Puliodarai prepared with homemade gojju/paste and that’s what I am going to share today. But there is a small twist. :-) Puliodarai is a great recipe to sneak in some additional legumes. Check what bean or legume I used and how I make and pack this tamarind rice for the kiddo. I know there are zillion lunch box ideas, but if you ask me what’s my favorite lunch box recipe, without any second thought, I would say Tamarind Rice / Puliodarai and Curd Rice / Thayir Saadam. When I posted my Dill Dal Kichadi, I mentioned that I had a jaw searching moment for one more recipe and that is this tamarind rice. Vaandu is not a big fan of curd rice yet, but I am not complaining. I am happy to see him relish this tamarind rice.I took this opportunity of redo my Puliodarai Gojju post. We usually prepare the puliodarai gojju aka tamarind rice paste well ahead. This gojju stays good for ten days when refrigerated. I typically cook this over the weekend and stock it up. Wondering how to get that kovil puliodarai taste? The secret ingredient is the Rasam Powder. Oh yeah, you read it right. Adding a small amount of rasam powder and jaggery enhances the flavor very much. You can check the detailed recipe here.
What am I going to share today then? How I pack it for vaandu with black chickpeas. I do add black chickpeas while mixing the puliodarai. The crunchiness of peanuts with black chickpeas and appalam is heavenly. This is a great way to sneak in those legumes too. I know it is not a significant source of protein, but I believe something is always better than nothing. So here is the tamarind rice recipe. You can get the homemade pulikaichal mix recipe here. As I mention I have updated it with new pictures. :-)
Tamarind Rice or Puliodarai Recipe
Puliodarai prepared with homemade gojju/paste with the addition of black chickpeas. The perfect recipe for lunch as well as picnics and parties.
Ingredients:
Puliodarai Paste – 3 to 4 tbsps Cooked Rice – 3 cups Sesame Oil – 1 tbsp Salt – ½ tsp Cooked Black Chick Peas – ¼ cup
Prep – Work:
Cook the rice and allow it too cool. Mixing hot rice makes it all mushy. So always mix the puliodarai in the cold rice. Boil the chickpeas and drain the water and set aside. Do not overcook the chickpeas.
Steps:
In a big bowl (I used the vessel in which I made the puliodarai) add the rice, oil, and salt.
Then add the cooked black chickpeas. Mix them all.
Now add the puliodarai paste and mix.
That’s it. Serve it with appalam or vadagam.
Notes:
Instead of black chickpeas, you can use garbanzo beans, cowpeas. I haven’t tried any other beans. These three go well in puliodarai. You need 1 tbsp of sesame oil. But if you feel it subsides the spice, you can add more puliodarai mix or reduce the oil.
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📖 Recipe
