Pulihora, also known as puliyogare, puliyodarai, pulinchoru, kokum rice, or simply lemon or tamarind rice, is a very common and traditional rice preparation in the
South India
South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union terr ...
n states of
Telangana
Telangana (; , ) is a state in India situated on the south-central stretch of the Indian peninsula on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the eleventh-largest state and the twelfth-most populated state in India with a geographical area of and 35 ...
,
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...
,
Karnataka
Karnataka (; ISO 15919, ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reor ...
,
Kerala
Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South Ca ...
and
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language ...
.
means 'tangy' or 'sour' in South Indian languages, referring to the characterizing use of
kokum
''Garcinia indica'', a plant in the mangosteen family (Clusiaceae), commonly known as ''kokum'', is a fruit-bearing tree that has culinary, pharmaceutical, and industrial uses. It primarily grows in the Western Ghats, especially the Goa and Konk ...
or
tamarind
Tamarind (''Tamarindus indica'') is a leguminous tree bearing edible fruit that is probably indigenous to tropical Africa. The genus ''Tamarindus'' is monotypic, meaning that it contains only this species. It belongs to the family Fabacea ...
as one of the main ingredients.
Preparation
The pulihora is prepared with
kokum
''Garcinia indica'', a plant in the mangosteen family (Clusiaceae), commonly known as ''kokum'', is a fruit-bearing tree that has culinary, pharmaceutical, and industrial uses. It primarily grows in the Western Ghats, especially the Goa and Konk ...
, tamarind, lemon or green mango as main souring ingredient, along with a blend of spices, lentils, peanuts and jaggery cooked in oil and mixed with cooked rice along with fried curry leaves. It remains fresh for two days. So, many South Indian travelers carry the prepared tamarind rice on long journeys.
Pulihora gojju (paste) or Pulihora podi (powder) is often pre-made at homes in southern India and stored for months. It is mixed with cooked rice in a pan to make pulihora instantly.
Pulihora is usually cooked on special occasions and festive days. It is presented to God as part of prayers known as ''
prasadam'' in most of the South Indian temples as well as South Indian homes. In temples, devotees queue to get it after .
See also
Chitranna
Chitranna ( kn, ಚಿತ್ರಾನ್ನ; also known as lemon-rice) is a rice-based dish widely prepared in South India. It is prepared by mixing cooked rice with a special seasoning called ''Oggarane'' or ''Gojju''. Characteristic for the seas ...
(lemon rice)
References
Indian rice dishes
South Indian cuisine
Telangana cuisine
Andhra cuisine
Tamil cuisine
{{India-cuisine-stub