RecipesMānasollāsa

Seasoned Rice Water

Mānasollāsa 3.13.1578–1579 · 1129 · Indian

Sanskrit

तण्डुलक्षालितं तोयं चिञ्चाम्लेन विमिश्रितम् । ईषत्तक्रेण संयुक्तं सितया सह योजितम् ॥ ७८ ॥ एलाचूर्णसमायुक्तमार्द्रकस्य रसेन च । धूपितं हिङ्गुना सम्यक् व्यञ्जनं परिकीर्तितम् ॥ ७९ ॥

English

Water in which rice has been washed, mixed with tamarind sour, joined with a little takra, combined with sugar, together with cardamom powder and with the juice of fresh ginger, and thoroughly fumigated with asafoetida: that is declared to be a vyañjana.

It is not entirely clear what this is supposed to be, but my best guess is as a thin sauce to be eaten over rice.

Ingredients

  • 500 ml water from the second washing of rice
  • 20 g tamarind concentrate
  • 75 ml takra, buttermilk, or plain yoghurt
  • 30 g sugar
  • ¼ tsp ground cardamom
  • 15 ml ginger juice
  • ¼ tsp asafoetida

Method

  1. Dry-roast the asafoetida in a small pan over low heat for about 30 seconds, until fragrant, then tip it out of the pan.
  2. Whisk the tamarind, sugar, cardamom, ginger juice, and asafoetida into the rice water.
  3. Whisk in the takra last.
  4. Serve cool, spooned over rice.