Ven Pongal

                 This was not common in my mother's house.My mother in law used to prepare this but with less dhal and less water and I started preparing this Pongal with more dhal and water and also to use hing from an aunty, Ms. Hemavathy, who was my neighbour two decades back and the credit of some of the recipes go to her.
            Today Pongal means an elegant mashy form as Rava Uppuma has taken the new avatar of Kichadi in a mashy form and any one of them forms a part of the menu in the breakfast of any marriage in Tamil Nadu.In the dishes which we add more water like Ven Pogal, Rava Kichadi and Bisibela, adding more oil or ghee proportionately is unavoidable and the they have to be taken hot.

Ingredients :

Raw rice ( Pacharisi )               1 cup
Moong dhal / Pasiparuppu        1/3 cup
Black pepper                              1 tsp
Zeera                                          1 tsp
Salt                                            1 tsp
Oil                                             3 tbsp
Ghee                                           2 tsp
Finely sliced ginger                   1/2 tsp
Curry leaves, Cashew nuts, Hing

Method :

1. Wash the  rice and the dhal well in water.
2. Heat oil ,add the pepper and zeera.When the pepper splutters, add the ginger, hing and curry leaves.
3. Then transfer them to the rice and dhal.Add 4 cups of water,add salt and mix well.
4. Cook them directly in a 3 lit. pressure cooker.After 2 or 3 whistles, reduce the flame and off the stove after 5 minutes.
5. Once the steam subsides, open the cooker, add the cashews fried in the ghee and stir well. The hot and tasty Pongal is ready.

Notes :

• Pepper and jeera can also be roasted in ghee and powdered coarsely and added but has to be added after cooking the rice.
• Cooking became very simple and handy after I bought the small 2 and 3 lits. cookers.They are user friendly with less space consumption ,fuel efficiency and easy maintenance.Those two tiny tots are my first love in the kitchen.
• When 1 cup of rice and dhal is cooked in a 3 lit. cooker,water doesn't come out much.
• When cooking directly in a pressure cooker, it is very important to be cautious.Check the vent in the lid before closing and also the weight.Be cautious about the whistle.
• While cooking directly, I place the weight immediately after closing the lid, checking them thoroughly.
• If a container is used, let it get cooked for some more time.