Pongal is a famous South Indian Harvest Festival that occurs in the month of January. Besides sharing Pongal greetings and wishes, Southerners prepare a tasty platter of traditional South Indian Food. On top of the list is Pongal itself which is prepared with rice combined with other dhals. Pongal can be made as a sweet or a savory dish. Here are two recipes to make rice Pongal.

Savory Rice Pongal

Ingredients

Rice – 2 cups
Moong Dhal – 1 cup
Black Peppercorns – 2 tbsp
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Cashew Nuts – 1 tbsp
Curry leaves – 8 to 10
Asafetida – a pinch
Ghee – 2 tbsp
Salt – 2 tsp

Method

•Wash and soak the rice and moong dhal together for about 10 to 15 minutes.
•Add salt and a pinch of asafetida before cooking the rice and dhal in 6 ½ cups of water. Slightly overcook the rice and dhal so they can be mashed into a paste.
•While the rice cooks, take the ghee in another pan and add the peppercorns, cumin seeds, cashew nuts and curry leaves, one after the other and turn off the stove when a rich aroma emerges and the cashews are fried well.
•Add the seasoning above with the mashed rice and dhal and tasty savory Pongal is ready to be served.

Rich Rice Pongal

Ingredients

Rice – 2 cups
Cashew Nuts – 1 tbsp
Raisins – 1 tbsp
Coconut – ½, shredded
Cardamoms – 10, powdered
Salt – ¼ tsp
Ghee – 7½ tbsp

Method

•Take a tablespoon of ghee in a pan and fry the cashew nuts and raisins for a few seconds.
•Then add 4 cups of water to the above along with the salt.
•When the water begins to boil, add the washed rice and cover the pan with a lid.
•Keep checking the pan and when the rice is half cooked, add the shredded coconut, powdered cardamom and the rest of the ghee gradually, stirring all the time.
•When the rice is fully cooked, remove from the fire and serve deliciously Rich Rice Pongal

Variation
Rich Rice Pongal can also be prepared using coconut milk instead of shredded coconut. However in that case it will be necessary to reduce the amount of water used to prevent the Pongal from getting soggy.