Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Ven Pongal





Ingredients
  • Par boiled rice - 1 cup
  • Split moong dal - 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp
  • Ghee - 1/4 cup
  • Hing - 1/4 tsp
  • Ginger - 1 tbsp
  • Cumin - 1 tsp
  • Pepper corns - 1 tsp
  • Green chilly (optional) - 1
  • Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
  • Cashew - 2 tbsp

Method
  • Wash & pressure cook (for 1 cup of rice add 5 cups of water) the dal & rice together (app 5 whistles).
  • Heat 1 tbsp of ghee in the pan & fry the cashews till it becomes golden brown.
  • Remove it from the ghee soon & add it to the cooked rice with some salt.
  • Now in the same pan splutter cumin seeds, pepper corns, curry leaves, green chillies & hing one by one.
  • Add more ghee if needed. Roast it for 1 minute. Now pour this mixture in the pongal & mix well.
  • Add the remaining 2 tbsp of ghee & mix well.
  • Serve it hot with coconut chutney.

Tips for the recipe - You can add little milk while cooking the rice, so that the pongal becomes more soft. I add salt later because I always cook venpongal & sweet pongal together. Once the rice is cooked, I take half of rice to prepare sweet pongal & then mix the salt to the remaining ven pongal while doing the seasoning. If you are making only ven pongal then you can add salt in the water & cook the rice.

Sweet pongal




Ingredients
  • Par boiled rice - 1 cup
  • Split moong dal - 1/2 cup 
  • Ghee - 1/4 cup
  • Jaggery (crushed, shredded or powdered) - 1 1/2 cup
  • Cardamon powder - few pinches
  • Raisin - 1-2 tbsp
  • Cashew - 2 tbsp


Method
  • Wash & pressure cook (for 1 cup of rice, add 5 cups of water) the dal & rice together (app 5 whistles).
  • When the pressure releases, open the cooker & switch on the flame to low medium.
  • Add the jaggery & keep mixing it till you dont see any jaggery pieces .
  • Heat 1 tbsp of ghee in the pan.
  • Fry raisins & cashews till it becomes golden brown. Pour it into the pongal.
  • Add the remaining ghee & sprinkle some cardamon powder.
  • Mix well & serve hot.
Tips for the recipe - You can add 1/2 cup milk while cooking the rice, so that the pongal becomes more soft. 

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