Ven Pongal Recipe

Ven Pongal is a savory south Indian breakfast food which is made using rice and yellow moong dal, tempered with cumin seeds, black peppercorns, ginger, curry leaves and ghee and garnished with cashew nuts.
Traditionally it is prepared during the harvest competition “PONGAL”. It is familiar in South India, in general in Tamil Nadu and additionally recognized as kara pongal in Karnataka. Ven skill spicy and pongal potential boiled over. A gentle lentil-rice mixture is cooked in a simple way and makes a remedy food when served with blended vegetable sambar and coconut chutney in the breakfast.
Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 25 minutes
Serves: 2 servings
Ingredients:
1/4 cup Rice (short grained rice)
1/4 cup Moong Dal
2 cups Water
Salt to taste
1½ tablespoons Ghee
6-8 Cashew Nuts, broken into pieces
A pinch of Hing (asafoetida)
1/2 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
1/2 teaspoon Black Peppercorns (whole or crushed)
1/2 teaspoon grated Ginger (or finely chopped)
5-7 Curry Leaves
Directions:
step-1: Take moong dal in a steel/aluminium pressure cooker (used 3-litre capacity) and roast it over a low flame until it turns barely light brown. Turn off the flame.
step-2: Add rice.
step-3: Pour water over rice and moong dal and wash them collectively for 2-3 times. Drain extra water. Add 2 cups water and salt to taste.
step-4: Close the cooker and pressure cook dinner for 4-5 whistles over medium flame. Turn off the flame. Let it cool till strain releases naturally.
step-5: Meanwhile, warmth 1½ tablespoons ghee in a small pan over low flame. Add 6-8 cashew nuts and shallow-fry for a minute.
step-6: Add a pinch of hing(asafoetida), half of teaspoon cumin seeds, 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns, half of teaspoon grated ginger and curry leaves. Stir and cook till cashew nuts turn barely golden. Turn off the flame.
step-7: When the pressure releases naturally, open the lid.
step-8: Mash the cooked dal-rice mixture with the bottom of a spoon till it turns barely mushy.
step-9: Pour seasoning combination over it.
step-10: Mix well and prepare dinner for 1-2 minutes. Ven Pongal is ready. Serve it warm with coconut chutney and vegetable sambar.
Tips and Variations:
Don’t bypass adding ghee as it is a key ingredient to get fantastic taste of the pongal.
Dry roast the moong dal in bulk and keep the roasted dal in a container to speed up the process.
To velocity up the cooking process, soak rice and dal in water for approx. 20-minutes earlier than pressure cooking them and cook for 3-whistles.
Make sure that the moong dal doesn’t turn darkish brown while roasting it in step-1.
Taste: Mild spicy and soft
Serving Ideas: Serve it warm with sambar and white coconut chutney or green coconut chutney in the breakfast or lunch.