The "Podi" (Or The Powder)
You need:
- Coriander Seeds (Cilantro Seeds) - 5 tablespoons
- Chane ki Dal (Bengal Gram) - 4 tablespoons
- Dried Red Chillies (Indian NOT Mexican) 4-5 Full Size
- Karuveppelai ("Curry" leaves) 1-2 sprigs
- Asafoetida powder - A light sprinkle
Prep:
1. Heat a flat-bottomed stainless steel pan at LOW heat.
2. Add Bengal gram and dry roast for a minute
3. Add Coriander seeds and continue roasting till its reddish brown
Some precautions:
DO NOT TURN HEAT UP - even if someone threatens you at knifepoint. DO NOT stop stirring. No, you cannot go away till it roasts to that perfect colour. You need to be there and keep a watchful eye out or they will burn.
4. When the coriander seeds are almost done, add the dried red chillies and keep stirring. Turn off the burner.
5. Add Asafoetida powder - a pinch/sprinkle or less. Stir well with the rest.
6. Add a generous number of Karuveppelai. Mix.
7. Wait till it somewhat cools down.
8. Grind to a rough powder in the blender.
The Rice
You need:
- Long grained preferably Basmati rice
- 1-2 tablespoon of sesame oil
Prep
1. Cook the rice in a rice-cooker (or however you cook it). The ratio of rice to water I use in my rice cooker is Rice:Water 1:1.25-1.5
2. Each grain of rice should be soft and cooked, yet separate and non-clumpy.
3. After the rice is cooked, mix in 1-2 tablespoon of sesame oil.
The Pulikaatchal (?? The tamarind Sauce? I am not sure this has an English equivalent. Calling it a sauce is laughable!)
You Need:
- Peanut oil - 2-3 Tablespoons
- Black Mustard Seeds - 1-1.5 Teaspoons
- Urad Dal - 1-1.5 Teaspoons
- Bengal Gram - 1-1.5 Teaspoons
- Peanuts - 3-4 Tablespoons
- Cashewnuts - 4-5 Tablespoons
- Karuveppelai ("Curry" leaves) 1-2 sprigs
- Turmeric Powder - a pinch
- Tamarind concentrate - 3 Tablespoons
- Salt
Prep:
1. Heat a pan on MEDIUM heat, add peanut oil.
2. Add Black Mustard Seeds (NO, YOU CANNOT use mustard as a substitute. NO means NO.)
3. Add Ural Dal
4. Add Bengal Gram
5. Stir it around for a while
6. Add Cashewnuts and Peanuts
7. Stir till some of the mustard seeds start to sputter
8. Turn off the burner.
9. Tear the Karuveppelai leaves into pieces and drop into the oil. Mix.
10. Add a pinch of turmeric powder and mix.
11. Now add 3 Tablespoons Tamarind concentrate + maybe a 4-5 tablespoons water to the above. Mix
12. Turn on the burner to LOW heat.
13. Keep Stirring with a lot of loving till the water evaporates and the oil comes out.
14. Add salt to taste
15. Add the Podi (rough ground powder) you made to this and keep stirring for a bit.
16. Turn off heat. Transfer it to some storage container - preferably not plastic. Glass would be better.
The Puliyodarai
17. In the same pan you made the Pulikaatchal, add the cooked rice, slowly mix with the pulikaatchal teaspoon by teaspoon - till you feel the flavour is just right. I prefer the rice intensely saturated with flavour till it completely takes over my senses, but some people I know prefer keeping the flavour delicate and light. Either way works.
Let me know if something is unclear. Oh, and did I tell you you cannot substitute with random things or delete things that are not convenient, the rice doesn't work any other way.
The Puliyodarai is a traditional "offering" to the million Gods and Goddesses of the southern part of the subcontinent specifically around the festive days. You have to understand just how angry this mob has the potential to get if you get it wrong. ;-)
It is an unforgiving recipe and a tough rice to get right on a fair day; substitutions/deletions might push it over the edge of being palatable and you might end up like that unfortunate bloke underfoot - at least in spirit.
LOl (e:jacob). I didn't really make this in the recent past. I was just writing out the exact way I do make it for (e:Himay) because I disagreed with another blogger's version of it.
You know, you make me want to make this, like right now because I can smell this rice's fragrance everytime I think about it! That is so odd.
Damn it. I want to make it now. *shakes fist at (e:jacob)*
PS: Where have you been, I miss your journals!
Man, you really do have the best food porn. My mind projected me into the making, so much so that I felt cheated just like I do when I watch the food network because I didn't get to taste to wonderfulness once it was done.
Yeah, I call it the accumulation tax. It comes back to bite you HARD when you are moving. I believe in having no furniture though. What's the floor for? :-)
Yeah, I need simpler recipes.
Blender: check
Rice cooker: check
I need asafoetida and several other spices.
The part-time technician in my lab is the one remarked about what I'd need to make these homemade Indian dishes.
Presently, I just boil/steam my rice in a non-stick pot and it has worked pretty well. I'm reluctant to invest in more hardware simply due to space constrictions (in the form of counter-space) in the kitchen, and other pressing desires for items to purchase (my lounging furniture in my apartment is rather meh, trying to find a couch somewhere). I will most definitely look into them, should I find it in my better interests to invest in a rice cooker.
The blender-mortar/pestle-rice-cooker thing is mostly true for most home meals. Haha that is funny, who told you that?
If you are thinking of getting a new rice cooker, I very very strongly recommend Tatung. It cooks perfect rice in 20 minutes flat. Everytime, with a 0% error rate. I can't say that of any other appliance in the world. If my flat burned down, I would probably rescue it first.
The problem with shopping at Super Bazaar is most things are not individual-sized. This might be a problem if you don't cook with these things on a regular basis. Maybe its a good excuse to get into Indian cooking. Most things usually take 20 minutes or so. (This rice is an exception. hahaha I was pretty surprised you picked this as a first!)
If you get comfortable with the south-Indian spices, this is a breeze. So maybe you want to start with the simpler (but equally awesome tasting) recipes?
Regardless, I should say, I will be shopping around and experimenting one way or another. If the aforementioned holds to be true, then that's simply more incentive!
I was told between having a blender, mortar & pestle, and a rice cooker (or means of cooking it), I can make just about whatever Indian dish (or so I was told).
Is this relatively accurate on some level? If so, I will surely have to do some serious shopping around the Super Bazaar on Sheridan to see what I can acquire and experiment in making!