Tamil Nadu — South India
Ven Pongal
Shared by Community Archive
A comforting rice and moong dal dish tempered with ghee, black pepper, cumin, and cashews. The namesake of the Tamil harvest festival in mid-January, traditionally offered to the Sun God.
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw rice
- 1/2 cup yellow moong dal
- 4 cups water
- 2 tbsp ghee
- 1 tsp black pepper, coarsely crushed
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 inch ginger, grated
- 10 cashews, halved
- 10 curry leaves
- Salt to taste
Steps
- 1 Dry-roast the moong dal until fragrant, then add rice and roast 1 minute more.
- 2 Pressure-cook with 4 cups water and salt for 4 whistles. Mash lightly.
- 3 Heat ghee in a small pan. Fry cashews until golden, then add cumin, pepper, ginger, and curry leaves.
- 4 Pour the tempering over the pongal and mix well. Serve hot with coconut chutney and sambar.