Puliyodharai / Puliyogare Recipe (using Millets)

Puliyodharai/ Puliyogare is a tangy spicy South Indian dish that is made from rice and a spicy tamarind paste. In an earnest effort to introduce millets to my family, I try my best to work on substituting rice with millets. The result of the Millet Puliyodhare was simply delicious. In fact, it felt more wholesome and filling. If you are going for a picnic or long journey and need food that can stay fresh without being refrigerated, then Puliyogare is the right choice. But for me, I can relish this flavorful millet anytime of the week. Course : Lunch Ingridients : Main Ingredients  1 cup Foxtail Millet Salt Sesame (Gingelly) Oil , or gingelly oil Ingredients for Pulikachal (Puliyodharai / Puliyogare Spice Mix) Tamarind , lemon sized 1/2 teaspoon Jaggery 1/4 cup Roasted Peanuts (Moongphali) Salt , as needed Water , as needed Ingredients To Roast and Grind For Pulikachal 2 tablespoons Chana dal (Bengal Gram Dal) 4 Dry Red Chillies 3 teaspoons Methi Seeds (Fenugreek Seeds) 1 teaspoon Whole Black Peppercorns Ingredients For the Seasoning of Pulikachal 1 tablespoon Mustard seeds (Rai/ Kadugu) 4 Dry Red Chillies 1 tablespoon Chana dal (Bengal Gram Dal) 1/2 teaspoon Asafoetida (hing) 1 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric powder (Haldi) 8 Curry leaves 5 tablespoon Sesame (Gingelly) Oil Instructions Soak the tamarind in water for at least one hour and extract the juice. Keep the juice asideTake all the ingredients listed under Roast and Grind and dry roast them until it turns golden brown. Cool them completely and grind to a fine powder.Heat oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds, red chillies and allow it to crackle and roast for a few seconds. Add the tamarind extract, turmeric powder, salt, curry leaves and asafoetida. Add enough water to make it thin and allow it to boil for atleast 20 minutes or until the volume reduces to half.Once the volume has reduced to half, add the jaggery and the ground spice powder. Allow this mixture to boil for another 5 minutes or until the mixtures starts to thicken. Turn off the heat and cool the pulikachal. Add the roasted peanuts and keep aside. This this the Pulikachal mixture to make the Tamarind Rice. You can store this mixture in the refrigerator for about a week and use it as and when required.