Leftover rice to a lip-smacking one-pot meal — Pulihora
Pulihora in Telugu, Puliyogare in Kannada, Puliyodhrai in Tamil is a rice preparation of choice during most festivals and auspicious occasions. It is one of the mandatory offerings to god during festivals in South India. It is rice tempered with dals, curry leaf, nuts, chillis, and mixed with a sour medium — be it tamarind, lemon, or citron. In fact, there are several regional, sect, and caste variations of this recipe in each of the five South Indian states. Of the five southern states, only Kerala does not have an equivalent of the pulihora. Somewhere along the way, in the Telugu speaking states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, it got literally translated into tiger rice! Puli in Telugu translates to the tiger. The yellow color and the fiery taste make it a worthy name.
My version of the recipe:
Rice Preparation:
1 cup of rice
2 cups of water
Use a pressure cooker for cooking 1 cup rice in 2 cups water. Cook on high flame. Turn off once the cooker whistles four times. Once the pressure cooker cools down, spread out the rice in a wide plate to cool.
Tempering:
5–6 tbsp sesame oil(Gives added flavor), but any oil will do
2–3 tbsp curry leaves
1 tbsp chana dal
1/2 tbsp split urad dal
1 tsp mustard
1/4 tsp asafoetida powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
3–4 dry red chilies (torn into two halves)
3–4 green chilies (slit)
For Extra Crunch(optional):
2–3 tbsp groundnuts
1–2 tbsp cashew nuts
Heat the oil in a pan. Turn the heat to low and add chana and urad dal, followed by the mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds begin to splutter and the chana and urad dal change color to a light brown, add the curry leaves, green chilies(slit), and dry red chilies. Add the turmeric and asafoetida powder.
If you plan to add cashew, add them now. Fry till the dry red chilies change color to a darker shade of red. Add the tempering to the cooked rice.
If you want to add groundnuts, take 1 tbsp of oil and add the groundnuts. Fry till they change color to very light brown and add to the cooked rice.
Sour Element:
Use tamarind the size of a ping-pong ball. To extract the tamarind juice, boil 1/3 cup water and add the tamarind and let it sit for 10 minutes. Once it cools down, use your hands to squish the tamarind and extract the juice, till only the pulp remains. Do keep in mind not to make the tamarind juice too watery. At the end of the process, you should have no more than 1/2 cup of thick tamarind juice.
After you transfer the tempering to the cooked rice, add the tamarind juice to the pan. Boil to reduce the juice to a thick paste. Add the tamarind paste to the cooked rice. Mix the tempering and tamarind paste thoroughly, adding salt to taste. Keep aside for half-hour to let the rice absorb the tamarind and salt.
If using packaged tamarind pulp, use 2–3 tbsps.
Lemon/citron juice — Deseed the lemon/citron and squeeze out the juice about 3–4 tbsps. Add the lemon juice to the cooked rice. Mix the lemon juice and tempering thoroughly, adding salt to taste. Keep aside for half-hour to let the rice absorb the lemon and salt.
If using packaged lemon juice, use 3–4 tbsps. If it has salt added, adjust salt accordingly.
Though Pulihora is a recipe associated with auspicious days and occasions, it is also a recipe that most working women and men turn to in South India every time there is leftover rice. The sour element prevents the rice from going bad. It is something that can be stirred up in an instant. In fact, if you want to save even the little time that it takes to put together the tempering and tamarind paste, you can always make a larger quantity of the tamarind paste(with salt added to act as a preservative) and bottle it to be stored in the refrigerator. All you need to do then is prepare the tempering and mix it to the rice with the required quantity of the tamarind paste.
Beware of how often you resort to this recipe, though. It is so easy that there is the danger of overdoing it! Please don’t bring it to a point where people in the house loath the thought of leftover rice being turned into pulihora. I’d say use it sparingly, and it is a great recipe to turn to for all the right reasons — simple, nutritious, and tasty.
