Pulingari

After quite a long gap, I am here to post one more Kuzhambu variety known as Pulingari, frequently prepared in our family.The name itself suggests that it’s main base is puli, or tamarind.This can be prepared in combination with vegetables like brinjals, drumsticks, ladies finger (okra) or even muli (radish) and onions. I made it with a combination of radish and brinjals in an earthern pot today.

Ingredients:

1. Tamarind- quantity of a medium sized lemon.
2. 1/4 k.g of any one or two of the above mentioned vegetables cut into 1 ” sized cubes.
3. Turmeric powder- 1 tea spoon.
4. Curry leaves -2 to 3 twigs.
5. Mustard seeds-1 teaspoon.
6. Salt -to taste.
7. Water needed- 5or 6 cups.

Ingredients for Masala:

1. Thuvar dhal- 3/4 tablespoon.
2. Bengal gram dhal- 3/4 tablespoon.
3. Dhania- 2 tablespoons.
4. Red chillies-5to6 or as per taste.
5. Asafoetida-1 small piece of the size of a peanut, or 1/4 tea spoonful, if powdered
6. Fenugreek (methi/vendayam) seeds- about a teaspoon.
7. Coconut gratings- 2 to 3 tablespoonful.
8. Cooking oil -1 tablespoon.

Preparation:

1. Heat the frying pan and pour 1teaspoon of oil.
2. When hot, add the masala ingredients from 1 to6 mentioned above, starting from hing followed by dhals one by one and fry till the dhals turn golden brown and emit a nice aroma.
3. Allow to cool for some time and grind these items in a mixer for 1 minute without water and then add the coconut gratings and grind after adding water to a chutney consistency and keep aside.
4. Wash and soak the tamarind in 1 cup of water. Cook the cut vegetables in a vessel with two cups of water and turmeric powder.
5. Extract tamarind juice by adding 1/2 cup of extra water and add the juice to the ground paste and mix thoroughly.
6. Add salt to the vegetables now, and continue to cook. Pour the ground paste (with tamarind juice) mixture. Add  few curry leaves and continue to  cook for 3 to 4 minutes.
7. Heat the frying pan, pour the remaining oil and when hot,  add the mustard seeds. When they splutter add one red chilly and few curry leaves and saute for one minute . Pour into the boiling vegetable and  remove from fire.

Note: The vegetable should not be cooked  for too long after adding the ground mixture, lest  the flavour will be lost. Tamarind paste can also be used in place of juice in case a very limited quantity is needed.

Can be served with hot rice and ghee or gingelly oil when fresh. Can be preserved  for two days at least  and  goes very well with curd  rice.