Ingredients:
Ponni Raw rice(can substitute with any variety of raw rice)
Mung Dal(skinned and halfed mung bean)
For savory pongal - Turmeric(haldi) powder, salt, ghee, broken cashews, curry leaves(kadi patta)whole black pepper and cumin(jeera) seeds
For sweet pongal - Ghee, Jaggery(gur), Cardamom(elaichi), broken cashews and Indian golden raisins
Directions:
- Measure out 1 cup ponni raw rice and 3/4th cup of mung dal in a microwaveable container.
- Wash well and add 5 cups of water this will be used for both sweet and savory pongals.
- Cook in the microwave(typically for 1500-1700 watt MW- 7 mins power2 to soak and 20mins power 8).
- Separate half or a third of the cooked quantity in another container for the sweet pongal.
- Add salt as needed and half a tsp of turmeric(haldi) powder to the cooked mixture and mix well
- Sprinkled 3-4 tsp of water and cook for an additional 3 mins on high.
- Roast broken cashews in ghee and add..
- Also sauté slightly crushed whole black pepper and jeera(not powdered) in ghee with some curry leaves(kadi patta) and add..
- Mix well and cook for an additional minute or two on high
- Tip - Consistancy should be soft like kichdi not separate like for pulao.
- Add 3-4 tsp of milk to the cooked mixture kept aside and cook additional 3 mins on high for the milk to be absorbed.
- In a kadai(deep wide pan) take required amount of jaggery(gur) and add a small amount of water(less than quarter cup).
- Heat on a low flame to melt. Make sure there are no pieces of unmelted jaggary.
- Add in the precooked mixture and stir well,
- Add one or two tsp of ghee as desired and stir well.
- Continue to cook on a low flame until all the liquid is absorbed and the ghee glistens.
- Sauté broken cashews and the golden raisins in ghee and mix in
- Finally sprinkle some elaichi(cardamom) powder on top.
The above was my dysfunctional style of cooking the traditional pongal(my mom's) recipes to celebrate the festival of Pongal on Jan 14th 2013.
