This is a very popular south Indian breakfast type. Makes an excellent combination when served with Ulunthu Vadai and Thaengai chutney (coconut chutney) and sambhar.
Ingredients:
1. Rice : Moong dal in the ratio of 4:1 for 1 cup (for 250 gms – you can use 200 gms rice and 50 gms moong dal )
2. Salt
3. Black Pepper: 15
4. Cashew nuts: 15
5. Ghee: 3 to 4 tbsps
6. Curry leaves
7. Milk: 3 tbsps
8. Water in the ratio of 1:4 (1 cup ingredients: 4 cups water)
9. Ginger: very finely chopped in to tiny little pieces (1 tsp)
10. Jeera (Cumin) : ½ tsp
11. Asafoedita
There are 2 types that you can m ake this dish.
Type I : Like Hotel Pongal / Kalyana Pongal
In this type of ven pongal, you cook all the ingredients together including whole black pepper.
Preparation Procedure:
1. In a heavy bottomed kadai, light fry the moong dal and rice in sim for 2 to 3 minutes so that the raw smell of the rice and the moong dal is eliminated.
2. Wash the ingredients well in water and filter the rice moong dal.
3. In a pressure cooker vessel, add the rice moong dal and water in the ratio mentioned in the ingredients section.
4. Add salt, jeera, black pepper, ginger tiny pieces, milk, and curry leaves and pressure cook for around 10 to 11 whistles so that it is well mashed.
5. After switching off the pressure cooker, allow it to settle for 15 to 20 minutes.
6. In the mean while, add a tsp of ghee to a kadai and in sim medium roast the cashew nuts to golden brown colour
7. Open the pressure cooker, immediately add 3 tbsps of ghee, a pinch of asaofedita and the roasted cashew nuts and well mash the cooked pongal very nicely. This needs to be done as soon as you open the cooker. Once the pongal cools down, mashing may become difficult and it will not come smoothly.
Hot delicious pongal is ready J
Type II: This is more like Perumal Kovil Ven Pongal
In this type of Ven pongal, we powder and add the pepper, jeera at the end.
Preparation Procedure:
1. In a heavy bottomed kadai, light fry the moong dal and rice in sim for 2 to 3 minutes so that the raw smell of the rice and the moong dal is eliminated.
2. Wash the ingredients well in water and filter the rice moong dal.
3. In a pressure cooker vessel, add the rice moong dal and water in the ratio mentioned in the ingredients section.
4. Add salt, milk, finely chopped ginger pieces and curry leaves.
5. Pressure cook for around 10 whistles.
6. After switching off the pressure cooker, allow it to settle for 15 to 20 minutes.
7. In the mean while, add a tsp of ghee to a kadai and in sim medium roast the cashew nuts to golden brown colour and keep it aside.
8. Powder 20 pepper in a mixie as a coarse powder.
9. In the kadai, add a tsp of ghee, add the powdered pepper and jeera on sim and immediately take it out after a minute.
8. After 15-20 mins, Open the pressure cooker, immediately add 3 tbsps of ghee, a pinch of asaofedita and the roasted cashew nuts and well mash the cooked pongal very nicely. This needs to be done as soon as you open the cooker. Once the pongal cools down, mashing may become difficult and it will not come smoothly.
10. Again add the powdered pepper and jeera and mix with the mashed pongal nicely.
