Puliyotharai

                    Who dont like puliyotharai. Especially the one which is distribute in temple. Puliyotharai and curd rice is perfect combination.It is also prepared as take away lunch when we go for travel.I remember in my childhood,while traveling mom's use to prepare idli and spicy tomato chutney or we can call it as tomato thokku for breakfast. For afternoon lunch ,they make puliyotharai and curd rice.Why it is best combination is, after having puliyotharai we used to feel thirsty a lot.So curd rice will compensate the thirsty. Though i dont make this puliyotharai often, once in a month i will make it for my husband,who love it. We use to have it with rice vadagam.

Ingredients :

Tamarind - medium lemon size
Rice - 1 cup
Gingerlly oil - 4 tbsp
Venthayam (methi seed) - 1 tbsp
Peanut -  10 no
Mustard seed - 1 tbsp
Broken urad dhal - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder- 1 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 3 stem
Small onion - 10 no
Red chilli - 4 no
Hing - a pinch
Jaggery - 2 tbsp

Recipe :

* Soak tamarind in 1 1/2 cup water and drain the water alone.
* Fry venthayam without oil and grind it into fine powder.
* Fry peanut and remove the skin and break it into half.
* Chop onion lengthwise.
* In a cooker,add rice and enough water,1 tsp oil and little salt.Cook such a way that the rice will be little hard and non sticky.Once cooked,transfer it to a plate to cool.
 In a pan,add gingerly oil followed by mustard and broken urad dhal. Once mustard splatter,add hing,onion,red chilli and curry leaves.Once onion is cooked,add turmeric powder and salt.Now pour the tamarind water ,little jaggery , powdered venthayam and close the pan.Keep it in medium flame.Once the oil oozes out and tamarind get thick,add half roasted peanut.Now add the rice slowly and stir it.Once the rice is coated with tamarind mix,switch off the stove and garnish with peanut.

Note :

* This puliyotharai will be tangy,sweet and slightly bitter.
* Venthayam give the bitter taste and jaggery give the sweet taste.
* As like puli kulambu,the main taste in this dish is amount of oil we use.
* Peanut give a crunchy taste to the dish.
* Adjust jaggery and venthayam powder according to the need.Add little initially and add later when needed.