Pulikachal | How to make Pulikachal | Iyengar Pulikaachal recipe
Pulikachal refers to a tamarind-based spicy condiment used as a side dish or to mix with rice to make the traditional Puliogarai or Tamarind rice.
Yield: 200 grams
Equipment
- Thick Bottomed Pan
- Spice Blender
- Ladle
Materials
- 1/2 cup Sesame Oil Nallennai / Til ka tel
- 4 TBSP SEsame oil additional oil needed
- 100 grams Tamarind Imli / Puli - 100 gms
- 2 TBSP Bengal gram Channa dal / Kadalai paruppu
- 2 TBSP Split black gram Urad Dal / Ulutham paruppu
- 15 nos. Whole red chillies I used pandi variety mirchi - you could sub with Guntur variety
- 1 TBSP Mustard seeds
- 3 TBSP Peanuts
- 1 tsp Turmeric
- 1 TBSP Asafoetida
- 2 TBSP Jaggery optional, but recommended
- 4 sprigs Curry leaves
- 2 tsp Salt adjust to taste
- 1 TBSP Sesame seeds black sesame seeds works better than white here
- 2 TBSP Desiccated Coconut Copra,optional, but recommended
For Spice powder: (Adjust spice according to taste)
- 3 TBSP Coriander seeds Malli
- 2 TBSP Bengal Gram channa Dal
- 1 TBSP Split black gram urad dal
- 2 TBSP Black pepper
- 1/2 tsp Fenugreek seeds Vendhayam / Methi dana
- 2 sprig Curry leaves
- 5 Red chilli I used 2 kashmiri and 3 Guntur variety
Instructions
- Roast all spices for spice powder separately in 1 tsp of oil. Cool and grind. Divide spice powder into 2 parts : 2/3 and 1/3 portions respectively.
- Soak tamarind in hot water for 1/2 hour, extract the pulp
- Roast dry copra and sesame separately
- Heat the deep bottomed thick kadai (if you have a cast iron pan, it works best). When the oil is heated, add peanuts and fry well till golden brown. remove only the peanuts to a plate with a slotted spoon
- Now add mustard seeds, turmeric, hing, curry leaves, broken red chillies, Urad and Channa dal and fry till dals turn golden brown, Now add the tamarind pulp with the water too. Add salt, 2/3 of the ground spice powder and jaggery.
- Let it cook on medium flame for 10-12 mins till the water evaporates and it becomes a thick pulp, the oil will spurt quite a bit so place a lid halfway, and away from your face.
- Once the mixture thickens even further and coats the back of a spoon (alternatively, the oil starts leaving the sides and the mixture starts simmering in slow spurts), turn off and add the fried peanuts , roasted copra and sesame seeds and mix well
- Let it completely cool.
- Transfer to airtight sterile steel / glass container.
- If you feel the gravy has thickened too much, heat addition 1/4 cup sesame oil, cool COMPLETELY and add to the mixture before bottling.
- Keeps for upto 2-3 months under refrigeration.
- Apart from making Puliogorai, this is also a great side dish for Curd Rice.
- To make Kovil Puliyodharai / Puliyogarai, Cook rice into separate grains, Add requisite Pulikaachal paste, the remaining spice powder and mix well. Serve immediately.