Pongal Recipes 15th January, 2008  Save as Bookmark  Send this Page to Friend. Pongal Home   Four Days of Pongal   History & Rituals   Pongal Celebrations   Pongal Greetings   Pongal Recipes   Regional Festivities   Pongal Ingredients 1 cup Rice 1/4 cup Moong dal /2- 1 tsp jeera 1/2-1 tsp peppercorns 1/2 tsp pepper powdered fresh A few Cashewnuts broken 1/2 cup dessicated Coconut A pinch of Turmeric powder Ghee Method Fry the Moongdal a little till you get a light flavour. Mix the dal with the rice, add 2 -3 cups of water (the rice should cook very very soft) Add turmeric powder, coconut, a few peppercorns and a 1-2 tsp of ghee to the rice and pressure cook till done. When done, take a kadai add sufficient of Ghee to it, more the ghee better it tastes, add jeera, pepper corns and cashewnuts. Add the cooked rice mixture ,add pepper powder, salt and mix well with the ghee and jeera/cashewnuts.     Rava Pongal Ingredients Rava 1 Cup Moong Dal 1/2 Cup Cashew Nuts 10 Ghee 4 Tbs Curry Leaves Chopped Ginger 1 Tsp Blackpeppercorn 1 Tsp Cumin Seeds1 Tsp Salt To Taste Method Fry the rava without any oil till it is really hot to touch. Fry the black pepper and cumin seeds in a teaspoon of ghee and make a coarse powder of them. Fry the cashewnuts, curryleaves,chopped ginger and keep aside. Pressure cook the moong dal with 1cup of water. After the pressure subsides transfer the cooked dhal to a heavy bottomed pan and add a cup of water. Add the required salt. Allow this to boil well. Add the fried rava to the above boiling(cooked) moong dhal in small measures and stir continuously till the rava is cooked completely. While the rava is being cooked add the ghee little by little. Finally add the coarsely powdered pepper and jeera and the fried cashewnuts,curry leaves and chopped ginger. If you want a spicy rava pongal you can also use a teaspoon of chopped green chilly. This goes well with coconut chutney.     Sarkarai Pongal Ingredients 2 litres Milk 10 Almonds 1 1/2 cups Newly harvested rice 1/4 cup Moong dal 15 Cashewnuts 1 1/2 cup Jaggery grated 30 Kishmis 1/4 level Teaspoon nutrieg powder 1/4 teaspoon saffron crushed 1 teaspoon cardamom powder 2 tablespoons ghee. Method Fry the rava without any oil till it is really hot to touch. Fry the black pepper and cumin seeds in a teaspoon of ghee and make a coarse powder of them. Fry the cashewnuts, curryleaves,chopped ginger and keep aside. Pressure cook the moong dal with 1cup of water. After the pressure subsides transfer the cooked dhal to a heavy bottomed pan and add a cup of water. Add the required salt. Allow this to boil well. Add the fried rava to the above boiling(cooked) moong dhal in small measures and stir continuously till the rava is cooked completely. While the rava is being cooked add the ghee little by little. Finally add the coarsely powdered pepper and jeera and the fried cashewnuts,curry leaves and chopped ginger. If you want a spicy rava pongal you can also use a teaspoon of chopped green chilly. This goes well with coconut chutney.     Soft Idlis Ingredients 4 Cups (Heaped) - Raw Long Grain Rice 1 Cup (Heaped) And 1/2 Cup - Split Urud Dhal (Even The Split White Variety Serves The Purpose) Salt To Taste Method Measure the raw rice(long grain rice) into a vessel. Do not add water to this rice. Take the pressure cooker and pour 2 cups of water into the pressure cooker. Now Keep the vessel containing the measured rice in the pressure cooker. Close the pressure cooker with the lid. Wait till the steady steam starts coming. Put the weight. When the first whistle comes simmer the electric or gas stove. Allow it to be like that for 5 mints. Then switch off the stove. Allow the pressure to subside on its own. Then add fairly hot water to the rice and soak it for 4 hours. Just an hour before grinding, wash and soak the urud dal. First grind the urud dal in the mixie. Then grind the rice to a fine consitency. Not too fine as a paste of course. Mix the two and add the required salt. Mix thoroughly. The final batter should not be too thick or too watery. Allow the batter to ferment for atleast 12 hours. Then prepare the idli in the usual manner and really soft idlis will be got.     Pineapple Rasam Ingredients 1 Medium Size Pineapple 1/2 Cup Toovar Dal(Sambhar Parippu) 1tsp Gram Dal 1tsp Black Dal 1tsp Pepper 2 Dry Red Chillies 1/2 Tsp Turmeric Powder 1/2tsp Asafoetida 1/2tsp Mustard Seeds A Sprig Of Curry Leaves A Small Bunch Of Coriander Leaves Salt To Taste. Method Cook the toovar dal in enough water. Peel pineapple and squeeze out 6 cups of juice adding water if necessary. Fry the gram dal,black dal,pepper red chilli,asafoetida in a tsp of oil and grind to a paste. Mix the paste in a cup of water and add to it turmeric powder & salt.pour the mixture in the pineapple juice and pour this juice into the cooked dal. Add chopped curry leaves & coriander leaves.cook for 10-15 minutes. Fry mustard in a tsp of oil till they splutter and pour it into the rasam.     Paper Dosai Ingredients 1 Cup (Boiled) Rice(Puzhungal Rice) 2 Cups Raw Rice(Pacharisi) 3/4 Cup Urad Dal A Handful Of Cooked Rice 2 Tablespoons Of Aval(Poha) 1 Teaspoon Venthayam(Methi Seeds) Salt To Taste Method Wash all the ingredients except the cooked rice and salt. Soak them in water for atleast 5 hours. Add the cooked rice and grind to a smooth paste with the required amount of water. Add the required salt. Cover and keep aside for at least 10 hours to ferment. Then mix the batter thoroughly. Take a laddle full of batter and spread on a MEDIUM HOT tawa to a thin layer quickly. Rest is the same as you do for any ordinary dosa. When spreading the batter if by chance you see that some parts of the spread area of the dosai is thick do not try to respread it to be thin. This will spoil the crispy nature of the dosai.     Milk Payasam Ingredients 1 litre of Milk. 1/4 cup of raw Rice. 1 cup Sugar. 1/2 tsp powdered Cardomom. Some Cashewnuts. & Ghee. Method Heat one litre of milk and when it boils and starts to rise add raw rice.Keep in low heat with constant stirring until the quantity reduces to one-half.Then add sugar and powdered cardomom.Roast cashewnuts and raisins in ghee and add it to the payasam.