I’m always on the look out for easy to make and pack recipes for the lunch box which is also liked by my kids and as to them it should be spill free too. One pot meals of course makes the mornings so much hassle free saving so much time.
I saw this recipe on a cookery show and was drawn by its sheer simplicity and the flavors that came together while maintaining the authentic taste of the puliodharai as well. I tried it the next day itself and it came out very well. Arjun loved it so much and asked me if I had any left overs when he came back from school in the evening. This version proved a nice variation to the good old Puliodharai.
| Cooked rice | 2 cups |
| Garlic Pods | 1/2 cup |
| Sambar Onions/Shallots | 1 cup |
| Green Chillies | 3 |
| Tamarind | 1 lemon size |
| Mustard seeds | 1/2 tsp |
| Urad dal | 2 tsp |
| Channa Dal | 1 tbsp |
| Whole dry Chillies | 6 to 8 |
| Asafetida | 2 pinch |
| Turmeric Powder | 1/2 tsp |
| Curry Leaves | 1 sprig |
| Gingelly Oil | 5 tbsp |
| Salt | To taste |
Method:
Finely chop the onions and garlic. Soak tamarind in little hot water and extract thick pulp and keep it ready.
Heat gingelly oil in a kadai. Add mustard seeds. Once it splutters add urad dal, channa dal and broken whole dry chillies. Let it roast till the dals become golden in color.
Add the chopped sambar onions, garlic, green chillies, curry leaves, a pinch of salt and turmeric powder. Sauté till the onions starts to shrink and the edges begin to brown.
Add tamarind extract, salt and asafetida and mix well. Simmer the stove and cook for 10 mins with the lid closed. The sauce would have thickened considerably by now and the oil would be floating on top. Take off stove.
Spread the cooked rice on a plate and drizzle 2 tsp gingelly oil over it. Add the pulikachal paste and mix well. Serve hot with appalams or vadams.
Notes:
| Do not attempt this rice with any other oil except Gingelly oil / Sesame Oil as it acts as the main flavoring agent. |
| You can replace sambar onions with the regular ones but you would definitely miss the sweetness of the shallots. |
| Adjust the chillies according to your spice requirement as only the chillies are being used for providing the hotness. |
This is off to Herbs & Flowers ~ Garlic hosted by Vardhini.
Labels: Chettinad Cuisine, Lunch Box Recipes, Rice Recipes, South Indian Lunch
