Wishing all my dear readers A Happy and Prosperous Pongal / Makara sankaranthi
Pongal is a harvest festival celebrated in Tamil Nadu (South India). For this festival two dishes are made namely ven pongal and sakkarai pongal. pongal. Traditionally ven pongal is made in an earthen pot in a specially decorated place in front of house. The rice is cooked with jaggery and milk and is offered to Sun God as tradition of thanks giving for giving a good harvest and also for the rest of the year to be prosperous and happy.
Amma used to clean the house and put kolam (a drawing using rice powder) and then cook pongal. She made two types of pongal, a sweet version called sakkarai pongal and a savory version called ven pongal. When I was staying alone I used to make ven pongal at least once a week, because it contains both rice and lentil and cooking this dish is easy. You need only a simple curry to go with it. It is a breakfast dish; however, I like to have them for lunch or dinner when I am lazy and not in a mood to cook. I think this is one of ultimate comfort food you can imagine.
We can use any rice such as long grain, Sona Masoori or basmati and cook it with yellow split peas. I used to cook them with water for savory version. Once it is cooked, then I would add seasoning like, cumin seeds, pepper corns, curry leaves, ginger are fried in ghee/clarified butter along with cashew nuts as garnish. Addition of asafetodia gives it an aroma which is hard to explain. It tastes great with any spicy curry. In northern part of India the same kind of preparation is called as khichdi /Kichuri etc. Some time one or more type of lentils is added to make this dish. As I mentioned earlier, every Indian dish has its own variation in the way of cooking from house to house.
I was amazed that the general idea of cooking rice with another component is enjoyed by people be it venpongal (South India), kichidi (North India). Here goes the recipe for venpongal.
One year ago: Sakkarai pongal
Print Recipe from here
What you need
Long grain rice: ¾ cup
Roasted split yellow peas: ⅓ cup
Salt: ½ to taste
Ghee/Clarified butter: 1 tablespoon
Pepper corns: ⅛ teaspoon
Cumin seeds: ½ teaspoon
Cashew nuts: 5 no
Ginger: 1 inch
Curry leaves: 1 sprig
Asafetodia: ¼ teaspoon
Water: 2 ½ cup
How I made
Roast the yellow spilt for 3 minutes or until they become slightly pinkish in color and set aside.
Wash the rice and roasted yellow split peas in the running water and cook it in rice cooker with 2 ½ cups water for 27 minutes or until it cooked very well. If you want creamy consistency add ¼ cup water more.
In the meantime heat a tablespoon of ghee in small pan adds cumin seeds, curry leaves, pepper corns, asafetodia, and cashew and fry for 1 minute or until cashew nuts become slightly brown. Remove from fire and add it to cooked rice with salt and mix everything to incorporate well.
Enjoy with spicy curry or chutney.
Preparation time: 35 minutes
Yield: 2 serving
Verdict: Yummy
Will you make it again: Yes I will
Sending this to Pongal feast event
This is Swathi ( Dr. Ambujom Saraswathy Ph.D) from Zesty South Indian Kitchen who loves to explore cuisines from all over the world. Whenever possible I try to to give an Indian touch to several of the world cuisine, and has weakness for freshly baked bread. All the recipes you see here are created by me and approved after taste-test by my family.
honeybeecooksjackfruit says
Happy Pongal dear!
Soumya says
delicious pongal...kothiyavunnu....adipoli clicks...
archana says
Wish you a very happy Pongal ! Pongal looks yum!
Magpie says
Hi! happy pongal to you too! Oh how I miss the pongal we used to get at our college canteen!
I'm hosting an event called Kerala Kitchen and would like to invite you for it. Do come!
http://magpiesrecipes.blogspot.com/p/keralakitchen.html
notyet100 says
platter looks delicious,.
Vandana Rajesh says
Happy pongal to you and family. The pongal looks very tasty.
jayarajmurukkumpuzha says
happy pongal......
Elsa says
This looks delicious, I love rice!
Ellie (Almost Bourdain) says
I have never cooked rice with lentil. Very interesting and I will try it soon.
girlichef says
This sounds so amazing. I'm always inspired when I come to your place...fantastic!
Faith says
Wishing you a very happy and prosperous Pongal too, Swathi! This rice dish looks wonderful with lentils and cashews!
michelangelo in the kitchen says
Delicious and healthy dish! You made a delightful rice dish with lentils that is a complete meal for me! Thanks Swathi for this delectable recipe!!!
alison says
looks so fine,love your lentil dishes!
Pegasuslegend says
I love lentils but this one stopped me in my tracks book marked to make soon!
Joanne says
How delicious! I'm always looking for new ways to use lentils.
Yummy Team says
Great looking ven pongal!! Healthy too..Happy Pongal to you and your family..
Reeni says
How wonderfully delicious Swathi! I bet it smells just amazing. Happy and Prosperous Pongal to you and your family!
garlutti says
Swaty,I wish you and your family a happy and prosperous Pongal.
Ven Pongal looks delicious.
savitha ramesh says
I am drooling here and wonderful explanation.........happy pongal swathi
sinfullyspicy says
This rice looks amazing Swathi.Wish you and your family a very happy Pongal!
MaryMoh says
Mmmm...love your rice. Looks so healthy and delicious. Thanks very much for sharing. MaryMoh at http://www.keeplearningkeepsmiling.com
kaarasaaram.com says
"Happy Pongal" to you...wonderful space and recipes..Hats off to you...will be a regular here..
Reva
aipi says
What a delicious looking platter..
Happy Pongal to you n your family Swathi!
US Masala
Ameya says
The pongal looks comforting and delicious 🙂 Happy Pongal to you, Swathi!!
Sayantani says
delcious!wish could have taken out the platter from the screen.
Dimah says
looks delicious!
Happy Pongal to you!
Priya says
Happy Pongal wishes to u and ur family Swathi,ven pongal makes me hungry..
Ananda Rajashekar says
Happy Pongal that looks gorgeous 🙂
Marus says
Happy Pongal for you!. This rice looks delicius.
Nancy and Vijay says
Happy Pongal Swathi 🙂 Your ven pongal is making me feel very hungry...
Peggy says
Happy pongal to you! This rice dish sounds very tasty!
Miriam says
What a delicious looking dish! I love lentils. Miriam@Meatless Meals For Meat Eaters
Aruna Manikandan says
Happy Pongal....
Ven Pongal looks yummy 🙂
Jaisy James says
looks yummy happy pongal
Priya Sreeram says
yummy pongal swathi--wishing u & family a very happy pongal ; warm seasons greetings !!
sanjeeta kk says
The ven pongal looks delicious! Happy pongal to you.
Lite Bite
G.Pavani says
wishing you n your family a happy pongal..venpongal looks yummy ..
Alessandra says
Happy Pongal to you! THis rice dish looks delicious!
ciao
Alessandra
Hamaree Rasoi says
Happy Pongal to you Swathi. Pongal looks to be very delicious.
Deepa
Hamaree Rasoi
<br><br><br><br><br>Dr.Sameena Prathap says
That looks so inviting dear...Love the presentation>>>:)Happy Pongal to you!!:)
Dr.Sameena@
http://www.myeasytocookrecipes.blogspot.com/
Renata says
Happy Pongal, Swathy! Great to learn a little more about your culture. This dish looks yummy with all its simplicity. Love the cashew nuts in it!
PALATABLE says
Delicious! Happy Pongal to you and family dear...
http://treatntrick.blogspot.com
Chow and Chatter says
happy pongal thanks for reminding me to make it for hubby lol
Pushpa says
Pongal looks delicious.Happy Pongal Swathi.