Recipe: PULIKAACHAL (புளிகாச்சல்)

This is an age-old recipe from Tamil Nadu. This mixture can be stored for about 10 days if made in the right manner. Oil and salt act as natural preservatives and there is absolutely no need to add artificial ones.

This can be mixed with plain cooked rice to make delicious Puliyodarai or eaten with curd rice or rotis.

Ingredients:

Tamarind – 1 ball the size of an orange
Til Oil (நல்லெண்ணெய்) – ½ cup
Turmeric – ½ tsp
Channa Dal (கடலை பருப்பு) – 4 tsp
Halved Groundnuts – 100 gms (skin removed and roasted)
Mustard seeds (राइ) (கடுகு) – 1 tsp
Red Chillies – 5 (broken in twos)
Curry Leaves – 10
Asafoetida Powder (हिंग) (பெருங்காயம்) – 1 tsp
Salt to taste

Masala:

Red Chillies – 15
White Sesame Seeds (सफ़ेद तिल) (வெள்ளை எள்ளு) – 4 tsp
Black Gram (उरद दाल) (உளுத்தம் பருப்பு) – 4 tsp
Coriander Seeds (सुक्का धनिया) (தனியா) – 4 tsp
Fenugreek seeds (मेथी) (வெந்தயம்) – 1 tsp
Black Pepper (काली मिरी) (மிளகு) – 1 tsp

Method:

Step 1: Take a dry saucepan and roast the masala ingredients one-by-one separately. Allow the items to cool and grind them together into a coarse powder to the consistency of Rava.

Step 2: Extract the juice of tamarind after soaking it in water for a while. The juice maybe extracted three times to a medium-thick consistency and kept aside.

Step 3: Add oil to the saucepan and keep it on medium flame. Once heated, add the broken red chillies and fry them till they are dark in colour. Now add the mustard seeds. Once they crackle, add the channa dal and fry till golden. Add the tamarind juice, turmeric powder, asafoetida and salt to the pan. Allow the mixture to cook for 10 minutes on a medium flame.

Step 4: Add the masala powder and stir well. After one boil, add the groundnuts. Let it cook for two more minutes before switching off the gas. Add the curry leaves to the Pulikaachal.