Chintapandu Pulihora(Tamarind Rice)

Ingredients:

• Rice : 2 cups
• Tamarind : 300gm
• Oil
• Ground nuts : 2 tb sps
• Channa Dal : 2 tb sps
• Urad Dal : 1 tb sp
• Hing : A pinch
• Jaggery: 3 Tbsp
• Cumin seeds : 1 tb sp
• Cashew nuts : 2 tb sps(cut into small pieces)
• Mustard seeds : 1/2 tb sp
• Chilies : 10
• Curry leaves : 20
• Turmeric
• Salt : As per taste

Procedure:

To prepare tamarind juice(chintapandu pulusu):

• Clean tamarind without seeds.Add 1/4th cup of water to tamarind and microwave for 1 min to soften the tamarind.
• Squeeze and filter the tamarind juice.In the thick bottom vessel add oil and squeezed juice.Cut chilies vertically in the middle(not till end) and put half of them to this mixture.Add 1tb sp salt as well in the end and stir well.Cook till the mixture is thick and raw smell of tamarind is gone.Add water in between if needed.Add jaggery as well.Take off from the heat and let it cool.

To prepare Pulihora:

• In the mean time cook rice as normal .
• Put this rice in wide vessel and let it cool.Now add 2tb sps of oil, 1/4 tb sp of turmeric and mix well.
• Take a kadai, heat oil .When oil is hot add ground nut, Channa Dal,curry leaves,Urad Dal, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, chilies, hing, cashew nuts and fry well.
• Now add this seasoning,tamarind juice to rice and mix well.Add salt if needed.
• Keep this aside for 20-30 min and serve.

Can be served with curd or Rita.