🌰 Tamarind Rice

(South Indian Style)

Puliyodarai / Pulihora — Temple-style South Indian variety rice

Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️ (medium)
Prep Time: 20 mins | Cook Time: 25 mins | Serves: 3–4
Calories (approx): 410 kcal per serving

🍛 One Pot, Thousand Stories

🌿 Introduction

Tamarind rice is deep, slow, and grounding — a dish built on patience rather than speed.
With its layered sourness, gentle heat, and roasted spice aroma,
puliyodarai is food that carries well, keeps well, and comforts long after it’s made.

“Some flavors linger — not loudly, but faithfully.”

Tamarind Rice

Photo by Stirred By Spice

📝 Ingredients

Main Base

  • 2 cups cooked rice (short-grain or sona masuri, cooled)

  • Salt to taste (about ¾–1 tsp)

Tamarind Extract

  • 1 lemon-sized ball tamarind

  • ½ cup warm water

Spice Paste (Puliyodarai Base)

  • 1½ tbsp oil (sesame oil preferred)

  • 1 tsp mustard seeds

  • 1 tsp chana dal

  • 1 tsp urad dal

  • 2 dried red chilies

  • 1 green chili (optional)

  • 10–12 curry leaves

  • ¼ tsp turmeric powder

  • 2 tbsp sambar powder or puliyodarai spice mix

  • 1 tbsp powdered jaggery (optional, for balance)

  • ¼ tsp asafoetida (hing)

Add In's

  • ¼ cup raw peanuts (or roasted)

  • 1 tsp sesame oil (for finishing)

🍽️ Instructions

  • Prepare Tamarind Extract
    Soak tamarind in warm water for 10 minutes. Squeeze well and extract juice. Discard pulp.

  • Cook Spice Base
    Heat oil in a pan. Add peanuts and roast until golden. Remove and set aside.

  • Build the Tempering
    In the same pan, add mustard seeds. Once they splutter, add chana dal, urad dal, dried red chilies, curry leaves, green chili, and hing. Fry until fragrant.

  • Simmer Tamarind Sauce
    Add turmeric, sambar powder, tamarind extract, salt, and jaggery. Simmer on low heat until thick, glossy, and oil separates (8–10 minutes).

  • Combine with Rice
    Turn off heat. Add cooled rice and roasted peanuts. Mix gently until evenly coated.

  • Rest & Finish
    Drizzle sesame oil, cover, and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

🍷 Optional Serving Notes

Serve with plain curd or buttermilk

Pairs well with appalam (papad) or potato chips

Ideal for travel, picnics, and temple offerings

💬 Soulful Note

Often prepared ahead for festivals and journeys, tamarind rice teaches us that good food

doesn’t always need immediacy — it needs intention.

📚 Cook’s Wisdom / FAQs

📚Cook's Wisdom:

  • Why sesame oil?
    It deepens flavor and preserves the rice longer.

  • Too tangy?
    Balance with a little more jaggery or rice.

  • Keeps well?
    Yes — tastes better after a few hours.

📊 Nutrition (Per Serving — Approx.)

  • Calories 410

  • Protein 10g

  • Carbs 62g

  • Fat 14g

  • Fiber 6g

🍃🌶🍃 The Bottom Line

Tamarind rice is food with memory — steady, sustaining, and meant to be carried forward.

🧡 Meet the Heart Behind the Spice

Maya Shetty – Stirred By Spice Author Photo

Hi, I’m Maya Shetty — cook, storyteller, and spice lover.

Through Stirred By Spice, I share recipes that warm both the kitchen and the heart — where simple ingredients and warm flavors turn everyday meals into moments of connection.

💬 I’d Love to Hear From You!

Your words, memories, and reflections mean the world to me.
Share your thoughts using the form below — I read every message.

© 2025 Stirred By Spice | Designed with warmth 🌶️ & storiess 🪔. All rights reserved