Venn Pongal, as it is known in South India, is a savoury mixture of rice and lentils that you’d love to simply gobble!
As I mentioned in my blog, I didn’t even realise how much I loved South Indian cuisine till I was recently compelled to go gluten free. Most of South Indian cuisine is traditionally rice-based, and hence it gives me several tasty options to explore as I stay away from glutenous (is that word?) dishes.
One such option is Venn Pongal, a traditional dish that is prepared during the Pongal festival every January. The spices in this dish balance out the sweetness that you taste when you eat the other dish that is made for the festival – Shakrai Pongal (it is made with jaggery).
Of course this doesn’t mean that you can’t eat Venn Pongal during other times of the year. I especially love eating it on a cool, rainy day as the spices make me feel very warm. I guess, in a sense, it is one of my comfort foods.
Venn Pongal (savoury dish) recipe
Ingredients:
1 cup raw rice
1/2 cup moong dal
1/4 cup ghee
3 cups water
10-12 whole peppercorns
10-12 curry leaves
1/2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
25 cashews
Salt to taste
Method:
Wash rice and dal together 3-4 times. Drain and transfer them to a pressure cooker.
Add salt and three cups of water to the rice and dal mixture.
Pressure cook the rice and dal till you hear your cooker whistle.
Switch off the flame. Wait for 10 minutes or till the cooker has released its pressure and then open the cooker carefully. Check that the rice and dal have cooked well. They should be on their way to being mashed and not be separate grains like in a pulao.
Transfer the mixture into a serving bowl.
Heat ghee in a small pan on a low flame. Fry the cashews, remove them from the oil and set aside. They should be light brown in colour.
Add cumin seeds, peppercorns and curry leaves to the remaining ghee in the same pan. Stir till the cumin seeds turn a light brown.
Pour this spice mixture on to the rice-dal mixture. Add the fried cashews. Mix well.
Serve hot with sambar.
“I like rice. Rice is great if you’re hungry and want 2000 of something.”
– Mitch Hedberg, comedian
The Vegetarians' Kitchen 