EASY Puliyogare Recipe | (DELICIOUS!) Puliyodharai (Tamarind Rice)
If you need a QUICK and TASTY lunchbox recipe, Puliyogare Recipe is the one to go!
Today, I will show you how to make non-sticky Puliyogare/Puliyodharai easily.
Before that we should know 2 most important things to get the Tamarind Rice right, which are:
- Right Type of Tamarind
- Pulikachal or Tamarind Paste or Puliyogare Gojju
And…
I will also share cooking TIPS and Storage ideas when it comes to the Tamarind Rice.
In short, if you would like to prepare tamarind rice (puli sadam) FAST, you are in the right place.
Let’s get started!
- What is Puliyogare Recipe?
- Video Recipe: Temple Puliyodharai/Tamarind Rice/Puliyogare/Pulihora Recipe
- Tamarind in 5 Languages
- What is Puliyogare mix recipe?
- Variations of Puliyogare Recipe
- What is Temple Puliyodharai Iyengar Puliyodharai?
- Puliyogare Recipe Andhra Style
- Melkote Puliyogare
- Chettinad Puliyogare Vs Iyengar Puliyodharai Vs Udupi Puliyogare
- What is Pulikachal?
- What is Puliyogare Gojju?
- What is the Best Puliyogare Powder?
- How to Make Puliyogare Recipe / Puliyodharai / Tamarind Rice / Puli Sadam Recipe – Step by Step Procedure
- Side Dish for Puliyogare
- Recipe Card – Puliyogare Recipe with Measurements
- Frequently Asked Questions
What is Puliyogare Recipe?
Puliyogare recipe or Puliyodharai is a very SIMPLE & TANGY rice recipe. “Puli” is a tamil word which stands for Tamarind. The reason this recipe is called as Puliyogare or Puliyodharai is because it has a dominant flavour of tamarind and has a tangy/sour taste.
Tamarind rice or Kokum rice or Pulihora are other common names referred to Puliyogare or puliyodharai. This rice recipe is very popular in the South Indian states of Tamilnadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
This puliogare recipe is a quick fix lunchbox recipe as it needs only a few basic ingredients (mustard, fenugreek, red chilly, channa dal, urad dal, hing, curry leaves) that are commonly used daily in every kitchen.
Also, it can be prepared within 15-20 mins at the max.
Usually, Puliyogare can be prepared in two ways:
1. Homemade/Store-bought Puliyogare Powder
2. Homemade /Store-bought Puliyogare Paste
Video Recipe: Temple Puliyodharai/Tamarind Rice/Puliyogare/Pulihora Recipe
Tamarind in 5 Languages
- Puli – in Tamil
- Imli – in Hindi
- Chintapandu – in Telugu
- Hunasinahannu – in Kannada
- Puli – in Malayalam
Chintapandu in English is called as Tamarind.
What is Puliyogare mix recipe?
Puliyogare mix is nothing but, puliyogare mix or masala in the form of powder or paste. Both the mixes taste good. It can be either store-bought or homemade.
These powdered form of puliyogare mix needs to be mixed with few teaspoons of hot oil and then can be directly mixed with steamed/cooked rice.
Whereas, the paste form of puliyogare mix can be directly mixed with hot cooked rice or with rice that is at room temperature.
This puliyogare/puliyodharai mix can be stored in refrigerator for about a month (if homemade) and can be stored until expiry date in case of store-bought mix.
New to Indian Cooking?
If you are a beginner or someone who is not sure on how to get started in Indian Cooking, please click on the below links for STEP By STEP GUIDE.
1. Essential Indian Cooking Tools – A Complete Guide for setting up basic Indian Equipment for cooking.
2. Essential Indian Spices – A Comprehensive Guide explaining the basics of Indian Spices which are Important for cooking Indian Foods.
3. How to Cook Rice Perfectly – Learn to Cook Indian Rice using 2 methods – Pot and Pressure Cooker
Variations of Puliyogare Recipe
There are a lot of variations of Puliyogare, like:
- Iyengar Puliyodharai / Temple Puliyodharai
- Udupi Puliyogare
- Melkote Puliogare
- Chettinad Puliodharai
- Pulihora – Andhra Style
Almost all of the above follow the same procedure except for a few little steps/ingredients. Let’s see them in the detail.
Whenever we talk about tamarind rice, the kovil puliyodharai comes to our mind immediately. Because these are served as prasadham along with pongal in Temples from South India.
The best one that I have tasted till now is the one from “Kapaleeshwarar Temple” from Chennai, India.
Which leads us to…
What is Temple Puliyodharai \ Iyengar Puliyodharai?
Iyengar Puliyodharai or Temple Puliyodharai or Kovil Puliyodharai is simply Puli Sadam prepared using Puliyodharai paste (puliogare mix).
Most of us would have tasted Temple puliyogare (served in temples) and would have wondered how they prepared it. Believe me, it simply has a very unique taste and flavour.
It is said that usually Brahmins/Iyengars prepare the tamarind rice using homemade puliyodharai paste, which is then served in small dhonnai or dried leaf cups as prasadham/prasad for those who visit temples.
Puliyogare Recipe Andhra Style
The Puliyogare recipe Andhra style is slightly different from which is prepared in Karnataka and Tamilnadu. This puli sadam is known as Pulihora in Andhra(in Telugu).
The Andhra style Pulihora includes few cumins, chopped ginger, slit green chillies and a little jaggery. It excludes fenugreek. The rest is the same.
In Andhra, it is usually prepared for breakfast or lunch.
Melkote Puliyogare
Melkote is a small town famous for Narasimha temple in the Karnataka state of India. Melkote Puliyogare is popular as it is being prepared by a large community of Iyengars and served in temples as prasadham/prasadha.
This variety of puliyogare is prepared using both puliyogare paste/gojju and powder. The paste and powder are prepared separately and then mixed together with the cooked rice.
The Melkote temple style puliyogare includes grated or finely chopped coconut, jaggery, black/brown chickpeas (black channa) and cashews.
If you’re interested in Karnataka based food, check out the below!
Chettinad Puliyogare Vs Iyengar Puliyodharai Vs Udupi Puliyogare
Chettinad Puliyogare Recipe
Chettinad Puliyogare is always a wonder. Any Chettinad recipes for that matter taste absolutely delicious.
This variety of chettinad puliyogare is prepared by dry roasting few ingredients and is then ground to a fine powder. The most important part of this recipe is that the ingredients are ground using a mortar & pestle in the traditional method.
A tamarind paste with tempering/tadka is prepared and then the powder is added to this paste and then cooked until oil separates. It is then finally mixed with cooked rice and served.
My method follows the Chettinad stlye.
Iyengar Puliyodharai
Iyengar Puliyodharai is always prepared by making the puliyodharai paste from scratch. The unique taste and flavour of this Iyengar puliyodharai were inherited from the Iyengar/Brahmin community.
Udupi Puliyogare Recipe
Udupi in Karnataka is famous for Vegetarian dishes. The Udupi Puliyogare is prepared either by making puligare gojju/paste or powder mix. It is then mixed directly with cooked rice and served.
The Udupi style puliyogare includes grated or chopped dry coconut, sesame seeds and jaggery.
What is Pulikachal?
Pulikachal is a thick paste that tastes tangy and slightly spicy. This pulikachal is made from tamarind pulp/juice, dals and spices.
Pulikachal is a step in the traditional method of preparing puliyodharai.
This paste is the same as puliyogare paste or gojju.
What is Puliyogare Gojju?
Puliyogare Gojju is nothing but Puliogare paste. This paste is usually homemade or store-bought. I always recommend using the homemade gojju as it is fresh and has all the aroma and flavour intact.
The key ingredients are the same when we want to prepare puliyogare gojju/paste or powder.
But, for any style of tamarind rice that you prepare, the MOST important thing to keep in the mind is the type of tamarind to be used and its quantity.
Types of Tamarind
White Tamarind | Black Tamarind |
Slightly lighter in shade. | Very dark brown or almost black in colour. |
Slightly harder. | Generally soft. |
Needs to be soaked in water for a little longer duration. | Need not be soaked in water for more time to soften and extract the pulp. |
As the pulp extracted will be less sour or tangy, have to use more quantity of this tamarind. | Less quantity is sufficient to get the tangy taste. |
White Tamarind (Vellai Puli): White puli doesn’t mean that the puli or tamarind is white in colour but a little lighter in shade.
Black Tamarind (Karuppu Puli): This variety of tamarind is said to be healthy.
NOTE:
If your recipe calls for tamarind, you may use any variety of tamarind. But, if the recipe uses white tamarind and you have only black tamarind available with you, then make sure to use only 2/3rd of tamarind quantity mentioned in the recipe. In the case of vice-versa, you may use a little or about 1/4th quantity extra.
What is the Best Puliyogare Powder?
The best readymade puliyogare powder and paste mixes are MTR puliogare masala and Aachi Puliogare masala paste. These mixes are easily available in local department stores or supermarkets.
They are usually packed in small puliyogare packets from about 50 grams to 500 grams.
I have used both of them. Both are equally good. But they both taste different. I usually prefer the MTR puliyogare masala, maybe because of the taste.
How to Make Puliyogare Recipe / Puliyodharai / Tamarind Rice / Puli Sadam Recipe – Step by Step Procedure
Preparation of Pulikachal/Puliyodharai Paste/Puliyogare Gojju
- Soak a small lemon size tamarind in water for about 20-30 minutes. I have used black or dark tamarind for this recipe.
(In case, you do not have black tamarind, you may use white tamarind. If you are using white tamarind(vellai puli) you will need to slightly increase the amount of tamarind while soaking itself.)
- After 20-30 mins, squeeze the tamarind in the same water with the help of your hands.
- Extract the pulp completely from the tamarind. Now, filter the tamarind juice and keep aside.
- Add fenugreek seeds to a mixer or blender. Grind it to a coarse powder and keep aside.
- In a kadai, add gingelly oil and bring it to heat. Once heated, add the groundnuts/peanuts and saute until it turns slightly brown. Saute in Medium flame. Once brown, remove it and keep aside for later use.
Now, let’s begin to prepare the puliyodharai paste.
- In the same kadai, add generous amount of gingelly oil as the recipe calls. allow it to heat. Now, add the mustard, urad dal, channa dal, red chillies and curry leaves. Saute until it turns golden brown.
- Now add hing/asafoetida. Then pour in the tamarind pulp/juice. Add required salt, turmeric powder and the ground fenugreek seeds. Combine well and cook in medium flame.
- Cook in medium flame until the watery gravy turns thick and starts to separate oil completely on the sides. Once oil separates on the sides, turn off the flame and transfer the puliyodharai paste or puliyogare gojju to a dry bowl.
Puliyogare paste is ready to be mixed with rice!!
Puliyodharai Rice/Tamarind Rice Preparation Method
- Take the cooked rice in a bowl. Add the puliyogare paste in batches to the rice and mix well. (You can add more or less paste depending upon your taste. If you want the rice to taste very tangy, then add more puliyodharai paste else add less paste and mix well.)
Please click on the below if you would like to cook fluffy and perfectly boiled rice.
How to Cook Rice Perfectly?
- Finally, add the fried groundnuts and combine well. Serve it in a dhonnai or dried leaf cups for the temple style puliyogare effect.
Side Dish for Puliyogare
Veg Side Dishes for puliyogare:
- Papad
- Appalam
- Vadagam/Vadam
- Paruppu/Dal Vada
- Urad Dal Vada
- Tangy Brinjal semi-gravy/Kathirikai Pulikari
- Tangy Drumstick semi-gravy/Murungaikai Pulikari
- Potato Chips
- Pakoda/pakora
- Potato poriyal/potato fry
- Brinjal stir fry
- Raw banana fry/Vazhaikai Varuval
- Curd
- Cucumber/Onion Raita
Non-Veg Side Dishes for puliyogare:
- Egg Omelette
- Egg Podimas
- Egg Burji
- Plain boiled eggs
Recipe Card – Puliyogare Recipe with Measurements
Ingredients
- Tamarind - small lemon size
- 200ml Water
- 1/2 tsp Fenugreek
- 3 tbsp Groundnuts/Peanut
- 2 tbsp Gingelly Oil
- 1/2 tsp Mustard
- 1 tsp Urad dal
- 1 tsp Channa dal
- 3-4 nos Red Chillies
- Few Curry Leaves
- 1/2 Hing/Asafoetida
- 3/4 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
- 2 cups Cooked rice
Instructions
- Soak tamarind in water. Squeeze out the pulp and keep aside.
- Grind fenugreek seeds in a blender and keep aside.
- Saute groundnuts in oil until golden brown and keep aside.
- In a kadai - add oil, mustard, urad dal, channa dal, red chillies, curry leaves and saute well until golden brown.
- Add the tamarind pulp, salt, turmeric powder, hing and combine well.
- Cook in medium flame until oil separates on sides.
- Once oil separates on the sides, transfer to a dry bowl.
- Take some cooked rice in a bowl.
- Add puliyodharai paste little by little and mix well.
- Finally, add the groundnuts and mix once well.
- Serve in a dhonnai with your choice of side dishes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Why Black sesame seeds are best suited for preparing this puliyogare recipe when compared to white sesame seeds?
Ans: It is believed that black sesame seeds are more flavourful and stronger when compared to white. The reason being, the black sesame seeds have their hull intact, whereas the white sesame seeds have their hull removed. But the difference between the two when it comes to the taste is not that big, it’s very subtle.
Q. Can we store the tamarind paste for a few days in a jar?
Ans: YES. You can definitely store the tamarind paste in an airtight jar provided you follow the below steps:
- Be generous with the amount of oil used.
- Cook until the oil separates on the sides and floats on top as well.
- Store in an airtight container.
- Store in the refrigerator for about a month.
- Can be stored outside for a week.
- Use only dry spoons. (keep it moisture-free)
Q. Can I use black sesame instead of white??
Ans: YES. You can choose either of the variety. In this recipe, I have not used any sesame seeds.
Q. Can we use ponni rice?
Ans: YES. You may definitely use ponni rice or any full boiled rice.
Q. What type of Rice to use for puliyogare?
Ans: You can use any type of full boiled rice. Ponni rice, Sona masoori rice can be used for preparing this puliyogare rice.
Q. Can I use Jasmine instead of Sona Masoori?
Ans: I would prefer using ponni or sona masoori rice as they are not too sticky like jasmine rice. Hence, I would recommend using ponni rice or sona masoori.
Q. Can I use Basmati instead of sona masoori?
Ans: YES. You may use basmati rice. but I would say, puliogare tastes better when prepared using ponni or sona masoori rice.
Q. Why should I add jaggery/sugar? Is it necessary?
Ans: The Andhra style and karnataka style puliyogare/pulihora recipe includes a small amount of jaggery/sugar.
Q. Do we need to store pulikachaal in fridge?
Ans: Not necessary. If you use more oil, it can be stored outside too, for about a week or two. Else, you will have to store it in the refrigerator.
Q. When I tried this recipe, even after following exact measurements, it turned out very sour. maybe it is because of my tamarind pulp?
Ans: In this case, try to use the exact measurement of tamarind as mentioned in the recipe. Or you may reduce the amount of tamarind if you still find it tangy or sour.