VENPONGAL & SAMBAR

Ven Pongal (also called as Khara Pongal) is a traditional South Indian breakfast dish.  Rice and Dals are cooked together and further seasoned by ghee, pepper, cumin and curry leaves.  It is very easy and quick.  The flavor of ghee with pepper is the unique taste of Pongal. The shine and smell of ghee in Pongal will tempt everyone to have more. It’s a comfort food and goes very well with coconut chutney or sambar. Also, it is a traditional neivedhyam (offering to God) in most of the temple in Tamil Nadu. Today I am sharing another sambar recipe which also goes well with Ven Pongal. They both are made for each other.

INGREDIENTS:

For Ven Pongal:

Raw rice - 1 cup

Moong dal - 1/2 cup

Water - 5 cup

Ghee - 4 tbsp

Asafeotida - pinch

Ginger - 1inch piece

Green chili - 2 to3

Salt to taste

Cashews - 10 to 15

Pepper - 1 tsp

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

For Sambar:

Moong dal - 1/4 cup
Brinjal - 1 
Potato - 1
Carrot - 1
Onion -2
Tomato -2
Sambar powder - 1 tsp
Salt as required
Oil - 2 tsp
Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Urad dal -1/2 tsp 
Curry leaves 

METHOD:

Preparing Pongal:

1. Dry roast rice and dal over medium heat for a couple of minutes. Dal should not change its color. Once you feel the nice aroma of the dal turn off the heat and rinse it in water for a couple of times.

2. Melt Ghee in a cooker and add asafoetida, ginger and green chilies. Give it a stir and add the rice and dal. Mix it well with the ghee and then add water.

3. Also add required salt, Cover and let it cook for 4 whistles on a medium heat.

4. Melt ghee in a pan and roast cashews, once the cashews turn golden add peppercorns. Also add in cumin seeds, curry leaves. Mix it once and turn off the heat.

5. Add the tempering to the Pongal and mix well. If you wish you can add more ghee at the end to get nice aroma and taste.

Preparing Sambar:

1. Chop all the vegetables including onion and tomato finely. Wash and peel the skin of carrot and potato and then chop finely.

2. In a pressure cooker, add chopped carrots, potato, brinjal, moong dal and required water. Cook for 3 whistles. Keep it aside.

3. Heat oil in a pan, add asafoetida and mustard seeds. When mustard seeds sizzle, add urad dal and curry leaves.

4. Add finely chopped onion and saute till it becomes transparent.

5. Add tomatoes and cook till tomatoes become mushy.

6. Add sambar powder, pressure cooked vegetables + dal mix, needed salt, 1 cup of water and boil on medium heat for 5-10 minutes. This sambar should be watery, so adjust water accordingly.

7. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve Ven Pongal hot with piping hot sambar!!!!!