Pongal is a popular South Indian dish especially cooked during the festival ‘Sankranti’. It is prepared for breakfast on the day of the festival. It is accompanied by sweet pongal just as kesari bath and rava uppittu. Green gram dhal is easy to digest, very light on the body and has a cooling effect. It is perfect for the yogic diet as it leaves the body feeling light and cooled. It is also consumed after fasting and served to someone who is recovering from fever or any kind of ailment.
Ingredients
- 8 oz (250 g) raw rice
- 4 oz (125 g) green gram dhal (skinned & split)
- 5 cups water
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- 20 cashew nuts, halved
- salt to taste
- 2 Tbs coconut, grated
Tempering
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp peppercorns
- 4 Tbs ghee
- 2 Tbs oil
- ½ tsp asafetida
- 2½ em (1 in) piece ginger root, grated
- 10 curry leaves
- 2 Tbs fresh coriander leaves, chopped
How to Make It
- In a small pan dry roast the rice until heated through, then set aside. In the same pan dry roast the dhal until browned. Place both in a heavy-bottomed pot or pressure cooker with the water and turmeric powder. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat, cover with the lid, and cook until the green gram dhal becomes soft, 20-30 minutes in a pot or 4 minutes in a pressure cooker.
- To make the garnish, fry the cashew nuts in a frying pan, without oil, until they turn golden brown. Set aside.
- To make the tempering, grind the cumin seeds and peppercorns coarsely. Heat the ghee and oil in a frying pan, add the cumin seeds and peppercorns, asafetida, ginger, curry leaves, and coriander leaves and fry until the cumin seeds begin to brown.
- Add the tempering to the cooked rice and dhal mixture and mix well. Add salt to taste.
- Stir in the coconut, and transfer to a serving dish.
- Garnish with the fried cashew nuts, and serve hot with coconut chutney.