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.

Mutton curry

Mutton curry
ingredients:

1. Mutton-500 gms
2. Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp
3. Bay leaf- 1 no
4. Cardamom pods- 2 nos
5. Cloves- 2 nos
6. Cinnamon-2" piece
7. Ginger ( chopped finely)- 1" piece
8. Garlic (chopped finely)-  5 to 6 cloves
9. Onion ( sliced )- 2 medium 
10. Shallots ( sliced)- 1 cup
11. Green Chilies - 2 to 3  
12. Curry leaves- 1 sprig
13. Coriander powder- 1 tbsp
14. Red chili powder-1/2 to 1 tsp Garam Masala powder-1/2 tsp
15. Fennel powder-1/2 tsp
16. Tomato ( sliced)- 1 small
17. Oil
18. Water
19. Salt to taste

To dry roast and grind

1. Grated coconut-1/2 cup
2. Black pepper corns-1 tsp 

For tempering

1. Mustard seeds-1/2 tsp
2. Coconut ( sliced)-3 tbsp
3. Curryleaves- 1 sprig

   .Place the mutton pieces in a pressure cooker along with 1/2 tsp turmeric powder,salt to taste and 1/4 cup water.Cook until mutton is just done.Separate the mutton pieces from the stock and keep aside

• Meanwhile  add grated coconut in a pan and dry roast it until it turns brown..Switch off the stove and add black peppercorns .Grind this to a smooth paste without adding water.Keep aside.
• Heat oil  in a pan add bay leaves,cardamom,cloves and cinnamon.Saute for a few seconds.Now add ginger,garlic, onion,shallots , green chilies and salt to taste.Saute for about 10 to 15 minutes on a medium flame, until it turns golden brown.
• Reduce the flame to low  and add coriander powder,red chili powder,garam masala and fennel powder along with 2 tbsp water.Saute for about 5 minutes or until oil separates.
• Now add the cooked mutton pieces and mix well until combined.Add the coconut paste ,tomato and sufficient quantity of stock.Adjust the salt level at this point.Cover and cook over a medium flame for about 10 to 12 minutes or until gravy is thick enough.
• Now for tempering,heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and let it splutter.Add shallots ,coconut slices and curry leaves .Saute until it turns golden brown.Pour this over the curry.