Rava Pulihora Recipe with Lemon – Pindi Pulihora | Rice Rava Pulihora Recipe | Ugadi Special Food

Rava Pulihora Recipe aka Pindi Pulihora is a zesty one pot South Indian rice based dish prepared with broken rice (rice rava or biyyam rava), infused with a abundant dose of lemon & tempered with a typical seasoning loaded with crunchy nuts, lentils and few spices. This recipe is very easy to prepare, takes less time to cook and quite apt for lunch boxes. Also, Ugadi (Telugu New Year) is around the corner, you can make this and pair up with Curd Rice to make a simple festive meal. Check out this elaborate Ugadi festival Menu I have on the blog!!

Rava Pulihora recipe is quite similar to Lemon Rice/Nimmakaya Pulihora, a very common rice dish in south India and a typical naivedyam/prasadam in temples or at home. We can also prepare this by using broken wheat instead of rice rava and also using tamarind paste instead of  lemon juice. Add in some chopped vegetables to make it more nutritious.

Off to Rava Pulihora recipe!!

What rice to use for Rava Pulihora Recipe ?

The two important aspects to prepare any Pulihora is firstly “the rice” you use and secondly “the tempering”. I’m using Sona Masoori rice for this recipe which we usually consume at home. You can also use store bought instant rice rava if available. In my opinion, making pulihora with Basmati rice ruled out….It looks more like pulao and not authentic enough for my liking. But again, it’s personal preference. Seasoning is very important for this dish. Don’t be skimpy and restrict yourself from being generous while seasoning, otherwise, it will just look like yellow rice. The spices, nuts & lentils you add is your choice!!

Rava Pulihora: Quick Video

Steps to follow for Rava Pulihora recipe:

How to make Rice Rava?

If using store bought instant Rice Rava, skip first 2 steps!!

• Wash rice twice in water and soak for a minimum of 1-2 hours.
• Now, drain away the water completely.

• Spread out rice as a thin layer on a cotton cloth or a newspaper.
• Dry for 20 to 30 minutes in the shade. It should be almost dry with a bit of moisture.
• While rice is still mildly wet, transfer to a dry blender.
• Grind coarsely and sieve to remove flour and use only the rava.

Let’s get started:

• Set aside all the needed ingredients.
• Boil water in a pot over medium heat. Bring water to rolling boil. At this stage, start adding the Rice Rava.
• The ratio of Rava to Water has to be 1:3 respectively.

• Close the lid and cook.
• In between, add a teaspoon of oil. Close and cook.
• When water is absorbed completely, reduce the heat.
• Turn off the heat when Rice Rava is cooked completely.

• Open the lid, Allow the cooked rice rava to cool completely.
• Add 1 tablespoon Oil, salt, turmeric powder and lemon juice.
• Mix well until all the rice grains are coated with turmeric and set aside.

Tempering:

• Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in pan over medium heat and add mustard seeds.
• Once the mustard seeds crackle, add dry red chilies, urad dal and channa dal.
• Now, add in peanuts and cashews.
• Once the nuts start to turn slightly brown, add green chillies and minced ginger.
• Fry for about a minute and then add curry leaves and asafoetida.
• Mix well and turn off the heat when the curry leaves start spluttering.

• Transfer the tempering to the prepared rice rava mixture.
• Give it a nice stir with a ladle. Adjust salt if needed.
• Let it sit for at least an hour until all the flavours infuse.

• Serve along with Allam Garelu or Ulli Garelu/Onion Medu Vada.
• It also pairs well with Potato Fry on the side.

A Quick Summary:

Print Recipe

Rava Pulihora Recipe | Pindi Pulihora

Rava Pulihora recipe, a zesty one pot South India dish pepared with broken rice (rice rava), infused with a good dose of lemon & tempered with crunchy nuts.

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Total Time25 minutes mins

Course: Rice Dish

Cuisine: Indian (South Indian)

Servings: 2 to 3

Author: Padma Veeranki

Ingredients

• 1 Cup Rice Rava broken rice (biyyam rava)
• 11/2 Cups Water
• 1 teaspoon Oil
• Salt to taste
• 1-2 Lemons squeeze juice
• 1/4 teaspoon Turmeric Powder

For Tempering:

• 2 Tablespoons Oil divided
• 1/2 teaspoon Mustard seeds
• 1 Tablespoon Chana dal
• 1 Tablespoon Urad dal
• 2 Tablespoons Peanuts
• Cashews as you wish
• 2 Dry Red Chillies
• A pinch of Asafoetida or Hing
• 3-4 Green chilies slit
• 1 teaspoon minced Ginger
• Few Curry Leaves

Instructions

• If Rice Rava is not available as instant: Soak rice 1-2 hours, drain and grind coarsely. Sieve to remove any flour and use the rava.
• Cook rice rava in water (1:3 ratio) with a teaspoon of oil and set aside to cool down.
• Add 1 tablespoon Oil, salt, turmeric powder and lemon juice and mix well.

Tempering & Mixing:

• Heat 2-3 tablespoons of oil in pan over medium heat and add mustard seeds.
• Once the mustard seeds crackle, add dry red chilies, urad dal and channa dal.
• Now, add in peanuts and cashews.
• Once the nuts start to turn slightly brown, add green chillies and minced ginger.
• Fry for about a minute and then add curry leaves and asafoetida.
• Transfer the tempering to the prepared rice rava mixture, stir well and adjust salt.

My Notes:

1. The above prep time is given for instant rice rava.
2. Adjust spice levels with green chillies or red chillies to suit your taste.
3. Adjust sourness of the dish to suit your taste.
4. Add lemon juice only after the rice completely cools down, otherwise you get a bitter taste to the rice.
5. The cooked rice rava should be separate and not mushy….so maintain rice rava to water in the ratio 1:3 and also add oil while cooking.
6. You could also add grated carrot or some finely chopped veggies to make it healthy.