Pulihora or Puliogare is a traditional rice dish served in temples and during South Indian festivals. After Pongal, this has always been my most favorite ‘temple’ dish. In Telugu language, ‘puli’ or ‘pulupu’ means sour taste. That is how this dish gets its name, since it is cooked in a tamarind base.
In temples, the devotees gather around the sanctum sanctorum for prayers and the final arathi. In the Arathi (or arthi) ritual, the priest offers light to the deity or deities. He then offers the arathi to the devotees present. After that, comes the prasadam or prasad – food that is offered first to the gods is then offered to those in witness of the puja (prayer). This is where our pulihora or puliogare becomes the highlight. It is a pure delight and sheer bliss to eat puliogare amidst the aroma of camphor, and the ringing of the temple bells.
Brown Rice
Years ago, I stopped eating white rice and transitioned to brown rice. It was not easy, took me a while to get used to the taste and texture. Cooking brown rice is also quite different from white rice. Because it has more layers (less polished), brown rice needs some extra TLC to taste good. Most importantly, it needs to be washed, rinsed and soaked in filtered water for at least an hour before it is cooked. Then I let my Instant Pot (IP) do the rest. The steps are detailed in the recipe instructions below.
Organic Brown Rice
Pulihora | Puliogare
While it may seem complicated, this is a fairly simple recipe. In addition to rice, the key ingredients are tamarind, peanuts, mustard powder (or sesame powder) and tempering ingredients that include cumin and mustard seeds, green and red chili peppers, urad dal and chana dal. I preferred mustard powder to sesame powder as it had a more pronounced, sharp flavor. This simple, one-pot dish is perfect as a meal or snack. Pair it with a salad or a raita to reduce the carb overload.
Brown rice is a rich source of fiber and contains high levels of magnesium. It can help control weight, blood sugar, and also improve heart health. Tamarind is a great source of vitamin C.
Check out some of our delicious and nutritious one-pot meals with brown rice:
- Brown Rice Matar (Peas) Pulao
- Savory Brown Rice Pongal
- Brown Rice Vegetable Pulao
- South Indian Brown Rice Khichdi
- Brown Jeera (Cumin) Rice
- Mexican Rice
- Bisi Bele Bath
- Egg Tomato Spicy Rice
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Pulihora | Puliogare with Brown Rice
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Brown Rice
- 1/4 Cup Peanuts
- 1/2 Teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 1 Tablespoon Mustard Powder
- 1/2 Teaspoon Sea Salt - (or to taste)
- 1 Teaspoon Tamarind - Paste
- 2 Cups Filtered water
Tempering
- 6-8 Leaves Curry Leaves
- 1 Tablespoon Chana Dal
- 1 Teaspoon Cumin Seeds
- 1 Teaspoon Mustard Seeds
- 1/2 Pepper Dry Red Chili
- 1/2 Pepper Green Chili Pepper
- 2 Tablespoons Rice Bran Oil
Instructions
- Add 1 cup brown rice to a bowl, wash, drain and add 2 cups filtered water. Allow it to soak for an hour. Add 3/4ths cup water in the Instant Pot (IP) container, set the bowl with rice in the container (pot-in-pot method). Now set the IP lid and turn on pressure cooker mode for 35 minutes. Allow for natural pressure release. Set aside on a plate to cool.
- Get all the ingredients ready: 1. Tempering ingredients: curry leaves, cumin and mustard seeds, chana dal, green and red chili peppers and peanuts 2. Turmeric powder, mustard powder and salt 3. Tamarind paste diluted in water and 4. Cooked and cooled brown rice.
- Heat oil in a pan. Once oil is hot, add tempering ingredients and turmeric. Sauté for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add tamarind water, salt and let it simmer for a couple of minutes.
- Add brown rice and mustard powder, mix well and cook till the moisture is completely evaporated. Serve hot with raita.
