   2.  Add the tamarind pulp and stir-fry till it thickens a bit and the oil starts to leave the sides.
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   3. Add 1/4 tsp jaggery and mix well.
   4. Add the fried tamarind paste to the rice rava mix.
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   5. Mix well and set the Pindi Pulihora aside for 15 to 30 minutes. 
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6.  Serving Suggestions
   1. Serve the Pindi Pulihora:
      1. by itself
      2. with papad, Avakai, or Dahi on the side

Recipe for Pindi Pulihora: The Vegan, Andhra Rice Rava Upma Flavoured with Tamarind

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Pindi Pulihora | Andhra Rice Rava Upma Flavoured with Tamarind

Aruna

To make Pindi Pulihora, substitute the rice of Tamarind Rice with rice rava. This traditional rice rava upma flavoured with tamarind can be served as a quick breakfast or even a team-time snack.

This is a vegan recipe that also becomes gluten-free when you use pure uncompounded asafoetida or then omit asafoetida altogether. To make this recipe kidney-friendly or suitable for a renal diet, omit or reduce the salt (replace with Amchur) and do not add dals and peanuts in the tempering.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Course Breakfast, Brunch, Dinner, Snack

Cuisine Andhra, Gluten Free, Indian, Kidney Diet or Renal Diet, South Indian, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings 2 People

Calories 280 kcal

Equipment

• Heavy-bottomed vessel with cover
• Bowl
• Small Wok
• Spatula

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1/2 Cup Rice
• 1 Cup Water
• 1 tsp Oil (Peanut or Sesame Oil preferred)
• 1/2 tsp Salt

For Tamarind Paste (See Notes for Alternative)

• 1.5" Ball Tamarind
• 1/4 Cup Warm Water
• 1 tsp Oil (Peanut or Sesame Oil preferred)

For Tempering

• 1.5 tsp Oil (Peanut or Sesame Oil preferred)
• 1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds
• 1/2 tsp Udad Dal
• 1/2 tsp Chana Dal
• 1 tbsp Peanuts
• 3 Dried Red Chillies
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric
• 1 Pinch Asafoetida
• A Few Curry Leaves

Instructions

 

Making the Tamarind Paste (See Notes for Alternative)

• Soak a 1.5″ ball of aged, dark brown tamarind in 1/4 cup warm water for 10 minutes.
• Mash the soaked tamarind well with your fingers and squeeze to extract the tamarind pulp.
• Discard the tamarind and save the pulp.

Making the Rice Rava

• {Optional} Wash 1/2 cup rice well under running water and spread out on a clean cotton cloth or towel for 10 minutes.
• Pulse the rice in a grinder till it is of a coarse powder where you can still see pieces of rice. Essentially you just want to break the rice grains down to smaller particles.

Cooking the Rice Rava

• To a heavy-bottomed vessel, add 1 cup water, 1/2 tsp salt and 1 tsp oil (Sesame or Peanut Oil, preferred).
• Over medium flame, bring the water to a boil.
• Lower the heat.
• Add the rice rava and mix immediately to avoid lumps being formed.
• Over low heat, cover and cook while mixing every 2 or 3 minutes to ensure that the mix does not stick to the bottom and char.
• When the mix comes together as a ball, turn off the heat and keep uncovered so that it can cool.
• After the mix cools, break up the dough your fingers or then with a spoon or fork till so that you get a grainy yet slightly damp mix.

Adding the Tempering (See Notes for Renal Diet Adjustments)

• In a small wok or pan, heat 1.5 tsp oil.
• Add 1/2 tsp mustard seeds and wait till they splutter.
• Now, add 1/2 tsp udad dal, 1/2 tsp chana dal, and 1 tbsp peanuts.
• Stir-fry till the dals are light golden brown.
• Next, add 2 or 3 split red chillies, a few curry leaves, and a large pinch of asafoetida. Omit asafoetida for a gluten-free recipe.
• Stir-fry for a few seconds.
• Turn off the heat and add 1/3 tsp turmeric to the tempering and mix well.
• Add the tempering to the cooked and cooled rice rava mix and mix well. To make the Pindi Pulihora spicy, crush the red chillies a bit so that they break apart.

Adding the Tamarind Paste

• In a small wok or pan, heat 1 tsp oil.
• Add the tamarind pulp and stir-fry till it thickens a bit and the oil starts to leave the sides.
• Add 1/4 tsp jaggery and mix well.
• Add the fried tamarind paste to the rice rava mix.
• Mix well and set the Pindi Pulihora aside for 15 to 30 minutes.

Serving Suggestions

• Serve the Pindi Pulihora by itself or with papad, Avakai, or Dahi on the side

Notes

• Alternative to extracting tamarind is to dissolve 2 tbsp readymade tamarind paste in 2 tbsp water.
• For a gluten-free recipe, be sure to use compounded asafoetida or then omit it altogether.
• To adapt this recipe for a renal diet or a kidney diet, omit the dals and peanuts from the tempering.  

Nutrition

Calories: 280 kcalCarbohydrates: 41 gProtein: 6 gFat: 10 gSaturated Fat: 1 gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3 gMonounsaturated Fat: 6 gTrans Fat: 1 gSodium: 594 mgPotassium: 131 mgFiber: 2 gSugar: 1 gVitamin A: 257 IUVitamin C: 31 mgCalcium: 40 mgIron: 1 mg

Keyword Pindi Pulihora, Pulihora, Rice Rava Upma, Rice Rava Upma with Tamarind, Tamarind Rice, Upma

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