Kanu Festival Tamarind & Coconut Pullao

Name: Kanu Festival Tamarind & Coconut Pullao
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: Servings: 4
Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients: 2 cups chopped fresh cilantro; 1 packed cup unsweetened coconut flakes; ¼ cup sugar; ¼ cup tamarind paste*; 2 teaspoons salt; 2 hot green chilies, seeded and sliced; ¼ cup raw sesame seeds; ½ cup raw cashew nuts; ½ cup raisins; 1 teaspoon coriander seeds; 1 teaspoon mustard seeds; ½ teaspoon ground asafetida*; ½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds; ½ teaspoon black peppercorns; 2 teaspoons cumin seeds; 4 tablespoons peanut oil; 2 cups long-grain white basmati rice

Preparation info

Servings:
4

Difficulty
Easy
Ready in
1 hr 5

Appears in

Silk Road Cooking

By Najmieh Batmanglij

Published 2000

About

This sweet and sour rice is offered for thanksgiving at the Kanu Festival in January. On the fourth day, called Kanu Pongal, women prepare small balls of this rice from the new harvest, color them in different hues, place them on a plantain leaf and offer them along with sugarcane to Surya, the Hindu sun god, in gratitude.

Ingredients

2 cups long-grain white basmati rice
4 tablespoons peanut oil
½

Asia
Thailand
Main course
Side dish
Pongal
January
Thanksgiving
Gluten-free
Vegan
South East Asia

Method

Cook the rice per the Gilani Smothered Rice recipe.
In a wok or medium-sized nonstick pot, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat, add the cashews and raisins, and stir-fry for 20 seconds. Remove the nuts and raisins with a slotted