Cooked rice mixed with tamarind extract, curry leaves, peanuts and mustard tempering — the temple prasad rice and festival preparation of Telangana.
Ingredients
3 cups cooked rice — cooled to room temperature
3 tbsp tamarind paste (or extract from 1 lemon-sized tamarind soaked in water)
3 tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp asafoetida
8 curry leaves
2 dried red chillies
3 green chillies — slit
3 tbsp raw peanuts — dry-roasted
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp coriander powder
Salt
Fresh coriander
Method
Spread cooled cooked rice on a flat tray. Drizzle tamarind paste over the rice.
Heat 3 tbsp oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds — pop.
Add cumin, asafoetida, curry leaves, dried red chillies and slit green chillies.
Add dry-roasted peanuts. Toss 30 seconds.
Add turmeric, red chilli powder and coriander powder. Stir.
Pour this hot tempering oil immediately over the tamarind-covered rice.
Using two forks or your hands, gently mix the rice with the tamarind and tempering until every grain is coated with the yellow-golden oil and the sour tamarind is evenly distributed.
Season with salt. Add fresh coriander. Mix.
Rest 15 minutes before serving — the flavours develop.