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Easiest Pulihora Recipe | Tamarind Rice

Santosh Allada
Tamarind Rice is one of the traditional Andhra rice recipes made with cooked rice, tamarind paste, and spices. It is a classic rice dish that is prepared for all special occasions.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Andhra, South Indian
Servings 3 people

Ingredients
  

For Tamarind pulp

  • 1/4 cup Tamarind
  • 1/2 cup Water

For Rice

  • 1 cup Raw Rice medium-grain
  • 2 tsp Oil
  • 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
  • 1.5 cups Water

For Pulihora

  • 2-3 tbsp Oil
  • 1-2 tbsp Peanuts
  • 1/2 tbsp Split Bengal gram chana dal
  • 1/2 tbsp Black gram urad dal
  • 1/2-1 tsp Mustard seeds
  • 1/2-1 tsp Cumin
  • 4-6 numbers Green chilies as per your taste
  • 4-5 numbers Dry red chilies
  • 8-10 numbers Cashews optional
  • 2 sprigs Curry leaves
  • 1/4 tsp Asafoetida
  • 1/2 tsp Jaggery
  • Salt

Instructions
 

Soaking the tamarind

  • Place tamarind in a bowl and heat until there is a boil. Switch off the flame and let it rest in hot water for 10-15 minutes.
  • Squeeze the tamarind well with your fingers. Pass this through a strainer placed over an empty bowl. Use a serving spoon and firmly press down on the tamarind pulp until nothing but seeds and fiber are left in the strainer, discard the contents in the strainer.
  • Keep the tamarind pulp aside.

Cooking the Rice

  • Measure 1 cup of rice in a bowl. Rinse it well until the water runs clear.
  • Add water, oil, and turmeric powder. Give a good mix.
  • Place the bowl in a pressure cooker and cook for 3 whistles on high flame and 5 minutes on low flame. Turn off the flame, and let the pressure goes off naturally.
  • Take a wide bowl and add curry leaves.
  • Add the hot cooked rice and spread it gently. Let it rest until the rice cools down.

Making Pulihora

  • Add oil to a pan and heat it over medium flame. When hot, add fenugreek seeds. Cook until it starts to change color.
  • Add peanuts, chana dal, urad dal, mustard seeds, and cumin. Saute until the lentils change color to light golden.
  • Next, add cashews, green chilies, dry red chilies, chopped ginger, and curry leaves. Saute everything well until the curry leaves turn crisp. Add asafoetida and give a good mix.
  • Turn the flame to low and add the tamarind pulp and give a good mix.
  • Add salt to taste and mix well.
  • Continue to cook on low flame until the tamarind pulp thickens and the oil separates.
  • Add a small piece of jaggery and mix until it melts completely.
  • Once the oil separates, turn off the flame.
  • Add the tamarind gravy to the cooled rice.
  • Use a serving spoon or ladle and mix everything well. If time permits, rest for 1-2 hours.
  • Serve with potato fry or your choice of side dish.

Notes

Use aged medium-grain rice, as this kind of rice cooks up perfectly without sticking and mushy.
Make sure the cooked rice is not mushy, the grains should be separate. 
If you do not like it too sour, reduce the amount of tamarind. 
Jaggery is an optional ingredient but it enhances the taste without adding too much sweetness to the pulihora.