Tamarind Rice
Ingredients
• Rice – 1 cup
• Tamarind – little more than big lemon sized
• Powdered asafetida – a pinch
• Green chilies – 3 (long thin variety)
• Red chilies – 4
• Salt – as required
• Oil – 3 ½ tbsp
• Roasted ground nuts – 1 tbsp (optional)
Fry and Powder
• Red chilies – 8
• Coriander seeds – 1 ½ tsp
• Black gram dhal – ¾ tsp
• Bengal gram dhal – 1 tsp
• Pepper – few (optional)
• Fenugreek seeds – 10-12
Fry the above spices in half a teaspoon of oil and powder
For Seasoning:
• Mustard seeds – ½ tsp.
• Black gram dhal – 1 tsp.
• Bengal gram dhal – 1 tsp.
• Broken cashewnuts – 1 tbsp
• Curry leaves – as per taste
Preparation
1. Cook rice till half done, allow it to cool completely then separate the grains.
2. Soak tamarind in two to three cups of water and then extract juice from it. Strain and keep aside.
3. Heat a tsp. of oil and add asafetida and then red chilies (whole). Fry till chilies become black in color.
4. Pour tamarind extract with whole green chilies. Keep stirring constantly till tamarind extract reduces in its volume till a thick pulp.
5. Add enough salt to that and remove from fire.
6. Add required quantity of powdered ingredients to the previously cooked rice.
7. Fry the seasoning in oil and pour over. Add more salt if necessary and Mix well.
8. Garnish with cut coriander leaves and serve.
Peanuts can be added while reducing tamarind pulp
Serves
2 Persons
By Bhaktin Malathy