Ven Pongal

INGREDIENTS

• Raw rice – 1 cup
• Green gram dhal – 1/4 cup
• Fresh ginger – a small piece
• Asafotida powder – a pinch
• Jeera (Cumin) – 1 teaspoon
• Black Pepper – 1 teaspoon
• Cashewnuts – few
• Ghee – 1 tablespoon
• Curry leaves – few
• Green Chilli – 1 (optional)
• Salt – 1 teaspoon or as per taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Wash the rice and dal and add 4 cups water. Add grated ginger and salt.
2. Pressure cook for 3 to 4 whistles. Once steam has subsided, open the lid of cooker and mash it well using back of a big spoon.
3. In a kadai, put the ghee. When it is hot add cashew nuts, pepper and jeera crushed slightly, asafoetida, curry leaves, green chilli slit into two and fry for a while. Add this to the cooked rice and mix well.
4. Serve with Brinjal Gosthu or with Coconut Chutney/sambar.                                                Note: 1.  Instead of adding ginger to the rice, you can add it while seasoning also.  But if you add it while cooking, it will blend well with the rice and no one will pick it and keep it away while eating.      2.  You can add more ghee if you like it.  However, for one cup rice 1 tablespoon solid ghee is just perfect.                                                                                                                                               3.  Water ratio for Pongal – 1:3 ( rice + dal : water) – For 1 cup rice + 1/4 cop dal, 3 and 3/4 cup water required.  I used 4 cups to get more soft Pongal.