INGREDIENTS :
Medium lemon sized tamarind .. 2 Nos.. , Red chillies..20nos, asafoetida blocks . 4 Nos., methi seeds(vendhayam) -1/2 tspn, bengalgram dhal (kadalai oaruppu) -- 1 tablespoon and a handful, coriander seeds (dhania)-- 1 tablespoon, jaggery-- 1 tspn,, mustard seeds 2tspn, gingelly oil ( nallennai)_ 10 tablespoon. , turmeric powder 2tspn., salt__approximately 2 tablespoons. Add if needed later.
PREPARATION:
1. Soak 2 Nos of tamarind balls of med lemon size in hot water. Squeeze to a thick tamarind water with approximately 4 tumblers of water.
2. In a kadai, roast 1/2tspn methi seeds and 4 blocks of asafoetida in a spoon of gingelly oil till it turns red. Keep it aside.
3. In a spoon of oil roast 12 nos of red chillies, a tablespoon bengalgram dhal and a tablespoon coriander seeds till dhal turns red. Keep it aside.
4. Pour 10 tablespoon gingelly oil in a thick bottomed kadai. When its hot split remaining 8 Nos red chillies into 3 pieces and add along with 2 tspn of mustard seeds and a handful of bengalgram dhal. When dhal turns red pour the tamarind water.
4. Add 2 tspn turmeric powder and allow it to boil. Stir now and then.
Let this boil for 5 mins.
5. Finely powder the roasted methi seeds and asafoetida first and to this add roasted chillies, coriander seeds and dhal amd make a coarse powder.
6. Sprinkle this powder on boiling tamarind water and keep stirring . otherwise powder will settle at the bottom and start charring.. So always stir after adding .
7. Add 2tbspn salt and a tspn jaggery. Keep stirring.
8. Switch off when it becomes a thick paste.
Tips: Always gingelly oil should be on top of pulikachal so that it lasts for some days.
To make tamarind rice, pour gingelly oil 3 spns to the hot rice. Let it cool. Then add the paste little by little and add some curry leaves and slowly mix with thin spatula preferably dosa ladle which has flat top to get tasty puliodharai. Add some more oil and salt if needed.
