Kovil Puliyodharai

Kovil Puliyodharai

Temple Puliyodarai, also known as Kovil Puliyodarai in Tamil, presents a paradox of being deceptively simple yet irresistibly delicious, leaving many to ponder over its distinct taste that perfectly justifies its name. Revered as a significant prasadam across South Indian temples, its uniqueness is deeply felt.

The secret to its extraordinary flavor, I believe, lies in its preparation amidst the divine ambiance of temples, where the spiritual sanctity interweaves with the culinary process, rendering a simple dish exceptionally unparalleled in taste. Motivated by this mystique and after several attempts complemented by my family's endorsement, I've endeavored to capture its essence in my kitchen, aiming to bring a piece of that sacred experience home.

Sharing this recipe is a humble nod to the profound journey of crafting Temple Puliyodarai, akin to the mystical experience of making temple Sakkarai Pongal, both of which transcend mere cooking to touch something divine.

Ingredients :

1 big lemon size tamrind, soak a few hours before preparing so that you get good amount of pulp, filter and keep aside .
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
10 broken red chillies
1/2 tsp asafoetida powder/ hing or solid asafoetida .
rock Salt to Taste

To roast and grind

1. 2 1/2 tbsp coriander seeds

2. 5 red chillis

3. 1 tbsp chana dal

4. 2 tsp split udad dal

5. 1/2 tsp Fenugreek seeds 

6. 2 tsp Sesame Seeds 

For Seasoning: 

50 ml Gingelly Oil / sesame oil ( do not skip or use any other oil as sesame oil is th main taste and aroma enhancer.
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
2 tsp Channa dal

5 red chilies broken

1 tsp split udad dal2 tbsp peanuts or cashewnuts some Curry Leaves for garnish

Method

1. Soak the tamarind in 2 1/2 cups of water and extract the juice and keep it aside
   Heat oil in a pan, roast items given in to be ground except sesame seeds and fry till golden . Keep aside.

2. Next add sesame seeds and fry for few seconds till aromatic and popping, remove all the fried ingredient. Allow to cool .

3. When cooled well, grind to powder .

4. Heat sesame oil in a pan, add asafoetida , add mustard seeds when the oil is hot. When the mustard seeds starts to crackle, add channa dal , split udad dal ,and peanuts/ cashewnuts, and fry to golden.

5. Then add red chillies broken, and curry leaves.Roast for few seconds.

6. Then add extracted thick tamarind pulp, add turmeric powder , salt.

7. Let the tamarind mixture to boil till raw smell disappears. around 6 minutes or 10 and thicken a bit.

8. Then add some of the the ground powder and mix well to remove lumps after adding the ground spice powder. Keep some aside for mixing with rice .

9. Let the flame be kept in medium and allow the extract mixture to boil well till a paste like consistency is formed.

10. When thickened,remove, cool store well. Stays good upto a month. Mix with cooled fluffed rice to make a delcious puliyodharai in South Indian style.

11. Generous addition of sesame oil will ensure the delicious paste will remain good for longer period . Sesame oil is recommended for the authentic taste:-)

Puliyodharai

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Check my Youtube video for the procedure, it may have little variations .