In Kovil Puliyodharai, Coriander seeds, pepper corns and groundnut is a must which differentiate this puliyodharai from regular Tamarind Rice. In my hometown Trichy, my grandmom’s house is just a steps from Srirangam Ranganathar temple and I have gone there a zillion times. I never miss to buy this puliyodharai along with other prasadam’s which tastes divine. While in Chennai, I had lot of chances to taste the Parthasarthy temple puliyodhari which is famous. Though we could not recreate the same taste as done in temple madapalli, we can try this Kovil Puliyodharai which atleast near that taste.
Kovil Puliyodharai
Kovil Puliyodharai
Preparation + Cook Time: 45 minutes | Serves: 2 to 3
- Cooked Rice – 2 cups
- Tamarind – 1 lemon sized
- Turmeric Powder – 1/2 tsp
- Hing – 1 generous pinch
- Peanuts – 1 handful
- Jaggery – 1/2 tsp
- Salt – To taste
- Water – As needed
- Channa Dal – 1.5 tblsp
- Urad Dal – 1 tsp
- Pepper – 1 tsp
- Fenugreek Seeds – 1 tsp
- Coriander seeds – 1 tsp
- Sesame seeds – 1.5 tsp
- Red Chillie – 5 to 6
- Curry Leaves – 1 sprig
- Mustard Seeds – 2 tsp
- Channa Dal – 2 tsp
- Hing – 1 pinch
- Red Chillie- 2
- Curry Leaves – 2 sprig
- Gingelly oil – 2 tblsp
1. Soak tamarind in water. Extract tamarind water. In a pan dry roast peanuts till golden brown until nice aroma wafts. Cool down and remove the skin of peanuts. In the same pan, add 1 tsp of oil and roast all the ingredients given under the table ‘To Roast and Grind’.
2. Allow it cool and grind it in a mixer to a coarse powder. Heat a kadai, add gingelly oil generously and add the items given in the table ‘To Temper’. Then add tamarind water.
3. Add turmeric powder and little more water. Let it boil well and now add the spice powder, jaggery and salt.
4. Boil it in low flame for few more minutes and add peanuts. By now the water reduces to half the quantity. The paste starts to thicken, stir in between or else the bottom gets burnt. When the oil starts to separate, switch off flame. The paste should be in semi gravy consistency.
5. Now the puli kachal is ready. Add puli kachal little by little to the cooked rice and mix well without breaking the grains. Pour 2 tsp of gingelly oil and adjust puli kachal and salt as per your taste. 
Spicy Kovil Puliyodharai is ready.
1. Adjust red chillies as per your spice level.
2. Use only gingelly oil for this rice which enchances the taste.
3. Addition of coriander seeds and pepper corns is a must for this kovil puliyodharai.
4. Use hing, curry leaves and gingelly oil generously which gives nice aroma to this rice.
5. This puli kachal can be stored for 3 weeks under refrigeration and 4 to 5 days when kept outside.
