Ingredients:
- Saamai - 1.25 cups
- Paasi paruppu / Moong dhal - 3/4 cup
- Ginger - Few pieces
- A pinch of turmeric
- Water - 2.5 cups for every cup of Saamai
- Salt
To temper:
- Jeera - 2 tbsp
- Pepper corns - 2 tbsp
- Curry leaves
- Ghee - 3tbs
Preparation:
Dry roast the moong dhal. Take care to ensure that it does not turn brown. Roast until the aroma of moong dhal starts coming.
In a pressure cooker, add chopped ginger, saamai, roasted moong dhal, turmeric, salt and water. Be generous in adding water, so that you will get soft pongal. Pressure cook it for 4 whistles.
After the pressure gets released, open the lid and temper with ingredients listed under the “To Temper” section and mix well. Add more ghee if you wish. If you want spicy pongal, dry roast jeera and pepper corns and make it into a powder and mix it with the pongal.
Serve hot with coconut chutney or sambar or gothsu.
Coconut chutney:
- Coconut - Few pieces
- Roasted channa dhal - 3 tbsp
- Red or green chillies - 2 to 3
- Garlic - 1 pod
- Salt
Put all the above mentioned items in a mixie jar and grind them coarse and temper with mustard seeds and curry leaves.