Ven Pongal Recipe

Pick ¼ cup of moong dal first to get rid of stones if any. then heat a small pan or a small kadai and add the moong lentils. On a low flame stirring often roast the moong lentils till they become aromatic. The moong lentils only need to be roasted till they become aromatic. no need to brown them. Now take them in another bowl or you can use the same pan for rinsing. Add ½ cup rice in the bowl containing the roasted moong dal. rinse both rice and roasted moong dal a couple of times with water. Drain very well and then add them in a pressure cooker. Now add the following ingredients - ½ tsp cumin seeds, ? tsp asafeotida/hing, 1 tsp heaped chopped ginger. also add salt as per taste. crush the cumin seeds in the palms of your hands and then add. this gives a nice aroma. Pour 3 to 3.25 cups water. the amount of water to be added depends on the consistency you want and also on the quality of moong dal. i get moong dal which takes a long time to cook. usually i cook the moong lentils for 7 to 8 whistles. so i added 3.25 cups water. if you get moong dal, which cooks quickly in 2 to 3 whistles, then add 2 to 2.5 cups water. Pressure cook on a medium to high flame for 7 to 8 whistles or 11 to 12 minutes. Let the pressure settle down on its own and then you remove the lid to check the doneness and consistency. if the pongal has a consistency like that of pulao, then add ½ to 1 cup hot water and mix very well. both the rice and the moong dal should be cooked very well. if you want you can even slightly mash the cooked rice and moong lentils. if cooked well, then cover with the lid and keep aside. Tempering: In another small pan, heat 2 to 3 tbsp ghee. 3 tbsp ghee gives a good taste and flavor. Add 1 tsp cumin seeds. let them splutter. Then add 10 to 12 cashews. Fry till the cashews become light golden. Once they begin to get light golden, then add 1 tsp black pepper and 10 to 12 curry leaves. Stir very well and fry till the curry leaves become crisp. the black pepper should also be fried well. Now pour this entire tempering on the pongal. mix very well. Cover with the lid (with the vent weight/whistle on the lid) and keep aside for 5 to 6 minutes. this allows the tempering flavors to infuse with the pongal and the aroma to stay in. Then remove the lid and serve ven pongal hot with coconut chutney or sambar.