We've all had this tangy, sour rice seasoned with peanuts and curry leaves across South Indian temples, pooja ceremonies, festivals and darshinis. Simply put - this is a thick tamarind and jaggery oily spiced up paste which is mixed with boiled rice, basis one's preference. Other names by which it is known by is Pulihora or pulliyodorai.
You also get them in normal supermarkets which stock like the premixed packaging range - MTR, Maiyas and Aashirwaad are a few popular brands. But if you can make this at home, why buy the preservative loaded, stale and flavour lacking packet?
All the ingredients used in making this recipe can be found in your kitchen. Make it once, store it for weeks together in a refrigerator. Just mix with freshly prepared plain rice and your good to go - a complete meal by itself, which doesn't require a side dish :)
INGREDIENTS
Dry red chillies : 10 -12 (keep aside around 5-6 of them for seasoning)
Whole black peppercorns - 3 tbsp
Jeera Seeds - 6 tbsp
Chana Dal - 1/2 cup
Urad Dal - 1/4 cup
White sesame - 1/2 cup
Grated dry coconut - 1 cup
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 4 strands
Asafoetida powder/ hing - 1/2 tsp
Jaggery (ground) - 1/2 cup
Soaked tamarind pulp - 1/2 cup
Groundnuts - 1/2 cup
Sunflower Oil - 1.5 cups
PROCEDURE
1. Dry roast each of the ingredients individually one at a time, on a low flame in a pan -
Urad Dal
Chana Dal - both until slightly brown
Pepper
Jeera/Cumin seeds
Red Chillies
Grind all the above dry roasted ingredients by using a blender. Set aside.
2. Next dry roast the below ingredients :
Sesame seeds
Grated dry coconut. Coarsely grind both these ingredients and mix it with the powder in Step 1.
3. In a aluminium vessel - heat 2 cups of water , add jaggery, tamarind pulp, salt to taste and bring to a boil. Check on the tangy vs sweet consistency. Adjust as per requirement by adding in more jaggery/tamarind pulp - as this is the mixture that gives the rice its unique flavour.
4. Once the jaggery - tamarind mixture cools down add in the ground dal spice & coconut powder (mentioned in step2) and stir well to form a nice thick semi dry dough like consistency. Set aside.
Remember this should not be watery, as you would be adding in oil to this in the next step.
5. In a kadai/wok heat oil, add in the mustard seeds to splutter, curry leaves & dry red chillies.
6. Add the groundnuts and fry for about 2-3minutes on a low flame.
7. To the above mixture, finally add asafoetida/hing powder.
8. While its still hot transfer it into the mixture in Step # 4 - which is our jaggery tamarind and spice powder.
9. Stir well so that the oil and tempered spices coat the overall mixture and help in preserving it.
10. Your puliyogare gojju is ready, you can store this in an air tight container inside a refrigerator for weeks together.
Just take a few table spoons of the gojju and mix it with cooked plain rice, as and when you want to relish this tangy goodness.
