Puliyodharai | Sowmya

This puliyodharai recipe has its roots deeply entrenched in the iyengar community of South India. It can be found in its most traditional way & also adapted in different variations all over India. For me, this comfort food brings back fond childhood memories of my grandmother and mother making this and I also recall relishing it as ‘Prasadam’ on every temple visit. Although this dish is known as an iyengar speciality, vaishnavite temples serve the best versions of it. The vision of eating such delicious goodness in a “mantharai leaf” served in the “kovil madapalli”, the smell of the leaf laced with the oil and  spices of the puliyidharai brings back immense nostalgia. I make it a point to  get  a handful of this heavenly food whenever I visit vaishnavite temples in South India.

I see numerous versions of this humble puliyodharai but the basic traditional recipe is important to note. My culinary journey didn’t start till my early 20s when I had to learn cooking. This propelled me towards learning basic family recipes which gave me an understanding of the fundamentals of cooking passed down through the generations. Hope you enjoy this simple puliyodharai in all its sweet and tangy goodness.

Puliyodharai

Method:

1. First of all, the tamarind has to be soaked for a longer time. It should be a thick purée and it can be soaked either overnight or for a minimum of 3 hours. Soak them in lukewarm water. 
2. Then prepare the spice powder by dry roasting the spice ingredients – fenugreek first, then the coriander seeds, chana dal and chilies. Grind this into a powder after cooling them.
3. In a pan, add oil, then the tempering ingredients  – mustard, fenugreek, chana dal , urad dal, chilies and curry leaves. Then add the peanuts and fry.
4. Once they turn golden in color add the turmeric and add tamarind water. Add salt and allow it to boil, until you see the oil separate and the consistency change. Then add the spice powder, mix and add asafoetida powder. Let this sit for further 5-8 minutes. 
5. Pressure cook rice and then add 1 teaspoon of sesame oil and curry leaves to the rice. Mix together, add 1-2 ladles of Pulikachal for 3/4th cup rice and mix gently. 
6. Serve with arisi appalam & vadaam.

Watch this recipe here – Puliyodharai

Sowmya is a busy mom of twin tweens whose culinary journey began in her 20’s. Her fondness towards photography and passion for curating and creating Southern Indian recipes made her take up food blogging at the Homemade Cooking.

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