Ven Pongal

Ven pogal is south version of kichidi. They serve it at all weddings for breakfast and also made as prasadham during pooja times. The truth is I never liked ven pongal until Dec of 1998. I was visiting my sister that Christmas and she had 2 other families there. It was a task to decide on what to prepare for lunch, breakfast or dinner. My sisters mother in law Mrs. Viswanathan was the main chef there and decided on ven pongal for the day because most of them liked it. But she did not know that I was not a big fan of it. I decided to avoid her that morning with concern that she would ask me to taste the pongal. But then the inevitable happened. It was lunch time and I was thinking of having some snacks and escape from the kitchen. I thought no one would notice as there were so many people there. To my luck my sisters mother in law saw me and she asked me to have lunch. Since I usually enjoy all the food she prepares she could not understand why I was not interested in having the pongal. I decided to tell her the truth. She suggested that I give it a try and out of respect I agreed. Well! I was  since then I have made it so many times.

Little did I know that my amma did not like ven pongal like me. When she visited me I told her I will make ven pongal and guess what she kept giving me other options. With a knowing smile I asked her if she disliked ven pongal and she said yes. I told her my story and asked her to try it and she was ready to taste it and became a convert like me.

So if there is anyone out there who does like ven pongal please give it a try and let me know if this recipe converted you.

Gadgets:

Pressure cooker
Wok
Spatula
Grater
Measuring cups and spoons
Bowl

Ingredients:

Rice (long grain, basmati or any other kind) - 1/2 cup
Moong Dhal - 1/2 cup lightly roasted
Milk - 1/2 cup (skip this if vegan)
Ginger - 1 inch grated
Pepper (whole) - 1 tbsp
Cumin - 1 tsp
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Water - 4 1/2 cup
Cashew nut- 1/4 cup cut into smaller pieces
Oil - 2 tsp
Ghee - 1 tsp
Curry Leaves - a few

Preparation:


1. Measure rice and dal into a bowl and wash it well.

3. Place the rice and dal  in the pressure cooker after adding some salt, 4 cups of water and milk and cook it on medium heat for 3 whistles.

4. Open the pressure cooker and using a potato smasher mix the rice well.

5. Heat the wok add the oil and ghee. When it warms up add cashews and whole peppers. The pepper will pop so please cover it with a lid and then add the cumin seeds and let it roast a little. Add ginger  and curry leaves. Give it a mix and add 1/2 cup water.

5. Add to rice and mix well.. Taste for salt and serve it hot with a dab of ghee and coconut chutney and some tomato sambar.