Venn Pongal

Pongal is a tamil receipe and is very tasty. In the month of December (Margazhi masam), people prepare pongal almost everyday early in the morning and offer it to god. In hotels pongal is offered with coconut chutney and sambar. It really tastes good. You can even make gothsu for this which I will cover later.

Ingredients Required:

• Rice - 1 cup
• Moong dal (Passi paruppu) - Qaurter cup
• Ginger Fresh - 1' - 1 1/2 ' inch piece chopped finely
• Salt - As per your taste
• Pepper(black) - 2 teaspoons or
• Pepper powder (1 tea spoon)
• Cumin seeds(Jeera) - 2 teaspoons
• Pinch of Hing or asafoetida
• Lot of Cashews
• Some curry leaves
• Ghee - as per your wish (the more the better tatse :-)

Cooking method:

• Cook rice and moong dhal together in the pressure cooker.
• Add extra water as pongal is supposed to be like a paste rather than regular rice.
• Fry Cumin seeds, Ginger , curry leaves , hing & pepper (or pepper powder)in ghee.
• Mix the above with the cooked rice and dhal.
• Add salt to taste.
• Add fried curry leaves
• Add fried cashews to serve as a garnish.
• Serve really hot pongal with nice coconut chutney and sambar.
• Serve more ghee to people who like it :-)