18 CHINTHA CHIGURU PODI

Chintha Chiguru / Tender Tamarind Leaves Powder/Podi.


Continuing with posting my powders/podi recipes with a very tasty and soury/tangy podi. Goes well with rice and or idli/dosas. Love what my mom makes with these leaves. Have already posted 2 rice dishes with Chintha Chiguru( Tender Tamarind Leaves) Rice Here and Here.

You can collect these tender tamarind leaves during this season or when available and then wash - dry them and use it later to make this podi/powder as well the rice dishes. This is how they make it at my home. You can adjust the addition of leaves according to the tanginess needed that is add more or less as per your requirement or families taste.

Red Chillies - 10(as spice needed)
Curry Leaves - 1 bunch
Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp(powder)
Channa Dhal - 1/4 Cup
Urad Dhal - 1 cup
Garlic - 10 flakes
Tender Tamarind Leaves - 1 cup(Cleaned)
Oil - 1/2 tsp
Salt as needed


Collect the leaves and remove them from the stem. Wash and pat dry.

Dry roast tamarind leaves, channa dhal and Urad dhal seperately till nice brown. Cool completely.

Heat oil in the same spoon and roast red chillies, garlic flakes,curry leaves and asafoetida. Remove and cool.


First remove the fried garlic and keep aside. Next add all the other ingredients and run the mixie/mixer/blender and powder first as fine as possible and once done add garlic and turn on the mixer for few more seconds.

Read more of "CHINTHA CHIGURU PODI"

32 (CHINTHA CHIGURU) TENDER TAMARIND LEAVES RICE

Chintha Chiguru(aaku) or Tender Tamarind leaves Rice(Pulao/Palav)


Have already posted Pulihora with chintha chiguru(Tender Tamarind Leaves) here.

This time I posting an other interesting recipe with tender tamarind leaves. Please note that it is good to use the tender leaves plucked from the trees and also this is the best season to get those from Tamarind trees when new leaves start growing in spring/monsoon season - Just in case if you are going to look out for them. You can also get those leaves, sun dry and powder and use it later in any of your rices to get the tang taste. I tried this rice during my last visit to India and it was really good and very different. But the only part was I used some regular leaves and that was little hard to munch, that is the reason I say to use the tender leaves.

This is the right time to get tender leaves. Use it in your dishes like pappu/dal and or collect them and dry and make use of it later.

Rice - 1 1/2 cups Sonamasoori/Basmati/Jeeraga samba
Tender tamarind leaves - 1/2 cup
Onion - 2 small sliced thin
Green chillies - 5 or 6
Ginger - 1 inch
Garlic - 6 - 8 flakes
Coconut - few pieces
Fennel seeds - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Salt as needed
Oil - 1 - 2 tbsp
Lime Juice - few drops(optional)

Spices
Cardamom, cinnamon, clove, bay leaf and anyother - very few


Wash and soak rice for 15 - 20 minutes.
Remove the leaves from the stalk and clean and wash them.
Heat 1 or 2 tsp of oil and add the wshed leaves. Fry till they are shrinked and cooked for 5 - 6 minutes or more. Keep aside.

Grind to paste - Few pieces of onion, green chillies, ginger, garlic, coconut, fennel seeds and half of cumin seeds to a soft paste with little water. Keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan and the spices and remaining cumin seeds. Next add sliced onion and fry till golden brown. Then add the ground masala and fry till the raw smell leaves for 4- 5 minutes. Next add the fried and cooked leaves and stir in few times. Finally add the washed rice, salt,lime juice and water. Cook till done in a rice cooker or pressure pan.

Have a look at my Rice Dishes for this Marathon

Day 1 - Corn and Capsicum Palav
Day 2 - Spinach / Palak Rice
Day 3 - Mango Rice
Day 4 - Peas Palav
Day 5 Egg Fried Rice
Day 6 Cumin Rice
Day 7 - Tender Tamarind Leaves Rice -

Sending this to " Only Original Recipes" hosted by Nivedita an event started by Pari.



Now over to my fellow Marathoners

30 Minutes Meals: Gayathri Anand
Baked Goods: Monika,
For On Going Events: Gayathri Kumar, Usha
Kids Friendly: PJ, Savitha, Smitha, Srivalli, Veena Aravind
Rice Varieties: Champa, Divya and ME.

Read more of "(CHINTHA CHIGURU) TENDER TAMARIND LEAVES RICE"

36 CHINTHA CHIGURU PULIHORA( TENDER TAMARIND LEAVES RICE)

Tender Tamarind Leaves Rice/ Chintha aaku(chiguru) Pulihora/


This is a very different type of rice variety using tender tamarind leaves. Most of us would have relished tasting these leaves sometime and enjoyed the tartness, I too have many times and enjoyed it very much. Back home my mom used to make many dishes using these leaves and once such is this pulihora. It tastes just good as any other rice like lemon or mango rice. You get the main tanginess out of the tender tamarind leaves. So if you are lucky enough to get tamarind leaves especially the tender ones, then definitely go and try out this dish. You will surely enjoy.

Rice - 2 cups
Tender tamarind leaves - 1 cup ( cleaned and washed)
Peanuts - 3 - 4 tbsp
Channa dhal - 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dhal - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - few
Red Chillies - 2 or 3 broken
Oil - 2 - 3 tbsp
Salt as needed


Always try to make use of the tender leaves, the ones you get particularly in April- May. Clean and remove the leaves from the stem.


Cook rice seperately and cool completely. While cooking add a tsp of oil and little salt.

Add another tsp of oil and turmeric powder to the cooling rice and mix well. Keep aside.
Heat few drops of oil and add the washed leaves( You can add more or less depending on the tartness needed). Fry till they are cooked very well. These leaves take some long time to cook and they also do not shrink that easily. So be careful and fry them. They also change in color very fast to brownish just like the color of tamarind. Keep the fried leaves seperately and in the same pan add the remaining oil and add peanuts,channa dhal, mustard seeds, urad dhal and red chillies. Also add few curry leaves and saute till the dhals are all nice brown in colour. Add the fried leaves and the cooled rice. Mix well and if needed add more salt. Remove and serve.

Read more of "CHINTHA CHIGURU PULIHORA( TENDER TAMARIND LEAVES RICE)"