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Tamarind rice-How to make Tamarind rice-Puliogare- Puliyodharai -Puliyodarai -Pulikkachal

October 19, 2014 by PadhuSankar 81 Comments

Tamarind rice is a popular dish of South India.This is a traditional South Indian Tamil Brahmin recipe. This is a fool proof recipe which even beginners can try with confidence. Let us learn how to make this South Indian style tamarind rice or puli sadam/ Puliyodharai following this easy recipe with step wise pictures.

Tamarind rice-puliyodharai

Puliyodharai-Tamarind Rice


Puliyodharai-Tamarind Rice

 Prep Time : 10 mins

 Cook Time : 25 mins 
 Serves: 3-4
 Recipe Category: Variety Rice
 Recipe Cuisine: South Indian (Tamil Iyengar)
 Author:Padhu Sankar

   Ingredients needed

   Raw Rice -1 1/4 – 1 1/2 cup
   Tamarind – 70 grams
   Sesame seed Oil – 50 ml
   Salt needed

   Spice powder or Podi

   Fenugreek seeds – 1 tsp
   White sesame seeds – 1 tsp
   Coriander seeds – 2 tbsp
   Red chillies – 5

   For the seasoning

   Mustard – 1 tsp
   Urad dal – 4 tsp
   Channa dal /Bengal gram – 4 tsp
   Red chillies – 4 (break it into 2)
   Asafoetida – 1/2 tsp
   Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
   Roasted peanuts- 100 grams
   Curry leaves – little

   For the rice (for mixing)

   Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
   Sesame seed oil-2 tsp

Preparation


Dry roast fenugreek seeds, coriander seeds and red chillies until you get a nice aroma. Dry roast sesame seeds separately and powder everything together. Our spice powder for puliyodharai is ready. Keep it aside.

spice powder for puliyodharai

Cook rice in such a way that each grains are separate.

Soak tamarind in hot water (around 2 cups) and extract 2 cups of thick juice from it. Discard the pulp.

Ingredients needed for tamarind rice/puliyodharai

Method


Heat oil and add the ingredients mentioned under seasoning. You can remove red chilli and then add back to the oil to prevent it from getting burnt.

When dal turns golden brown, add the thick tamarind extract, salt and let it boil on medium flame.

how to make tamarind rice

Switch off when it thickens and oil oozes out.

Now the tamarind paste or pulikachal (see Picture below) is ready. Let us see how to mix it with rice.

Tamarind paste-pulikachalTamarind paste

For mixing the rice

Spread the rice on a plate to cool. When it is warm, add 2 tsp sesame seed oil and 1/2 tsp turmeric powder and mix it gently without breaking the rice.

Once it cools, add needed spice powder, tamarind paste and mix the rice gently. Adjust spice powder and tamarind paste according to your taste.

Delicious Tamarind rice or Puliyodarai is ready to be served. We enjoyed Puliyodarai with vadams and appalam.

puliyodharai-puli sadam

Note –


You can add less or more spice powder according to how hot you want the rice to be.

Similarly, you can add less or more tamarind paste according to how sour you want the rice to be. Adjust as per your preferences.

You can store the paste in the refrigerator for 7-10 days and use it when required.

vadam-vadagamVadams

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Filed Under: Adi Perukku, One Pot Meals, Pongal, Rice Dishes, Uncategorized, Video Recipe Tagged With: Lunch box recipes, South Indian recipes, Tamil Brahmin recipes, Uncategorized




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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. An Open Book

    September 20, 2010 at 4:27 pm

    that reminds me of chennai 🙂

    Reply
  2. Ms.Chitchat

    September 20, 2010 at 4:29 pm

    Hey, awesome puliyodharai. Beautiful click as usual. Even we had the same with vadams but mine was from GS :):)

    Reply
  3. Mrs.Menagasathia

    September 20, 2010 at 4:42 pm

    yummy..my all time favourite…

    Reply
  4. Krishnaveni

    September 20, 2010 at 4:45 pm

    tamarind rice is my fav, looks yummy

    Reply
  5. Sushma Mallya

    September 20, 2010 at 5:20 pm

    Its one of my favs, next time will try your recipe too…

    Reply
  6. Silence Sings

    September 20, 2010 at 5:51 pm

    Looks delicious…..loved the flavour…

    Reply
  7. Swathi

    September 20, 2010 at 5:52 pm

    Tamarind rice looks delicious Padu.

    Reply
  8. Rachana

    September 20, 2010 at 7:15 pm

    Wow! Mouthwatering rice. Looks so tangy and yummmmmmm 🙂

    Reply
  9. kothiyavunu.com

    September 20, 2010 at 7:40 pm

    As open book..this reminds me of chennai..looks tempting padhu.

    Reply
  10. Kairali sisters

    September 20, 2010 at 8:52 pm

    This takes me to Coimbatore days…We used to get to go mostly everyday..Looks too good padhu

    Reply
  11. Mina Joshi

    September 20, 2010 at 10:06 pm

    Delicious Looking and great presentation as usual.

    Reply
  12. SavithaRaj's Spice Land

    September 20, 2010 at 11:14 pm

    Trust me,this is my favorite rice and have done it only with the readymade powder till now..your recipe is a reason for me to try it myself now..

    Reply
  13. sonu

    September 21, 2010 at 2:59 am

    luv tamarind rice but i always make frm mtr tamarind pwd mix but now i know to make frm scratch..thnx dear for sharing this wonderful rice recipe !

    Reply
  14. GEETHA ACHAL

    September 21, 2010 at 3:36 am

    yummy…My all time favorite…It looks so tempting…

    Reply
  15. Babli

    September 21, 2010 at 3:46 am

    Tamarind rice looks yummy and tempting. Wonderful presentation.

    Reply
  16. jeyashrisuresh

    September 21, 2010 at 4:11 am

    puliyodarai is my fav one and i love ur version

    Reply
  17. Dr.Sameena Prathap

    September 21, 2010 at 4:45 am

    Hi Padhu,

    nalla puli sadham…

    Dr.Sameena@

    http://www.myeasytocookrecipes.blogspot.com

    Reply
  18. alwayswinner786

    September 21, 2010 at 7:23 am

    Yum Yum! deliciously tangy rice!

    Reply
  19. chaitrali pathak

    September 21, 2010 at 7:30 am

    looks superb and with great colour…..n m sure with has great taste

    Reply
  20. Priya

    September 21, 2010 at 8:55 am

    My fav pulisadham, love that vadams..

    Reply
  21. Gouri Guha

    September 21, 2010 at 9:50 am

    I can get the soury taste of this rice by reading your post. This looks great.

    Reply
  22. Prathima Rao

    September 21, 2010 at 10:16 am

    Thx Padhu for ur lovely comments n now i got to know of ur wonderful space!Love d presentation of d puliogare..Remember my college days when mom used to pack it in our lunch boxes 🙂 Sure to keep droppin in to ur blog..!!

    Reply
  23. சிநேகிதி

    September 21, 2010 at 2:55 pm

    Tamarind rice looks delicious ……

    Reply
  24. Sum

    September 21, 2010 at 3:19 pm

    Delicious!

    Reply
  25. swapna

    September 21, 2010 at 7:23 pm

    My fav…looks so wonderful!! lovely recipe!!

    Reply
  26. Deepti

    September 21, 2010 at 8:46 pm

    This tamarind rice luks gr8…nice presentation.

    Reply
  27. women-wisdom.com

    September 21, 2010 at 11:31 pm

    Delish and yummy. Its perfect and temping. New to your blog and have to go through more of your wonderful homely recipes. Glad to follow you padhu.
    Loving it:-)
    http://indianyummykitchen.blogspot.com

    Reply
  28. Home Cooked Oriya Food

    September 21, 2010 at 11:45 pm

    lovely tamarind rice… i love the flavor and color of it!

    Reply
  29. Ananda Rajashekar

    September 25, 2010 at 1:25 pm

    Tamarind rice is one of "the" fav rice, which i can eat all by myself, specially when mum makes them for me….reminds me of her….they look lovely 🙂

    Reply
  30. psprongs

    August 21, 2013 at 8:58 pm

    Thanks a lot. Been trying to get the perfect puliyodarai as my mom's and finally this recipe helped me. It turned out so good that I make it very often now. Btw, I added a little channa dal to the podi too as my mother does. Thanks again.

    Reply
  31. Vidya K

    May 18, 2014 at 2:37 pm

    I luvd it…..one of ma fav

    Reply
  32. Pavithra

    October 30, 2014 at 10:34 pm

    Hi, 70 gms of tamarind is roughly how much? Around 1 tbsp?

    Reply
    • Padhu Sankar

      October 31, 2014 at 5:53 am

      I have shown in the picture itself. Roughly 2 lemon sized balls.

      Reply
  33. Arifath Mohideen

    December 18, 2014 at 4:50 am

    Your blog is a blessing! My kitchen life is a lot easier and enjoyable, thanks to your wonderful recipes. 🙂

    Reply
  34. Natalie

    January 11, 2015 at 4:40 pm

    Can I use tamarind paste instead of regular tamarind? If yes, how much of past can I use

    Reply
  35. kamalaveni

    January 18, 2015 at 4:27 pm

    Really awesome pulisadham mem I want to prepare one kg rice please give the ratio of the ingredients

    Reply
    • Padhu Sankar

      January 19, 2015 at 12:40 pm

      Thank you Kamalaveni. 1 cup rice is 250 grams, so 1 kg is 4 cups of rice. You can calculate accordingly.

      Reply
  36. jayashree ramesh

    February 6, 2015 at 1:20 pm

    Hi padhu,
    today I prepared this. Came out really well. The taste resembled the temple puliodharai. My husband praised me a lot.Thank u so much. Ur blog is a cooking dictionary for me.

    Reply
  37. Sasirekha

    February 16, 2015 at 8:05 pm

    Wow really nice….i m going to try this for my husband… Hmmmm he really love my cooking…. Thank u yaa

    Reply
  38. abinaya

    February 18, 2015 at 5:23 am

    So delicious.today going to try it.after preparing will say u how it tasted.

    Reply
  39. prabu

    August 21, 2015 at 11:34 am

    Great

    Reply
  40. Archana Potdar

    October 5, 2015 at 2:03 am

    Awesome. I made it for the first time and reminded me of my Mom and Mami tks.

    Reply
  41. rameshrao

    October 23, 2015 at 11:34 am

    What about SALT

    Reply
    • Padhu Sankar

      October 25, 2015 at 6:22 am

      Read the second sentence under METHOD

      Reply
  42. sujani vasudevan

    October 27, 2015 at 4:22 pm

    I had a question. How do you cook the raw rice so that grains are separate? For 1 cup of rice, I usually add 3 cups of water. How much water should I add for tamarind rice?

    Reply
    • Padhu Sankar

      October 30, 2015 at 9:06 am

      It depends on the quality of your rice. You can cook 1 cup of rice with 3 cups of water ,if your rice is old and is of good quality. After cooking spread it on a plate, mix sesame seed oil. It will separate. (Newly harvested rice tends to become mushy, so avoid using it for tamarind rice and other variety rice)

      Reply
  43. Unknown

    December 11, 2015 at 10:46 am

    Padhu.. i noticed that you didn't mention when to add the spice powder in the recipe. Thinking of making this tonight. Please Help.

    Reply
    • Padhu Sankar

      December 11, 2015 at 3:22 pm

      I have written it clearly. I assume that you did not read the recipe fully. Read the 2nd sentence under "for mixing the rice" and the first sentence under "notes"

      Reply
  44. Keerthana Dhamodharan

    January 2, 2016 at 12:25 pm

    Tried it..came out really good.. thank you for the recipe 🙂

    Reply
  45. zaynab vasim

    January 8, 2016 at 1:35 pm

    Hi padhu, tried this recipe, came out very well. But some where I can taste the raw smell of coriander seeds

    Reply
    • Padhu Sankar

      January 9, 2016 at 1:24 pm

      I think you did not dry roast the coriander seeds well.

      Reply
  46. Priya

    January 22, 2016 at 3:48 am

    Tried this, came out very well, really thanks for the recipe

    Reply
  47. Jayashree Rao

    January 26, 2016 at 3:56 pm

    very nice and evertime favourite dish..I usually add podi in the end with puliyodarai paste..this seems to be more tasty and looks mouthwatering I will try this way

    Reply
  48. Aradhana Nair

    February 11, 2016 at 8:54 pm

    Hi padhi,

    Is it possible to store this paste so that we can use it later ? For how long can we store it in fridge ? Also while storing do you recommend adding the spice powder in the paste and store ?

    Reply
    • Padhu Sankar

      February 12, 2016 at 7:32 am

      You can store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 10 days. Store the paste and the spice powder separately and mix when needed. The spice powder can be stored at room temperature.

      Reply
  49. Nithya Elayaraja

    March 12, 2016 at 2:10 pm

    Awesome taste, I tried first time ur recipe dear its really……

    Reply
  50. Shiny Bino

    March 21, 2016 at 1:41 am

    No salt required?

    Reply
    • Padhu Sankar

      March 21, 2016 at 8:04 am

      Read the second sentence under "METHOD"

      Reply
  51. Narmatha Mohan

    May 26, 2016 at 7:01 am

    Amazing padhu.lovely ur dishes

    Reply
  52. Padma Raadhakrishnan

    June 5, 2016 at 12:35 pm

    This is the first time I see turmeric powder added directly to cooked rice

    Reply
  53. Sreedevi Nair

    September 22, 2016 at 12:38 pm

    Mouth watering explanation

    Reply
  54. siva

    December 16, 2016 at 7:32 am

    best puli sadam .longigng for traditional tamarind rice was fulfilled by u r receipe.
    even i prepared it and able to reprodce the same taste
    my daughters loved it and me too

    Reply
  55. Jesal

    January 16, 2017 at 8:36 am

    I m a gujarati n I had to meet my Tamil grp of frds for putluck event. Followed ur recipe step by step . Got so many compliments for the tamrind rice . Thank you so very much for posting this recipe.

    Reply
  56. Sruthi Subramaniam

    August 28, 2017 at 4:17 am

    Thanks to your recipe, the dish turned out well.

    Reply
  57. Sreepriya S Kamath

    September 9, 2017 at 2:38 pm

    I love all ur recipes padhu…keeps motivating us to cook

    Reply
  58. Rammohan

    November 19, 2017 at 3:26 pm

    Still this recepi is going strong….when ever I get ready to kitchen I get my mobile to open Padus kitchen web page…thanks for all the recipe

    Reply
  59. Anitha Ashok

    January 7, 2018 at 3:30 am

    I liked ur tamarind rice recipe

    Reply
  60. Unknown

    February 13, 2018 at 6:54 am

    It has come out well

    Reply
  61. Unknown

    August 1, 2018 at 7:46 am

    Nice recipes. It helps a lot. Thank you

    Reply
  62. Unknown

    August 3, 2018 at 5:12 pm

    Goin to try it tomorrow morning…

    Reply
  63. Unknown

    September 6, 2018 at 7:40 am

    Shall I use black sesame seeds?

    Reply
    • Padhu Sankar

      September 7, 2018 at 7:11 am

      Yes, you can use.

      Reply
  64. Unknown

    October 5, 2018 at 11:47 pm

    For 25 people how much tamarind and chilly I have to use

    Reply
  65. Chitkala

    October 17, 2018 at 8:59 pm

    Tried and turned out so good a deal yum lot of appreciation too. Thanks

    Reply
  66. Ananthu Vishwanathan

    January 25, 2019 at 5:06 pm

    Hello, is it possible to make this by using Tamarind concentrate/paste instead of raw tamarind?

    Reply
    • Padhu Sankar

      January 26, 2019 at 10:19 am

      Yes, you can do but I am not sure of the measurements as I have not tried it. You can try, if it turned out well, leave your feedback.

      Reply
  67. Alohomora!! Lets unlock life's secrets

    April 19, 2019 at 12:06 pm

    Nice recipe. Can't wait to try this out.

    Reply
  68. Anu S

    April 29, 2019 at 1:23 pm

    Hi Padhu, many thanks for keeping your site so handy. Since my Paati passed away, I am using your recipes everyday to relieve my comfort food cravings. Your recipes bring me my childhood happy memories of Thanjavur and my grandmother’s cooking. Santhoshama, Anu

    Reply
  69. Meena

    February 3, 2021 at 3:25 pm

    Dear Padhu , all your recipes are simply awesome. Yours, is my go-to site for South Indian vegetarian food. Your recipes are simple, straightforward & so easy to follow. Well-done Padhu! And many many thanks for bringing back South Indian food back into my kitchen, the easy way

    Reply
  70. Priya

    September 10, 2022 at 5:00 am

    I tried it really awesome. Can we use black sesame instead of white.

    Reply
    • PadhuSankar

      September 18, 2022 at 11:09 am

      Yes but color of puliyotharai will not be visually appealing.

      Reply

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Meet Padhu, the Chef, the photographer, recipe developer and web designer behind Padhuskitchen which features Simple Indian Vegetarian recipes, healthy recipes, kids friendly recipes, Indian festival recipes, traditional South Indian Vegetarian ...

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