Venpongal

Ingredients:

Raw rice - 1 1/2 cup
Moong dal yellow - 1/2 cup
Pepper - 4 teaspoon
Cumin - 2 teaspoon
Scraped ginger - 3 teaspoon
ghee - 1/2 cup
Asafoetida powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Cashew nuts - as needed
Curry leaves - as needed
Salt - as needeed

Procedure:

• Add 6 cups of water to the rice and place it on the stove.
• Roast the moong dal, add asafoetida and boil it for almost 10 minutes.
• When the rice takes the shape of saadham, add moongdal, salt and stir well.
• Add 1 spoon of scraped ginger.
• Simmer the flame, close the vessel; keep stirring now and then.
• When the water quantity gets reduced and when pongal is in 3/4th process of cooking, place a pan on the stove..add 3 teaspoons of ghee..when it gets heated season with crushed pepper, cumin, curry leaves, remaining ginger...add this to the pongal and stir well.
• When pongal gets cooked very softly and gets sticky...add the remaining ghee, stir well.
• Garnish with ghee roasted cashewnuts.

Note:

• While using cooker, all the ingredients can be added at the same time..excluding seasoning items ..
• This method is tastier compared to the cooker method; moreover, the quantity of pongal is more.
• Green chili can be added while rice gets cooked, if preferred.
• To get real good taste, this much ghee is needed; but from health point of view, it is good to reduce the quantity of ghee.