Pulikachal / tamarind rice paste - A zesty South Indian condiment bursting with tangy tamarind and aromatic spices! Learn how to make tamarind rice paste with detailed step-wise pictures. Enjoy the flavorsome journey of making and relishing this traditional South Indian delicacy!
Soak the tamarind and roast and prepare the spice powder.
If you are using tamarind flesh, soak the tamarind in water for at least one hour and extract the thick juice. If using a paste, then mix the paste in 2 cups of water and set aside.
Take a heavy-bottomed vessel or kadai and roast the coriander seeds, red chilies, and chana dal without oil until fragrant over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low, add the sesame seeds roast for a minute, and turn off the heat.
Let the sesame seeds pop in the residual heat. We don't need to roast the sesame seeds for too long.
Allow it to cool, and grind the roasted spices and rasam powder without adding water.
Prepare the pulikachal
In the same kadai/heavy-bottomed pan, add the gingelly oil.
Add mustard seeds, chana dal, urad dal, fenugreek, curry leaves, and red chilies when the oil is hot.
Sesame oil becomes frothy after adding the mustard seeds, which is normal. After a couple of minutes, add the peanuts, turmeric powder and hing. Allow the peanuts to turn golden brown.
Reduce the heat to low and carefully add the tamarind extract and salt.
Let it simmer for five minutes or until the raw smell of tamarind is gone.
After that, add the prepared spice powder and the jaggery and allow it to cook well over a low flame till oil separates from the mixture.
Ensure you stir the mix every two minutes. It usually takes about 7 to 10 minutes over low heat.
Turn off the heat and allow it to cool. Store it in an air-tight container.
Notes
Adding rasam powder is optional. But it adds a great flavor.
You can also add ¼ tsp of fenugreek powder towards the end.
Use 1.5 tsp to 2 tsps of salt while preparing the gojju; basically, go with the minimal amount; if required, add it while mixing it with rice. Do not add salt to the cooked pulikachal, as it doesn't gel properly. If you want to add salt, mix it with two to three tbsps of water, add it to the gojju, and heat it over a low flame.
The age of the tamarind and the tamarind variety play a significant role in this recipe. Adjust the salt, spice, and jaggery amount depending on the sourness.
Do not cook pulikaichal over high heat. Also, keep mixing the paste after adding the dry powder.
I recommend gingelly oil for this recipe, but you can use any neutral taste oil.
Dried red chilies - If you notice, I have used three dried red chilies for the spice powder and about ten whole dried red chilies while tempering. For a spicy version, add up to 5 red chilies while making the spice mix and five broken red chilies or whole while tempering. I used byadgi variety of chilies for this recipe, and they weren't super spicy, so this measure worked fine. But depending upon the dried red chili variety you are using, adjust the measure.
Add ½ tsp of whole pepper with dried red chilies for added flavor.
The color of the pulikachal depends on the tamarind or red chili variety you are using and, of course, on white or black sesame seeds.