Chintakaya Pulihora | Raw Tamarind Flavoured Rice | Andhra Recipe

Andhra Pradesh is one of the first states outside my hometown where I tasted the most yummilicious veg food ever. Bowled over by the delicate yet fiery Gonghura Chutney, the Pachadis and podis (spice powders), the Pappus (lentils), Koora (dry sautes), the Dosas, Pesarattu, it seemed for a while I couldnt get over the hearty fare that my colleague dished out for me.. Thanks to umpteen visits to that state, I am hooked and hugrily crave for more :-)

And starting today, we kick off a 30 day Blogging Marathon of Indian States where we showcase one dish from each state. 25 odd bloggers, 30 states - you do the math ! Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 39

The cuisine of Andhra is based mostly on regional variation,  its rich cultural heritage and the influence of the Royal recipes from the Nawabs. The cuisine of Andhra Pradesh is mixed between the eating habits of the Hindus and Muslims style of eating.    Being the largest producer of rice in India, Andhra cuisine is mostly rice based which can be eaten with vegetarian or non-vegetarian. Andhra is also the hub of red chillies which makes most of the dishes very spicy or fiery. The traditional delicacies of Andhra are absolutely mouthwatering having a liberal use of spices.  

Location Map of Andhra Pradesh

The cuisines of Andhra Pradesh can be categorically classified based by its regions like Andhra, Telangana, Rayalaseema, Kosta (Coastal) Andhra and Hyderabadi cuisine. Hyderabadi cuisine which is a predominant part of the Andhra Pradesh food is influenced by the legacy of the Nizams of Hyderabad. The hallmark of Hyderabad cuisine is the slow cooking method.  The most popular authentic dish of Hyderabad is the Biryani which is a rich-meat dish accompanied by mirch ka salan or Baghare baigan is also known as the jewels of Hyderabadi cooking. The Hyderabadi cuisine is the amalgamation of Muslim techniques and meats cooked with the vibrant spices and ingredients. Hyderabadi cuisine is the ultimate in fine dining. Its tastes ranges from sour to the sweet, the hot and the salty and is ornamented with lots of dry fruits and nuts.

(source : www.vahrevah.com & Mapsofindia.com) 

Pulihora (Telugu) or Puliyogare (Kannada/Tamil) is one Rice Dish thats quintessential to any Andhra meal. But the Andhrites beat me at their own game - they have sooooo many varieties of Pulihora its impossible to fathom. Pulihora essentially means puli = tamarind / tarty taste and hora / ogare = rice which is tempered. 

Raw Tamarind - source - wikipedia.org

When I visited Hyderabad last year, I managed to get hold of these young little raw tamarind just outside the apartment complex we were staying at. Once I got the authentic Andhra recipe with these leaves from my host, I couldnt resist making this for Sankranti festival early this Jan and it was a sellout success. If Pulihoras are made for Naivedyam (or offering to god, its usually made sans garlic and onion)

So, lets check out Chintakaya Pulihora or flavoured rice with Raw Tamarind Paste

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BM : 39 ~ Indian State : Andhra Pradesh ~Recipe : Chintakaya Pulihora

Dish type : Main Course

Spice Level : Medium to mildly hot

Accompaniment : Yoghurt / fried fryums or Papad

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Prep time : 30 mins | Cooking time : 20 mins | Serves : 4

Ingredients:

• Cooked Rice - 3 cups
• Raw Tamarind - 200 gms 
• Oil - 150 gms
• Ghee / Clarified butter - 1 TBSP (optional)
• Grate jaggery - 3 tsp (optional)
• Channa Dal - 4 TBSP
• Green Chillies - 3 to 4 (adjust spice)
• Dry red chillies - 8 (adjust spice)
• Turmeric - 1/2 TBSP
• Salt - to taste

For tempering and garnish:

• oil - 2 TBSP
• Curry leaves - few
• Mustard seeds - 2 TBSP
• Asafoetida - a generous pinch
• Cashew nuts - 2 TBSP - chopped

Method:

1. Wash the raw tamarind and wipe off excess sap if present. 
2. Bring 2 cups of water to a rolling boil. Drop the raw tamarind and boil till soft (with the skin on), about 10 mins. Drain but reserve the water.
3. Meanwhile cool the cooked rice in a large, wide plate. Fluff them up into separate grains with a fork. Add 2 TBSP oil and mix gently taking care not to break the grains (if using raw rice instead of cooked rice, make sure to cook till the grains separate, not turn mushy)
4. Peel the skin of the boiled tamarind, and deseed. Mash the remaining pulp in the hot water reserved and filter.
5. In a large pan, heat the oil. Add the channa dal, when it browns a bit, add the mustard seeds, cashewnuts, green and red chillies, curry leaves, turmeric, asafoetida and stir briskly. 
6. Now add the tamarind pulp, jaggery if using and salt into the tempered oil. Stir slowly on medium-high heat for 10-12 mins till the pulp turns thick and oil begins to leave the sides. (Be careful as the oily mixture spurts out hot lava, so cover it partially if you wish)
7. Cool this thick tamarind mixture to room temperature.
8. Ladle out required amount of above tamarind pulp onto the cooled rice, mix well with some ghee and serve. 

Approximate division of Cuisines across Andhra

Notes :

1) The above quantity of tamarind spice mix is more than sufficient to season 4-5 cups of cooked rice. However, as we are using only 3 cups, some quantity will be left over.

2) You may add peanuts in addition to or instead of cashewnuts. 

3) Store the remaining tamarind spice mix in a glass jar - keeps for a week under refrigeration.

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