Pongal is traditional and main festive dish on the occasion of ‘Makara Sankranti’. Pongal is celebrated as a thanks giving to nature for a bountiful harvest and prosperity. It is prepared with rice, moong dal with pepper, jeera and coconut. It is the easiest and tasty morning breakfast.

Preparation time – 15 min

Cooking time – 30 min

Serves – 8

Ingredients: to pressure cook

Rice – 2 cups

Moong dal – 2 cups

Channa dal – 4 tbs

Ingredients: for grind

Coconut – 1 cup (grated)

Jeera/Cumin seeds – 1 tsp

Ginger – 2 inch(cut into small pieces)

Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp (optional)

Ingredients: for seasoning

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Whole pepper – 2 tbs

Jeera – 1 tsp

Cashew nuts – 1/4 cup

Coriander leaves – 1 cup (chopped)

Curry leaves – 5 spring

Green chilies – 3 nos

Hing /asafoetida –  1/4 tsp

How to make or prepare pongal –

Cook rice, moong dal and channa dal together by adding 8 1/2 cups of water and keep aside.

Grind grated coconut, jeera and ginger to a fine paste and keep aside.

Take a kadai or casserole heat by adding 3 tsp of oil and 2 tsp of ghee, when it becomes hot add mustard seeds when they begin to sparkle add pepper corns, when it begins to sparkle add jeera and cashew nuts fry till it becomes golden brown in colour.

Add hing(asafoetida), curry leaves, chopped green chilies and chopped coriander leaves, fry for a while and add grounded paste into it.

Then add cooked rice and dal, mix altogether so that there is no lumps add salt to taste and close the lid of the kadai or casserole and cook it in a low flame for 5 to 8 min.

Then turn off the flame, mix once again serve hot with ghee and coconut chutney.