Chintapandu Pulihora | Tamarind Rice | Puliyogare | Puliyodharai
Tamarind Rice or Chintapandu Pulihora is a must for any festive occasion in Andhra Pradesh. In this recipe, I have tried to use precise measures and readymade tamarind paste so that you can replicate the exact recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Rice
- 1 tbsp Sesame Oil
For the Tempering
- 1 tbsp Sesame Oil
- 1 tsp Rai
- 1 tbsp Udad Dal
- 1 tbsp Chana Dal
- 1/4 tsp Fenugreek Seeds
- 1/4 cup Peanuts
- 1/2 tsp Hing
- 10 to 12 Curry Leaves
- 4 to 6 Spicy Red Chillies
For the Tamarind Paste
- 1 tbsp Sesame Oil
- 3 tbsp Thick Tamarind Paste (I used Mother's Recipe Tamarind Paste)
- 2 or 3 Green Chillies
- 1 tsp Turmeric
- 1/2 tsp Sugar/Jaggery
- Salt To Taste
Instructions
The Preparations
- Take 3 tbsp of the Tamarind Pulp into a small bowl.
- Add 3 to 4 tbsp water and mix well.
Getting the Rice Ready
- Wash the rice well.
- Add 1.5 Cups of water.
- Pressure cook for 3 whistles.
- Let the cooker cool for 10 mins. This will help all the water in the rice to be absorbed. Otherwise, you will have very wet rice and some watery residue. This will make the Pulihora very mushy.
- Spread the hot rice out in a large plate or a deep and wide dish.I find that using a wide dish makes mixing easier later.
- Immediately drizzle about 1 tbsp oil on the rice and sprinkle the curry leaves over it.
- With a gentle hand, mix well so that the rice absorbs all the oil. Ensure that the curry leaves are covered by the rice. The oil keeps the rice grains separate while the curry leaves lend a lovely aroma to the rice.
- Set aside.
Getting the Tempering Ready
- Heat the 1 tbsp oil.
- Add mustard seeds to it and stir-fry till they splutter. If you are using sesame oil, the oil will also froth a bit.
- When the mustard seeds splutter, add udad dal and chana dal.
- Fry till the dals are light brown.
- Add fenugreek seeds and fry for ½ min.
- Add peanuts and stir-fry till they start to pop.
- When the peanuts start to pop, add split red chillies and slit green chillies.
- Stir-fry for ½ min.
- Add asafoetida and mix well.
- Set aside.
Cooking the Tamarind Pulp
- Heat 1 tbsp oil
- Add the tamarind pulp.
- Cook the tamarind pulp till it thickens. Stir constantly, otherwise the paste will stick to the bottom and burn.
- When the oil starts to leave the sides, add the turmeric, jaggery, and previously fried green chillies.
- Mix well and cook well till the chillies soften.
- Turn off the heat and add salt. If you are using readymade paste, be careful with the salt because the tamarind paste has salt.
- Mix well.
- Set aside.
Putting It All Together
- Add the tempering to the rice.
- Using your hand, crush a few of the red chillies. This will add the spicy taste to the Pulihora.
- Mix well.
- Add the cooked Tamarind paste.
- Mix well.
- Let the Tamarind Rice or Chintapandu Pulihora rest for at least one hour before eating.
Nutrition
Calories: 261 kcalCarbohydrates: 37 gProtein: 5 gFat: 11 gSaturated Fat: 2 gCholesterol: 1 mgSodium: 131 mgPotassium: 150 mgFiber: 4 gSugar: 7 gVitamin A: 156 IUVitamin C: 38 mgCalcium: 38 mgIron: 1 mg