Puliyodarai

Ingredients

• 300 g raw rice
• 600 ml water, for cooking the rice
• 60 g tamarind, a lemon-sized ball
• 80 ml sesame oil, plus 1 tbsp for the rice
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 2 tsp chana dal
• 75 g raw peanuts
• 4 dried red chillies
• 1 tsp asafoetida
• 1 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 3 sprigs curry leaves
• 2 tbsp grated jaggery
• 3 tsp salt
• 3 tsp coriander seeds
• 4 dried red chillies, for the powder
• 3 tsp white sesame seeds
• 1 1/2 tsp black peppercorns
• 3/4 tsp fenugreek seeds

Before you cook

• Soak the tamarind in 300 ml of hot water for 20 minutes, then squeeze it hard and strain, discarding the fibres.
• Rinse the rice and drain it well.
• Set out a wide tray for cooling the cooked rice.

Steps

1. Dry roast the coriander seeds in a small pan over low heat for two minutes, until fragrant, then tip them onto a plate.
2. Roast the dried chillies, sesame seeds, peppercorns and fenugreek the same way, one after another, adding each to the plate.
3. Cool the spices completely, then grind them to a coarse powder.
4. Cook the rice in 600 ml of water until the grains are tender but still separate and slightly firm.
5. Spread the rice on a wide tray, drizzle over one tablespoon of sesame oil and leave it to cool completely.
6. Heat the 80 ml of sesame oil in a heavy pan over medium heat and add the mustard seeds.
7. When they pop, add the chana dal, peanuts and dried chillies and fry for three minutes, until the dal is golden and the peanuts smell toasted.
8. Add the curry leaves, turmeric and asafoetida and stir for ten seconds.
9. Pour in the strained tamarind water and add the salt.
10. Simmer uncovered on low heat for twenty-five minutes, until the mixture darkens, thickens to a jam and the oil rises to the surface.
11. Stir in the jaggery and cook for two minutes more.
12. Take the pan off the heat and mix in the ground spice powder.
13. Leave the pulikachal to cool for ten minutes.
14. Spoon about half the pulikachal over the cooled rice.
15. Mix it through with your fingertips, lifting rather than stirring, until every grain is coated and pale gold.
16. Rest the puliyodarai for one hour before serving, and keep the leftover pulikachal in a jar in the fridge.