pongal

Pongal is one of the most popular harvest festival of South India, mainly Tamil Nadu. Pongal falls in the mid-January every year and marks the auspicious beginning of Uttarayan - sun's journey northwards. Pongal festival lasts for four days. Celebrations include drawing of Kolam, swinging & cooking of delicious Pongal.



There are two varieties of pongal, namely, sakarai pongal (sweet pongal), khara pongal (spicy pongal), also called ven pongal in tamil nadu. the rice boiled with milk and jaggery during the pongal festival is also called Pongal. Some foods are simply divine, pongal belongs to that category....



Rice- 1 Cup
Moong Dal -1/4 Cup
Black Pepper crushed -1tsp
jeera 1 Tbsp
Ginger chopped-1 Tsp
Hing -1 Tsp
Cashew nuts -for garnishing
Ghee- 2 Tbsp
Water- 6 Cups
Salt -to taste

Method
1. Wash rice and dal separately and drain nicely.
2. In the Rice cooker heat 1 tbsp ghee.fry the moog dal till it become light golden brown.
3. Add rice and Fry till the ghee coats the mixture.
4. Add the rest of the ingredients, except Cashews.
5. Add water. Cover and cook.
6. Keep testing the water level and stir frequently as it has a tendency to stick to the bottom.
7. When rice gets fully mashed garnish with roasted cashews.
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