Ven Pongal / Ghee Pongal

 Wishing everyone a very happy and prosperous pongal 2013

Ven Pongal Recipe

Ingredients

Raw rice- 1 cup

Moongdal- 1/4 cup

Cashew nuts- 20

Ginger( chopped)- 1" piece

Curry leaves- few

Ghee- 4 tbsp( optional)

Oil- 1/4 cup( more oil added pongal will be non sticky)

Cumin seeds/ Jeera- 2 tsp

Black peppercorns- 2 tsp( slightly crushed)

Water- 4 cup

Salt to taste

Ghee Pongal Recipe

Method

Clean, wash and soak dal and rice together in 4 cups of water for 30 mins. Transfer soaked dal and rice along with the water in which it was soaked to a pressure cooker. Add chopped ginger, required salt to the rice, mix well and pressure cook rice for 15 mins or until rice is mushy. In meantime make tadka by heating 1/4 cup oil in a pan, fry the cashew nuts until golden brown and set aside. To the same hot oil add cumin seeds, peppercorns, curry leaves and turn of the heat( cumin seeds will splutter in hot oil). Once pressure releases from cooker, remove its lid and mix well the rice until mushy, immediately add the tadka along with oil, fried cashew nuts and ghee to the rice. Mix well and Serve hot.

Serve ghee pongal with 
Coconut chutney 
Hotel style sambar.

Ven Pongal