Here comes a super digestive Chaaru named Pachi Pulusu that would ease out your system without much ado.. Eat it with sizzling steamed rice with Alasandala Vada on a rainy day...To make it more enchanting, have a suitable crunch like appadalu and what else do you need on earth?
Table of Contents:
1. A Prelude On Pachi Pulusu
2. A Comprehensive View On The Benefits Of Pachi Pulusu
3. Nutritional Aspects Of Tamarind
4. Some Tried And Tested Tips
5. Ingredients Required To Make Pachi Pulusu
6. Cooked Directions
7. Nutritional Value
8.Faqs
9. Serving Ideas
10. Recipe Excerpt
Pachi Pulusu, a raw spiced tamarind broth is a popular dish from Telungana, a yummy chaaru made of tamarind which is versatile, spruced up with regular Indian condiments.
A Prelude:
Andhra pradesh, besides being famous for its fiery dishes is also well known for its palatable chaaru varieties and it always surprises us with its blend of flavors. Basically, we can see the amalgamation of all the six tastes combined in an appropriate proportion in Andhra Cuisine, especially in the chaaru based dishes. Pachi Pulusu is a much adored chaaru in Andhra Pradesh and anyone would fall for the combination of Pachi Pulusu with hot steamed rice with a dash of ghee and any pappu variety. We can make our lunch simple yet fulfilling with some snappy vegetable salads along with rice and this Pachi Pulusu.
A Comprehensive View On the Benefits Of Pachi Pulusu:
Pachi Pulusu is an essential tamarind chaaru, which can be consumed even as a soup as it eases digestion and induces hunger. With tamarind extract as its base, this pachi pulusu comes with a host of health benefits that would astound us. Tamarind is one of the indispensable ingredients in the Indian Cuisine, especially in the South. Generally, we take our ancestral day today recipes for granted and we don't care much to look for its purpose, history or its intense health benefits. But much surprisingly, those recipes are a boon and our predecessors have passed it on to us by practice with the intention of carrying out the benefits to the next generation.
It is our moral responsibility to dig deep into its core and evaluate its long term benefits and explain it to the future generation. And in this fast paced world, we all would agree that it is the need of the hour to get back to our rich culture, tradition and food which are the basics of our overall wellness. We have innumerable recipes from our mom's treasure trove and one such cherished recipe is this pachi pulusu which is famous since several decades in Andhra Pradesh and Telungana.
Nutritional Aspects of Tamarind:
As we do not heat the tamarind water here in this recipe, the benefits of tamarind is retained as such which comes as the topmost therapeutic property. As we all know, tamarind is a rich source of anti-oxidant and has natural anti microbial properties too. It also contains more calcium and magnesium and the combination of these two minerals always helps in preventing osteoporosis and it is also rich in B Vitamins.
When a simple yet delicious dish like Pachi Pulusu could offer a host of health benefits why not make it at home frequently with just a few ingredients.
Ingredients Required To Make Pachi Pulusu:
Directions To Make Pachi Pulusu:
Soak a little tamarind in hot water and let it rest for a while. When it cools down just squeeze out the pulp well and collect the water. Strain the tamarind water using your hands and add the chopped onion, a bit of jaggery and some coriander leaves and stir well. Crush the whole mixture well with your fingers for a minute or two.
Heat a skillet and tip in two teaspoons of groundnut oil and let the flame be in medium mode. Once the oil is heated, splutter some mustard seeds along with some cumin seeds. Follow it up with some finely chopped green chilies and some roughly torn red chilies too. When it crackles, strew in some fresh curry leaves and let it sizzle too. Now tip in some broken urad dal, chana dal and some crushed garlic simultaneously and wait for a second or two to get fragrant. Now the tempering is over and you can lower the flame at this point.
At this stage, add a little turmeric powder and when it turns aromatic, just turn off the flame and drop in the tempered ingredients to the tamarind water. Now the spicy tangy Pachi Pulusu is ready to serve.
Garnish with a lavish spread of coriander leaves and serve hot with rice, munagakku pappu and allam pachadi.
Some Tried And Tested Tips To Make Autnetic Pachi Pulusu:
1. This is the basic version of Telungana's Pachi Pulusu and there are quite a few more variations that may differ from region to regions. One or two ingredients may differ but the basic recipe remains the same everywhere.
2. In some versions, they also add a teaspoon of either white sesame seeds or sesame seeds powder for added taste.
3. Similarly, in some areas they replace tamarind with dried or raw mango slices which is again a fantastic combination. And some versions include tomatoes too and it is purely optional.
4. Choose fresh and light colored tamarind as old or dark tamarind may give a dark brown pulusu that may not be too appealing.
5. Urigam, Hasaur and Yogeshwari are some of the popular varieties of tamarind used in Andhra Pradesh commonly for cooking. You can even use Pkm and Tumkur variety which is also famous.
6. Any Pappu like Mudda Pappu, Palakura Pappu or moong dal makes a perfect accompaniment for this pachi Pulusu along with steamed rice.
7. We add a little jaggery just to compensate for the tartness of the dish and in case if you do not like even a little sweetness in your pulusu, you may avoid using it.
8. This chaaru is in the watery consistency and do not bother about it because the pachi pulusu tastes perfect that way.
9. Always use rock salt to make such authentic dishes because it enhances the overall taste of it.
10. You can also use kokum or kudam puli instead of normal tamarind to make pachi pulusu.
FAqs:
1. If we store the Pachi Pulusu in the refrigerator, can we heat it and consume the next day?
Usually, we do not store rasam or any chaaru in the refrigerator as it is scientifically not advisable. Though its color and flavor may tend to remain intact, the tamarind extract may tend to lose its nutrients and sensory attributes with a long storage period . In case, if you store it for a few hours during the day, you can serve it chilled for a hot summer lunch or even dinner.
2. Can we serve it as a starter drink or soup if we host a party?
Of course. That could make up for a nice and innovative appetizer. You can serve it according to the seasons. For example, if it is summer, serve it as a chilled beverage and if it is winter, serve it warm (by soaking the tamarind in hot water) along with a nice crunch.
3. Is adding tomatoes optional?
Yes, it is optional because already the pulusu is absolutely tangy and if you are not a fond lover of tartness you may feel it too sour. But if you insist on adding tomato for the look of it, just add a few pieces of fleshy tomatoes or one or two cherry tomatoes.
4. Is pachi Pulusu the same as Tamil Nadu's Puli Chaaru?
Though it may seem similar to puli chaaru there is a slight variation in both the ingredients and as well as the preparation.
Serving Ideas That May Help:
If you are preparing a complete Andhra Thali, then Pachi Pulusu is a perfect choice. Within minutes you can make this dish and let it rest for a while and serve it with any pappu variety, pachadi, veppudu and a masala kura with hot steamed annam with ghee as the main dish. Gongura or allam pachadi goes well with this dish, and you can place some deep fried or grill roasted green chilies at the sides for added zing as most of us would love to enjoy the fieriness of a typical Andhra meal.
Serve it with two sweets as it is the tradition, one in the beginning and the other at the end of the meal. Banana Leaf is a must as it gives an authentic feel and till now it is practiced in any Telungana restaurants or establishments and a much adored food culture practiced since ages for its health benefits.
Ingredients
Directions
Soak a little tamarind in hot water and let it rest for a while. When it cools down just squeeze out the pulp well and collect the water. Strain the tamarind water using your hands and add the chopped onion, a bit of jaggery and some coriander leaves and stir well. Crush the whole mixture well with your fingers for a minute or two.
Heat a skillet and tip in two teaspoons of groundnut oil and let the flame be in medium mode. Once the oil is heated, splutter some mustard seeds along with some cumin seeds. Follow it up with some finely chopped green chilies and some roughly torn red chilies too. When it crackles, strew in some fresh curry leaves and let it sizzle too. Now tip in some broken urad dal, chana dal and some crushed garlic simultaneously and wait for a second or two to get fragrant. Now the tempering is over and you can lower the flame at this point.
At this stage, add a little turmeric powder and when it turns aromatic, just turn off the flame and drop in the tempered ingredients to the tamarind water. Now the spicy tangy Pachi Pulusu is ready to serve.
Garnish with a lavish spread of coriander leaves and serve hot with rice, munagakku pappu and allam pachadi.