Pongal

This is a breakfast receipe. In south India, this is a famous breakfast dish along with Idly and Dosai. This is how I make Pongal. Most of you may know the ingredients and the method for making pongal. This is for the new cooks. The main ingredients are as follow..

Ingredients:-

1. Rice - 1 cup (measuring cup)
2. Moong dal - 1/2 dal (measuring cup)
3. Ginger - a small piece
4. Pepper - 1 tbsp
5. cumin seeds - 1/2 tbsp
6. mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
7. Asafoetida powder - one pinch
8. Salt to taste
9. Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
   
10. Cashews - 6 or 7
11. curry leaves - 1- to 15 leaves
12. Oil - 2 tbsp
13. Ghee - 1 tbsp

First wash the rice and Moong Dal and soak it in water for 10 mts. In the mean time, we can finish our seasoning. Take a seasoning pan, preheat the oil, add mustard seeds when it splutters, add pepper+cumin seeds+cashews+curry leaves+curry leaves+ginger and asafoetida powder in the oil and fry it for a minute. Do not burn it. Now take a pressure pan, put the rice and dal in it and pour water in the ratio of 1:5 (Pongal should not be like fried rice so we can add 5 cups of water to 1 cup of rice. Now add the mustard, pepper etc mix to the rice and add the turmeric powder and salt to it. Pressure cook this upto 5 to 6 full whistles. After pressure is released, open the pan and pour the 1 tbsp ghee in it and again close the pan for few mts. Now Pongal is ready to serve. Serve it hot with Tomato godhsu or coconut chutney.

Note: We can also grind the raw pepper and cumin seeds before adding it with mustard seeds. In that case, it will easy for the kids to eat pepper. Try this and lemme know your comments

Coconut Rice

This is one of the famous variety rice. But now-a-days because of health issues and diet issues, most of the people avoid eating this rice. The main ingredients are as follows:

Ingredients:-

1. Coconut - 1 medium cup.
2. Rice - 1 cup (measuring cup)
3. Green chillies- 2
4. Ginger - a small piece
5. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp (for Seasoning)
   
6. urid dal - 1/2 tsp (for Seasoning)
   
7. Channa dal - 1/2 tsp (for Seasoning)
   
8. Red Chilly - 1(for seasoning)
   
9. Salt to taste
10. Cashews - 5 (for Seasoning).
11. Peanuts - 10 (for seasoning)
12. Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp ( for Seasoning)
13. Asafoetida powder - 2 pinches
14. Oil - 1 1/2 tbsp (can also use coconut oil)
15. Curry leaves - 10 - 15 leaves
    

My MIL used to sprinkle a spicy home made powder, on top of the rice. The ingredients for the powder are as follows:

1. Channa dal - 1 tbsp
2. Toor dal - 3/4 tbsp
3. Urid Dal - 1/2 tbsp
4. Red chillies - 4
5. Fenugreek seeds - 1 tsp
6. Asafoetida powder - 2 pinches
7. White Sesame seeds - 1 tsp

First cook the rice upto 2 whistles in a pressure pan. Do not over cook. Keep it aside and let it cool. In a small pan, preheat a drop of oil and fry the ingredients of spicy powder one by one and let it cool. Grind it into a fine powder. Keep it aside.

Now in a big pan, pre heat the remaining oil, add mustard seeds when it splutters, add, channa dal +uriddal+green chillies+ fenugreek seeds+ peanuts+ cashews+ red chillies+curry leaves, one by one and fry it to golden brown. Finally add the fresh coconut to it and turn off the stove. Do not burn these ingredients. Add salt to it and stir it thoroughly. Now pour these ingredients on top of the rice and stir it carefully till the rice mixes with coconut etc. mix. Do not mash the rice. At last sprinkle one or two tbsp(acc. to taste) of spicy powder on top of the rice and mix it thoroughly. Again, do not mash the rice while using a spoon or spatula. The above said quantity will be enough for 2 to 3 people.

Garlic Rasam

My MIL call this rasam as "Raathiri Rasam". When there is nothing left from the morning samayal, she used to make it at night. This rasam needs no rasam powder cos it includes everything in its paste. Its easy to make and healthy n yummy to eat. The ingredients are as follows:

Ingredients:-

1. Tomato - 2
2. Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp
3. channa dal - 1/2 tsp
4. pepper - 1 tsp
5. Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
6. Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp
7. Garlic - 2 cloves
8. Salt to taste
9. Tamarind - a small lemon sized or 1 tsp paste
10. Toor dal - 1 tsp

For seasoning:-

1. Ghee - 1 tsp
2. mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
3. fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp
4. curry leaves - 10 leaves
5. Asafoetida - a pinch
6. Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp

Grind all the above said ingredients in a blender like a paste. Take a pan, add a cup of water to the above said paste and cook for 10 mts. Again add 1 more cup of water. When the rasam starts giving fine aroma, turn off the stove. It needs to be foamy. In a small pan, pre heat the oil, add mustard seeds, when it splutters, add fenugreek seeds, curry leaves, asafoetida to it and pour it in the Rasam. At last, garnish it with coriander leaves. Serve it hot.