Ven pongal
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Peppery rice and moong dal tempered in ghee. Its sweet twin is cooked in a new pot on Thai Pongal.
Region: Tamil NaduOccasion: Breakfast; Thai Pongal (mid-January)Time: 35 minServes: 4Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw rice
- ¼ cup split yellow moong dal
- 4½ cups water
- Salt to taste
- 3 tbsp ghee
- 1 tsp whole black pepper, lightly crushed
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tbsp chopped ginger
- 10 cashews
- A sprig of curry leaves
- A pinch of hing
Method
- Dry-roast the moong dal until fragrant, 2–3 minutes.
- Wash the rice and dal. Cook with the water and salt until very soft (4–5 whistles in a pressure cooker). Mash lightly.
- Heat ghee. Fry the cashews until golden, then add pepper, cumin, ginger, curry leaves and hing.
- Pour the tempering over the rice and dal and mix well. Add a little hot water if it is too thick.
- Serve hot with coconut chutney and sambar.
History
Pongal means 'boiling over'. The sweet version, sakkarai pongal, is made with jaggery, ghee and cardamom.
Significance
On Thai Pongal, families cook pongal outdoors in a new pot facing the Sun. As it boils over they call out 'Pongalo Pongal!', a sign of plenty. The festival thanks the Sun, the earth and farm animals for the harvest.