Don't tamarind me.

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Please don’t call this recipe as tamarind rice for lack of a better description as that feels like an oversimplification. It might also be the greatest injustice to describe this spicy dish that has captivated millions of hearts in both Tamil Nadu and Karnataka for generations.

Puliyodharai isn’t all about tamarind (main ingredient though) but it is more than that. Much more than that. It is also a combination of several spices, nuts and curry leaves. It is a popular temple food that is offered as ‘prasad’. This dish can be interpreted in many ways on the basis of its cooking process. It could be a quick Puli Satham (translates to tamarind rice in Tamil literally...) to more labor intensive Puliyotharai which is made with several spices freshly grounded.


Typically, Puliyodharai is spicy and it tastes better a few hours after it is cooked. No wonder it is a standard offering at many temples across the Southern parts of India and it is always been preferred for long road trips and lunch boxes. Although this dish needs no companion to accompany, some people prefer to indulge it with appalams (rice crackers in Tamil) or pickle.
I don’t mean to brag but my grandmother's Puliyodharai is beyond this universe.

(Article & Photograph - Mirudhulaa Padmanaban)

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