Print Recipe
Venn Pongal
 
recipe image
Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Cook Time: 35 Minutes
Ready In: 40 Minutes
Servings: 4
This is a spicy rice and lentil Indian dish. In the south of India, you eat this to celebrate the harvest. It comes from a cookbook called Cook and See that I got on a trip to India. Very hard for most Americans to dicepher the instructions so I'm writing it out in a more user-friendly way.
Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked rice
1/2 cup green gram dal (aka moong dal)
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons black peppercorns
12 cashews, quartered
1/2 inch fresh ginger, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter (aka clarified butter) or 1/4 cup ghee (aka clarified butter)
4 -5 curry leaves (optional)
Directions:
1. Dry fry the green gram dal lightly.
2. Put the dal, salt and rice in 3 cups water and bring to a boil, stirring often. Cover and cook about 20 minutes, stirring often until rice is soft and water is absorbed.
3. Make a course powder of the cumin seeds and black pepper either in a morter and pestle or a spice grinder (I use a Magic Bullet).
4. In a pan, heat ghee or butter, fry the cashews lightly and add the spice powder until it is scalded. Add the ginger and scald a bit more.
5. Pour the mixture into the rice and stir well. Optionally, curry leaves may be added.
By RecipeOfHealth.com