Pongalo Pongal!

We were ‘Hanging Out’ with our friends  +Shanmugam Sundaram  and +Gomatha A  the other day on Google + and could see Shannu eating a plate of delicious Pongal (a traditional South Indian rice and lentil dish made on the festival of Thai Pongal). This inspired me to make the next recipe post about Pongal.

What you need:

Ponni Raw rice                  - 1 cup Pasi paruppu                     -1/3 cup


For the seasoning

Cumin Seeds                      – 1 ½ tsp
Ginger   Cubed                  – 6-10 cubes depending on size
Whole black pepper        – 3 tsp
Oil                                          - 2 tbsp
Curry leaves                       – 1 sprig

Green Chilli (Split)           - 4

Garnish

Ghee                                      - 1 tbsp

Split Cashew Nuts            – 6 or 7

What you have to do

1.       In a warm wok, lightly heat the rice and moong dal.

2.       When it is warm (do not wait for it to brown, you just need it heated through) place it in a cooker with salt to taste and green chillies.

3.       Water measurement: I used 5 cups of water, but I recommend 5 ½ cups because mine came out a bit too dry

4.       Cook it till it is slightly mushy. If rice is still grainy when you open the cooker, just mash it slightly with the back of a spoon

5.       Temper whole black pepper, cumin seeds, ginger and curry leaves, mix them with the rice

6.       Heat Ghee in a separate vessel, fry the cashews until they are golden brown and garnish rice

It goes well with Sambar and Coconut Chutney  

Psst!

You can omit the green chilies if you do not like your food to be spicy. My husband needs his food eye wateringly hot!

If you love your ghee, then omit the oil and use Ghee for tempering as well.