Pongal (Ven Pongal)

Pongal is a common break fast item, made quicker and simpler..

Ingredients ( Serves for 3 )
Moong dhal - 1/2 cup
Rice - 1/2 cup
Curry leaves - some
Green chilies - 3
Ginger - 1/2 inch
Ghee - 1 tea spoon
Oil - 6 tea spoon
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tea spoon
Pepper - 1/4 tea spoon (Roughly Crushed)
Mustard seeds - some
Salt to taste

1. Mix rice and dhal and wash thoroughly.

2. In a cooker, add 3 cups of water, salt , 5 tea spoons of oil, 1 tea spoon of ghee.
Add rice and dhal to it and pressure cook until 5 whistles.

Note: Taste the water and add salt

Tip : Water measure is 1: 2 [+1], if you have 4 cups of rice and dhal, add (4*2) + 1 = 9 cups of water.

3. Meantime, cut green chilies length wise, crush the pepper roughly. And keep ready other ingredients for seasoning. The tea spoon, I use to measure is depicted..

Note : Pepper can be crushed or added as a whole..

4. Heat 2 tea spoons of oil in a kadai and add mustard seeds, once it splutters, add cumin seeds, pepper, chilies and fry them. Add ginger and curry leaves at end and remove from flame.

5. Add this seasoning to the cooked rice and dhal and mix well, add some ghee if required.

6. As value addition, fry cashew nuts and add them to the pongal.

The above measure serves for 3 people.