Cooking rice - Add rice to a bowl & wash it well a few times. Pour 3 cups water. Place the bowl in a pressure cook and cover with a lid. Pressure cook for 2 to 3 whistles on a medium flame. When the pressure goes off remove the bowl and transfer to a wide plate. Do not mash it.

Preparing rice - The rice has to be grainy and not mushy. Sprinkle salt and turmeric over the rice. Then pour 1 tbsp sesame oil. Allow to cool and mix well. If needed add more turmeric to get the color you desire.

Making mustard powder (optional) - If you wish to use mustard powder, roast the seeds until slightly hot and cool. Powder and set aside. or You can use sesame seeds after dry roasting until they begin to splutter. Cool and powder. Do not use both, use either of them.

Soaking Tamarind - Add tamarind to a small bowl and rinse it. Pour hot water just enough to immerse it. When it turns soft, squeeze and make a thick paste. Pass it through a filter, discard stones and pulp.

Heat a pan with oil. Then add mustard, peanuts, chana dal & urad dal. Fry till the peanuts turn golden & aromatic. Then add curry leaves, green chilies, red chilies and ginger (optional). Fry till the red chilies turn crisp

Then add hing, followed by tamarind pulp, jaggery and little more salt.

Mix everything well & cook till the mixture thickens & begins to leave the oil. If you take off the mixture a bit early then your pulihora will turn very moist & mushy. Turn off the stove.

The rice must be cool by now. Sprinkle mustard powder or sesame powder all over the rice. Then transfer ¾ of the cooked pulihora mixture to the rice.

Gently mix and add more if needed. If offering to God then do not taste it. Otherwise you can taste and add more salt if needed. If the pulihora is too dry then add more oil & mix.

Serve pulihora with fresh homemade curd.