Traditional rice varieties of India, especially from Tamil Nadu are gaining global recognition for their nutritional value and health benefits.
The post Traditional Rice Varieties and Benefits appeared first on Chitra's Food Book.
Madapalli Puliyodharai | Temple Style Tamarind Rice is not just food – it’s a divine experience. This humble yet soul-satisfying rice dish is one of the most cherished prasads offered in Vishnu and Hanuman temples across the world. While many of us prepare tamarind rice at home, nothing truly compares to the unique flavor, aroma, and spiritual essence of temple-style puliyodharai. I was fortunate to learn this authentic recipe from a friend whose family is closely associated with the Divyadesams around Sirkazhi, where the madapalli (temple kitchen) recipes are preserved with utmost devotion. The result is a tangy, aromatic, and utterly addictive dish that tastes just like the puliyodharai served in Tirumala Madapalli—an offering so divine, it lingers in your memory long after the last bite.
Madapalli Puliyodharai is a temple staple and is served as prasad year-round, but it gains extra significance during Vaikunta Ekadasi, Purattasi Saturdays (dedicated to Lord Venkateswara), Hanuman Jayanthi, and other major temple festivals. In many homes, it’s also a go-to offering for Navaratri, Aadi Perukku, and special pujas, since it keeps well without refrigeration and is perfect for distributing as prasadam to devotees. The long shelf life of tamarind rice makes it a traditional favorite for festivals, temple gatherings, and travel food too.
[feast_advanced_jump_to]We’ve all wondered why temple prasad tastes so irresistibly delicious. In most large temples, there is a dedicated madapalli (temple kitchen) where prasadam is prepared fresh in large quantities every single day. I truly believe that the divine blessings infused in the cooking make the prasadam extra special. Beyond that, the process itself adds to the magic—cooking in traditional uruli (large bronze vessels) over an open flame imparts a subtle smoky flavor, elevating the taste of rice, pongal, or any other prasadam served in temples. It’s this unique combination of devotion, tradition, and technique that makes temple-style puliyodharai so unforgettable.
Every component of Madapalli Puliyodharai is thoughtfully chosen to craft that revered, temple-style flavor:
Together, this ensemble of ingredients produces a temple-style puliyodharai that's savory, tangy, aromatic, and textured—perfect for prasadam, festivals, or a soul-hugging meal.
See recipe card for quantities.
Hint: When preparing the spice powder, ensure you roast the dals and spices evenly on medium heat. This brings out the aroma and prevents any bitterness. Also, always stir continuously when mixing the Puliyodharai paste with the spice powder to avoid lumps.
This traditional version includes roasted sesame seeds, adding a nutty aroma and flavor. It's commonly served as prasadam in temples.
A spicier variant from Andhra Pradesh, this version incorporates green chilies and ginger, offering a zesty kick. It's quick to prepare and perfect for lunchboxes.
In this Karnataka-style tamarind rice, dry coconut (kopra) and mustard seeds are added to the spice mix, creating a distinct flavor profile. It's a delightful twist on the traditional recipe.
For a quick fix, this recipe uses raw tamarind and red chili paste mixed directly with hot rice, eliminating the need for boiling tamarind. It's ideal for busy days or travel.
If you're going to make this recipe, make sure to follow this top tip!
The secret to a perfect temple-style Puliyodharai lies in roasting the spice ingredients evenly and stirring continuously when mixing the spice powder with the tamarind juice. This prevents lumps, brings out the full aroma of the spices, and ensures a smooth, flavorful paste. Also, simmer gently on low heat—overcooking can make the paste too thick or bitter.
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
The post Madapalli Puliyodharai | Temple Style Tamarind Rice appeared first on Subbus Kitchen.
Lemon Rice is a vibrant and comforting South Indian dish, loved for its refreshing citrus flavor and aromatic tempering of spices. Cooked rice is infused with freshly squeezed lemon juice, curry leaves, green chilies, and a touch of turmeric, creating a dish that is both simple and irresistibly flavorful. It’s a staple in many households, often prepared for festivals, special occasions, or as a wholesome everyday meal that can be enjoyed on its own or paired with accompaniments like papad, pickle, or any poriyal like Potato fry.
Lemon Rice is a beloved part of South Indian cuisine and is often prepared as a quick, refreshing meal year-round. It holds a special place during festivals and religious occasions, particularly in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, where it is commonly made for Aadi Perukku (a festival dedicated to rivers and water bodies). It is also one of the most popular prasadam (temple offerings), as its tangy, non-perishable nature makes it ideal for distribution. Beyond festivals, Lemon Rice is a go-to dish for travel, picnics, and packed lunches because it stays fresh for hours and tastes even better as the flavors meld over time.
If you're packing this for a lunch box, Lemon Rice with lady’s finger fry (okra) as an ideal accompaniment that brings texture and flavor contrast
For a flavorful twist, try Masala Lemon Rice, which elevates the classic with freshly ground masala spices. It plays beautifully with any stir-fry vegetables or papad—especially if you’re craving something crunchy
Want to swap the base entirely? The Lemon Sevai (lemon-seasoned rice noodles) uses the same vibrant tempering as Lemon Rice but delivers a different mouthfeel—perfect if you're in the mood for something lighter or a little change in texture
[feast_advanced_jump_to]These carefully chosen ingredients make Lemon Rice irresistibly flavorful. Tangy lemon brightens the dish, turmericadds color and subtle earthiness, while mustard seeds, dals, peanuts, and asafoetida create a crunchy, aromatic tempering. Curry leaves and chilies add freshness and mild heat, and a touch of sesame oil ties all the flavors together for a vibrant, comforting South Indian classic.
See recipe card for quantities.
Here are expert tips to make your Lemon Rice truly shine:
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Lemon Rice
The post Lemon Rice appeared first on Subbus Kitchen.
Thatta Payiru Sadam is a staple one-pot recipe from Kongu Cuisine. Kongu Nadu comprises of Western Tamilnadu districts such as Coimbatore, Erode, Thirupur, Salem, Karur, Namakkal,Dharmapuri etc. Rice is predominately used as staple food along with cholam, kambu, kezhvaragu and different kinds of pulses. Arisi Paruppu Sadam is one of the most common one-pot recipe from Kongu cuisine. In Arisi Paruppu Sadam we use thoor dal and rice. Thatta Payiru Sadam is also similar to Arisi Paruppu Sadam but instead of toor dal we use Black-eyed Cow peas which we call as Thatta Payiru or Karamani Payiru in Tamil. This is also a one-pot Rice recipe that is rich in protein and fiber. A perfect kids Lunch Box recipe.
Black-eyed peas are highly nutritious and associated with many impressive health benefits. These are not peas but rather a type of bean. Black-eyed peas are high in protein and fiber, along with micronutrients such as folate, copper, and thiamine. Due to their content of protein and soluble fiber, adding black-eyed peas to your diet is a great way to boost weight loss. It improves digestive health, and support better heart health.
The post Thatta Payiru Sadam | Karamani Sadam | Cow Peas Rice appeared first on Subbus Kitchen.
Butter beans pulao recipe adapted from Andhra style Pachi mirchi pulao. Spicy Butter beans pulao recipe with full video and step-by-step pictures.
Fresh Butter beans, I have very fond memories of my growing years. We get to the town market and whoever goes to the market, amma will ask them to buy that. She adds it to vegetable biryani and even while writing, I could recall that taste. Later we started getting it in the nearby market, we used to buy it frequently as we all love it.
Amma makes butter beans kurma, butter beans curry, and also makes a simple sundal out of it. We love it more in the Vegetable Pulao | biryani. I used to get this in Singapore too, where I lived for 12 years. But after moving to Hongkong, I have never seen this in the Indian shop or local market. This year during my India visit, I happened to see this in the local market in Chennai and got a bunch of it and peeled it, and brought it home.
Also, when I visited Hyderabad this time, I happened to see the Pachamirchi pulao (green chili pulao) on a restaurant menu, so wanted to try a spicy version of the butter beans pulao. I have added curd in the pulao, so that it will balance the spiciness. Also, the addition of ghee neutralizes the spiciness. But still, this is a spicier version of the pulao. So reduce the chilis as per your taste.
Also check out, Veg brinji sadam, Kala chana pulao, Cashew pulao, Cabbage peas pulao
The post Butter beans pulao recipe appeared first on Jeyashri's Kitchen.
Narthangai sadam | Citron rice – Easy to make Narthangai rice recipe- Citron rice recipe with full video and step-by-step pictures. Narthangai | kolungikai | Kichilikai is a seasonal fruit available in South east Asia.
We South Indians, usually make Lemon rice, a very easy variety rice recipe. We usually make this for lunch boxes or during festivals like aadi perukku and Kannum pongal. I am not a big fan of Lemon rice during my childhood days, but later post wedding started liking it. Amma makes yummy lemon rice and coconut rice. She also makes this Narthangai sadam, which is my mama’s favorite. It is made in a similar way but we use Narthangai juice instead of lemon juice.
We used to get Narthangai during December | and January period. Usually, amma makes pachadi or cuts them and adds salt and sun dry them for making uppu Narthangai. I wanted to post Amma’s version of Narthangai sadam. This time during our trip to Chennai, got a few Narthangai | Citron and tried the Narthangai sadam recipe. It turned out very well. If you get Narthangai in your place do give this a try.
Apart from making pachadi and rice, amma uses it for making juice (same as lemon juice), rasam and in Panagam too.
Check out Narthangai pachadi, Orange peel pachadi
The post Narthangai sadam |Citron rice appeared first on Jeyashri's Kitchen.
Curry leaves masala rice – Easy karuveppilai masala rice recipe, perfect for lunch box too – Recipe with full video and step-by-step pictures.
Usually, we make curry leaves rice in the South Indian style. Curry leaf is an aromatic herb used widely in South cuisine. It lends an amazing flavour to the dishes. We widely use this in sambar, rasam, poriyals,kootu,aviyal, kurmas,podis, and chutney. I have tried curry leaves pulao and shared the recipe also in Jeyashris kitchen.
A few days back I tried curry leaves masala rice and everyone at home loved it. So I thought I will shoot a video and document the recipe here. I used onion and ginger garlic paste in this recipe. Also, fennel seeds are added to give a nice flavour.
Many times we see people take out the curry leaves from their food and discard it. But if you add this way, even kids will eat without any fuss.
Also, check out pepper-flavored curry leaves rice, pineapple mocktail, curry leaves thokku, curry leaves pulao.
Check out how to store curry leaves
The post Curry leaves masala rice appeared first on Jeyashri's Kitchen.
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