Kovil puliyodharai, a divine temple-style tamarind rice recipe, recreating the traditional prasadam (sacred offerings) served in South Indian temples. Tangy taste and a flavorful fresh ground spice mix is the speciality of this. Let's see how to make it with full video and detailed step by step pictures.
Temple prasadams are always special, flavourful and tasty at a different level. You can make it for occasions, festivals like kaanum pongal (kanni pongal), aadi perukku, travel or for a special treat.
One of the prasadams that comes to your mind when you think about prasadam, next to puliyodharai is sakkarai pongal ofcourse!
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🎥 Video
Here's a detailed video on how to make kovil puliyodharai at home.
🛕 About
There are many temples which serves their signature puliyodharai. Especially, Perumal kovil iyengar style puliDo share your favorite temple's puliyodharai that is best.yodharai are the most popular ones.
Initially, during childhood days, I know only small temples near by, which serves hot prasadams prepared on either everyday basis or on special occasions.
In-spite of age and not much knowledge about food, we all loved the kovil prasadams. I am sure everyone have nostalgic memories when it comes to kovil prasadam.
These days prasadams are sold rather distributed. Yet there are many temples, where they serve food/ prasadam, follow the tradition. The real purpose of prasadam is distribution of food to all, I believe.
My personal favorites of temple prasadams are sakkarai pongal, ven pongal, puliyodharai, ladoo, sundal and thattai.
I too randomly have tasted puliyodharai from kovil, though I don't remember anything significant except for the uppiliyappan kovil puliyodharai prasadam.
Do share your favorite temple's puliyodharai that is best.
🥘 Ingredients
Ingredients to temper
Puliyodharai powder ingredients
All the ingredients are sourced in India/ Indian groceries and recomend the same for best results. Here are the ingredients for Kovil puliyodharai recipe. Check recipe card below for full list and quantities.
- Tamarind - The main ingredient for this. If you use tender, fresh ones (pudhu puli), the color is light and taste (tanginess) is mild. Old tamarind is more sharp in taste and gives darker results. Mine in in between.
- Red chillies - Dry red chillies - Lends the spice mainly for the dish.
- Asafoetida - For unique flavor.
- Turmeric - For it's goodness and colour.
- Curry leaves - Adds flavor for the puliyodharai paste.
- Tempering ingredients - Mustard, urad dal, chana dal, peanuts - Each adds flavor, texture to the dish.
- Puliyodharai Spice powder ingredients -
- Coriander seeds is the main ingredient for flavor .
- Chana dal, urad dal for thickening.
- Red chilli, black pepper - for spice
- Sesame seeds, fenugreek seeds, asafoetida - for flavor.
Check recipe card below for full list and quantities.
🍱 Why it's special
Kovil puliyodharai is really flavourful and unique than the one we prepare at home. Though what we make is also flavourful, kovil puliyodharai has special flavours because of the spice powder.
The homestyle Puli sadam as we call in Tamil at home is rather a simple one, yet so flavorful. Mom will do just the tempering and boil tamarind extract until it reduces to thick gravy.
Spice is from red chilli that is torn, added while tadka/ tempering. It is burst of flavour with the asafoetida we add mainly.
When the cookery shows started to emerge in the initial stages, or she read in some magazine, amma noted tried adding such spice powder. The trick of adding half spice powder to rice, rest to thicken the gravy was known even that time.
Without any proper measurements, I tried several times after I started to cook. Added more of dhaniya, roasted it too much. It over powdered the puliyodharai, killed its real flavour. I stopped adding coriander seeds itself.
Now recently I learn the knack of adding it just right without overdose.
👩🏼🍳 Top tips
Firstly, cook rice to perfectly without mashing. make sure rice is cooled ahead before mixing.
Secondly, use lots of sesame oil, while making the tamarind mix as well as while mixing the rice.
Thirdly, whatever puliyodharai you make, main thing I noticed is it tastes best the next day or in other words, give lot of standing time for the flavors to marry.
Finally, adding a tiny little bit of jaggery brings out all the tastes well and balances the spice.
I got this recipe video shared by my BIL, it sounded/ looked really promising and pushed me to try immediately. As a variety rice lover, wanted badly to try kovil puliyodharai for a long time and finally here it is.
Since tomorrow is aadi perukku, this might be helpful too.
📖 My notes
- To cool rice without breaking, as soon as the rice is done, drizzle some sesame oil and use the back of a ladle to gently break the rice.
- After it cools you can mix to make the rice separate.
- Mixing with hands enhances the taste, but not recommend if you are packing for travelling or trying to keep it for long time in shelf.
- I love all the flavors when roasted moderately, but you can try roasting deeply and find your best liked taste.
- Go easy on puliyodharai serving size as some people may not be tolerant to the spice and tamarind together.
- Depending on the chilli variety you use, please adjust the numbers according to the spice level.
🫙 Shelf life
Stays good comfortably for a week in shelf. But I always cool down and store in refrigerator, which lasts for couple of months.
But make sure to take only required quantity and put back the rest immediately in fridge. Do not leave in the counter top for long time which will reduce shelf life.
Also use clean spoons, handle with no moisture.
Serving suggestions
Mix with cooked rice, use mixed vegetable kootu, avial or just plain homemade vathal, koozh vadam the best combo, or even store bought potato chips.
Puliyodharai paste can be used in many ways other than rice. Use it to make puli aval, puli idiyappam, puli semiya for a quick fix.
❓FAQs
At home back then mom used to make simple pulikachal without any spice mix. Temple style tamarind rice uses spice mix that makes it special. It not only adds flavor but also thickens the pulikachal faster, which in first place I believe they do it.
I usually pressure cook the tamarind for easy extraction. For this recipe especially, where there is a lot of pulp needed, this makes the step super easy.
My pulikachal takes long time to thicken. How to thicken fast?
Like I have said above, the tamarind extract should be thick to get the pulikachal to thicken faster. So make sure to add less water while extracting the tamarind pulp. Adding spice mix also fastens the process.
What is puliyodharai made of?
Puliyodharai is made of tamarind, Indian spices like red chillies, coriander seeds as main ingredient and a special freshly ground spice mix which makes it more flavorful and stand apart from regular puli sadam.
What is the meaning of puliyodharai?
Puliyodharai is a popular variety rice made in south India with tamarind as main ingredient. 'Puli' means tamarind in Tamil, from which the dish is named after. It is called in various names such as Puli sadam/ puliyodharai in Tamil, puliyogare in Karnataka, pulihora in Telugu and so on.
Step by step images
1. Firstly, soak tamarind in water for 30 mins. Then, extract juice to make it total 4 cups of tamarind extract. I usually pressure cook to make it easier.
2. Secondly, cook rice for 4 whistles with 1:2 water ratio. Once done, cool down in a broad vessel with a tablespoon of sesame oil.
I usually add ½ teaspoon salt as my mom says it also helps in separating the grains.
Puliyodharai spice powder
3. Then, heat a kadai/ pan with 2 teaspoon oil. After that, add red chilli, chana dal, urad dal, methi seeds, coriander seeds and roast well in medium flame.
4. Once dal is half roasted, add sesame seeds. Roast furthermore until golden. Lastly add curry leaves and give it a roast.
5. Then set aside for cooling down and powder it coarsely.
Make puliyodharai paste
6. In the same kadai, add sesame oil and temper with mustard, chana dal, urad dal, red chillies torn into small pieces, asafoetida.
7. Once mustard pops and dals are golden, add curry leaves. After that, add turmeric, red chilli and immediately transfer to tamarind extract.
8. Boil furthermore with enough salt until it is thick (for 10-15 mins).
9. Lastly add jaggery. Add 2-3 tablespoon of the prepared spice powder.
10. As it thickens furthermore, switch it off. Then, take the cooked rice, fluff it to separate the grains.
11. Sprinkle the remaining spice powder and add pulikachal. You may not require all, so add as needed. Tear some fresh curry leaves and add to it. Add salt if needed. Add sesame oil if needed to balance the spice level.
Give minimum 30 mins standing time before serving. Tastes best as you increase the standing time.
Recipe card
Kovil puliyodharai Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups rice I use either basmati or sona masuri
- ¼ cup tamarind
- 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon jaggery
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 1 tablespoon Sesame oil
- Salt
To roast and powder
- 2 teaspoon oil
- 6 red chillies
- 1 & ½ tablespoon chana dal
- 1 & ½ tablespoon tablespoon coriander seeds
- 1 tablespoon urad dal
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- 2 teaspoon sesame seeds
- 1 sprig curry leaves
To temper
- 2 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon mustard
- 1 tablespoon chana dal
- 1 tablespoon urad dal
- 6 red chillies
- ½ teaspoon asafoetida solid
- ½ cup peanuts
- 1 sprig curry leaves
Instructions
Cooking rice:
- Cook rice for 4 whistles with 1:2 water ratio.
- Once done, cool down in a broad vessel with a tablespoon of sesame oil.
- I usually add ½ teaspoon salt as my mom says it also helps in separating the grains.
Spice powder:
- Heat a kadai/ pan with 2 teaspoon oil.
- Add red chilli, chana dal, urad dal, methi seeds, coriander seeds and roast well in medium flame.
- Once dal is half roasted, add sesame seeds and roast until golden.
- Lastly add curry leaves and give it a roast.
- Set aside for cooling down and powder it coarsely.
Make pulikachal:
- First soak tamarind in water for 30 mins. Extract juice to make it total 4 cups of tamarind extract.
- In the same kadai, add sesame oil and temper with mustard, chana dal, urad dal, red chillies torn into small pieces, asafoetida.
- Once mustard pops and dals are golden, add curry leaves. Add turmeric, red chilli and immediately transfer to tamarind extract.
- Boil with enough salt until it is thick (for 10-15 mins). Lastly add jaggery.
- Add 2-3 tablespoon of the prepared spice powder. As it thickens further, switch it off.
Mixing:
- Take the cooked rice, fluff it to separate the grains.
- Sprinkle the remaining spice powder and add pulikachal. You may not require all, so add as needed.
- Tear some fresh curry leaves and add to it. Add salt if needed.
- Add sesame oil if needed to balance the spice level.
Video
Notes
- The puliyodharai will feel and look sticky, it is normal.
- I used kashmiri red chilli, best for the deep colour. Byadgi chillies works too.
- Though we use chilli for tempering, while roast/ powder, red chilli powder is also added along with black pepper. all these contribute in different flavour at different stages.
- Black pepper, sesame seeds and curry leaves in grinding part are the highlights of the spice mix.
- When you taste the puliyodharai after mixing, all the spice, salt and tangy notes should be on higher side as later rice tends to absorb a little.
- I used roasted peanuts, so added lastly while tempering. If using raw peanuts, add along dals.
Rajee says
Looks yumm. Nostalgic. I lived near perumal kovil and feel that taste seeing your recipe.
Raks Anand says
Thank you 🙂
Swarna says
Though I have been following your blog for quite sometime, this is the first time I have tried one of your recipes. And this pulihora tasted amazing. I was hesitant to add jaggery, but that brought a yummy taste. Thank you son much.
Raks Anand says
Thank you so much for the feedback 🙂
Shiv Sivaraman says
Hello, Ms. Anand,
You gave me some advice / suggestions couple of years ago which I found very useful. Thank you. Now I just wanted to say I enjoy your recipes and been very happy with them. The reason I prefer your recipes is the extra flavor you add by writing some interesting personal experience around them. You are unique!
Neera Satish says
Hello Madam Can we make n keep this mixture without refrigerator for few days... n if we can then for how many days... n thanx for the lovely recipe...
Raks Anand says
If you add more oil and boil it thick so that the oil floats on top, you can keep it for a week to 10 days. But make sure to boil thick and oil floats on top. Oil should form a layer above the paste.
Saradha says
Hi, Recipe looks easy and output delicious!!! I usually make my own tamarind paste, how much would I have to use for the same quantity of rice? Thanks, MB
Raks Anand says
Almost double or little less than double (here I have mentioned 1/4 cup tamarind, so 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp of your tamarind paste should be fine)
SMB says
Thank you, will try.
Sangeetha says
All ur recipes are no fail and super delicious recipes. Next time whenever u visit salem, pls visit Anjaneyar temple in Vijayaraghavan nagar. Near Sona college of Technology.. Their prasadams are tooo yumm
Raks Anand says
Oh is it? Sure will try! Thank you for your feedback.
Asha says
Hi,
I don't have coriander seeds, can seeds be replaced with pure coriander powder as such? If so wats d quantity of powder to be added?
TIA
Raks Anand says
You can roast the powder slightly and use. Just until it heats up, do not roast for long time. 1 tbsp coriander powder will be enough for this.
anbu says
Awesome!!!
Saranya says
Pulikaachal i just made with rock salt tastes salty . what can I do to rectify ?
Raks Anand says
Make another batch (1/2 the quantity) without salt and mix it.
Saranya says
Should I add all the powdered mix to the tamarind if I want to use it for later date ?
Raks Anand says
Hi Saranya Add half of the powder and store the rest in air tight container in fridge. This helps fresh flavor.