Ven pongal / Karapongal

Ingredients:

Raw rice - 1 cup
Moong dal / pasi paruppu / Cherupayaruparuppu - 1/4 cup
Water - 4 cups
Milk - 1 cup
Salt - as needed
Ginger, chopped - 1 tblsp
Ghee - 2 tblsp
Pepper corns- 2 tsp
Jeera/ cumin seeds - 2 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Asafoetida - 2 pinches
Cashews -  5-6

Method:

Wash rice and dal together. In a cooker add 4 cups of water, milk and washed rice, dal, salt and pressure cook for 4 whistles in medium flame.(You can cook rice directly in the cooker also or as I have done) Wait until pressure gets released by itself, open & mash. If the pongal is watery when you open, then you can try keeping it again in stove and mix well until water evaporates. If it is too dry/thick then add some milk to bring it to desired consistency. The rice should have got cooked properly. Pongal should be of soggy consistency so mash well.

In a separate pan  add ghee and fry cashews till it starts golden and keep separately. In the same ghee add pepper, jeera and asafoetida and curry leaves, mix in the heat well and then add it to pongal and mix well. 

yummy pongal is ready....we can mold it using a small bowl. press pongal in a bowl and turn upside down. garnish with nuts.........Usually pongal should hv lots of ghee. But we can change according to our taste, consistency also varies a bit...This pongal can be enjoyed with sambar and coconut chutney.. Happy Pongal:)

Recipe Courtesy: Mrs. Uma Mohan.