Ven Pongal

07 Jul Ven Pongal

VEN PONGAL

Phonetically speaking, whenever, though breakfast or brunch is the mot juste. We’re in serious comfort food territory here, like Grandma’s pancakes or the Pan-Punjabi Rajma Chawal. Ask any Tambram what he’d be happiest to see on the breakfast table, and a plateful of Pongal with a single Vada (not two, never two. We’re famously levelheaded) will figure high on the list.

Pongal is best matched with various Sambar & Chutney variants, but my favourite combo is the Thenga or Coconut Thuvaiyal. As on my plate, you’ll find the recipes cheek by jowl as well.

Serves – 4

Prep – 10 mins

Cook – 20 mins

INGREDIENTS:

1. Raw Rice – 1 cup (By raw rice, I mean broken, Jayalalita freebie rice. Since we’re achieving a mash here, don’t bother with basmati if you have an option.
2. Moong Dal – Yellow or ‘dhuli’ – 0.5 cup
3. Ghee – 3-4 tbsp
4. Black Peppercorns – 20
5. Jeera – 1 tsp
6. Mustard seeds – 1.5 tsp
7. Asafoetida – 0.1 tsp
8. Salt – 2 tsp
9. Ginger – 1.5 tbsp, paste
10. Cashews – 12-15. Don’t skimp
11. Curry Leaves – 4 sprigs

PREPERATION:

Wash & soak Rice & Dal separately.

COOK:

1. Place a cooker pan on flame, and pour in half the ghee.
2. When hot, pour in strained dal grains, and fry for 2-3 minutes on low flame.
3. When the dal begins to sizzle, pour in the strained rice, and fry likewise, till the grains lose their twang.
4. Add salt & about 5 cups of water. Cook 4 whistles or until you’re expecting a ‘khichri’ like texture. While this is going on, prepare your tempering.
5. Place a pan on flame, add the rest of your ghee. Fry cashews. When they start to go red, remove and keep aside.
6. In the same ghee, add Mustard seeds, then Jeera just as the Mustard seeds start to splutter.
7. When jeera starts to redden, add peppercorns. Let them fry a few seconds, then add ginger paste & curry leaves. Cook till ginger loses its raw smell and curry leaves begin to crispen. About halfway through this process, add Asafoetida. Close flame when done.
8. Once the cooker’s done its work, allow it to cool, then open. Like I said, you’re looking for a khichri-like consistency, so feel free to mash the contents or add a little water. The trick here is to leave it 15-20% more watery than you like it, because like all preparations of ‘khichri’ genus, it tends to get sticky.
9. Mix in the tempering ingredients & stir well. I like to pour a couple of dollops of the Pongal into the tempering pan, so I can draw out all the flavour and oil. That’s it, service, while it’s smoking hot.