Quick and delicious tamarind-flavored upma recipe with flattened rice or beaten rice. Learn how to make this easy puli aval upma with the step-wise pictures.
Light and comforting tamarind poha in less than 20 minutes flat!
I am back with another aval upma recipe, and this time it is the puli aval or tamarind poha. If thengai aval is coconut rice without rice, and vella aval is jaggery rice without rice, this puli aval is tamarind rice without rice. :-)
Yes, whenever I crave for tamarind rice, I make this instant puli aval upma. While I like thengai aval and vegetable aval for my breakfast, I love this puli aval for my evening tiffin or dinner. But you can very well make this for breakfast also.
And with thengai aval, vella aval, and this puli aval, there isn’t any chopping involved. So you can very well make this upma in less than 20 minutes flat.
Flattened rice or aval is wholesome yet light and easily digestible. Be it red or white, poha, you can use it for making amazing recipes in no time. I know I am repeating this, but please let me repeat it. Flattened rice or aval or poha is a must-have pantry ingredient.
Ingredient alternatives-
As I ran out of peanuts, I used slivered almonds in this recipe. But please feel free to use peanuts or skip the nuts altogether for a nut-free version. Hing or asafoetida is a significant ingredient that adds flavor here. So don’t skip it. But if you are worried about gluten content, I recommend using the gluten-free asafoetida.
Now let’s see how to make this puli aval-
Puli aval upma with detailed step-wise pictures-
- Wash the flattened rice thoroughly and drain the water.
- In a small bowl, add the tamarind paste, turmeric powder, salt, and asafoetida. Add ⅓ cup of water and mix well to form a paste.
- Now add the tamarind water paste to the rinsed poha and mix well. I mix it with my hands so that the poha combines well with the tamarind mixture. Let this poha sit for 8 to 10 minutes.
- After about 7 minutes, heat a pan or kadai and add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds, dried green chilies, curry leaves, and slivered almonds. Let the mustard seeds splutter.
- PS- We made thengai aval before this and I used the same pan to temper this puli aval also.
- Reduce the heat to low, and add the poha. Gently mix and cook for 2 to 3 but not more than that. Turn off the heat and serve right away!
Recipe Notes
- Adjust the red chilies and salt according to your taste preference.
- You can use white poha as well, but make sure to use the thick variety.
- Instead of almonds, you can use peanuts. If using peanuts, roast the peanuts first until it turns crunchy, then start the tempering process.
- For red variety poha, you need ⅓ to ½ cup of water. Do not add more than that. Add extra water only if you feel the poha is dry and hard.
- The soaking time differs according to the variety. But for both red and white poha (thick variety), I have never let the poha sit for more than 12 minutes.
- Instead of tamarind paste, soak gooseberry sized tamarind in ½ cup of water and extract ⅓ to ½ cup of juice and add the salt, turmeric, and hing to it and mix that with the poha.
Tips for getting perfect puli aval-
- Do not soak the poha in water. Wash and sprinkle water. Let it sit for 5 minutes and at the maximum 10 minutes but not more than that.
- Do not overmix the poha also mix it very gently. Soaked upma tends to break, but when you overmix, it becomes a mush.
- After adding poha, you don’t need to cook for a longer time. Three minutes of cooking time is more than sufficient.
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Other easy poha recipes-
📖 Recipe
Easy Puli Aval Upma | Tamarind Poha
Equipment
- Saucepan or kadai
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups flattened rice aval/poha
- 2 tsp tamarind paste
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- ¼ tsp hing
- 1.25 tsp salt
- ⅓ cup water add two more tbsps if you feel the poha is dry
- 1 tbsp oil
- ½ tsp mustard seeds
- 2 tsps slivered almonds
- 2 dried red chilies
- 5 curry leaves
Instructions
- Wash the flattened rice thoroughly and drain the water.
- In a small bowl, add the tamarind paste, turmeric powder, salt, and asafoetida. Add ⅓ cup of water and mix well to form a paste.
- Now add the tamarind water paste to the rinsed poha and mix well. I mix it with my hands so that the poha combines well with the tamarind mixture. Let this poha sit for 8 to 10 minutes.
- After about 7 minutes, heat a pan or kadai and add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds, dried green chilies, curry leaves, and slivered almonds. Let the mustard seeds splutter.
- Reduce the heat to low, and add the poha. Gently mix and cook for 2 to 3 but not more than that. Turn off the heat and serve right away!
Notes
- Adjust the red chilies and salt according to your taste preference. You can use white poha as well, but make sure to use the thick variety.
- Instead of almonds, you can use peanuts. If using peanuts, roast the peanuts first until it turns crunchy, then start the tempering process.
- For red variety poha, you need ⅓ to ½ cup of water. Do not add more than that. Add extra water only if you feel the poha is dry and hard.
- The soaking time differs according to the variety. But for both red and white poha (thick variety), I have never let the poha sit for more than 12 minutes.
- Instead of tamarind paste, soak gooseberry sized tamarind in ½ cup of water and extract ⅓ to ½ cup of juice and add the salt, turmeric, and hing to it and mix that with the poha.
- Do not soak the poha in water. Wash and sprinkle water. Let it sit for 5 minutes and at the maximum 10 minutes but not more than that.
- Do not overmix the poha also mix it very gently. Soaked upma tends to break, but when you overmix, it becomes a mush.
- After adding poha, you don’t need to cook for a longer time. Three minutes of cooking time is more than sufficient.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.
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