Ven Pongal-Ven Pongal with sambar

Ven pongal is a very popular and famous breakfast of Tamil Nadu . It is a very simple and an easy recipe which can be done in a jiffy. It tastes great with coconut chutney, sambar and arachuvitta sambar. Now that Pongal falls on the 15th of this month, many will be preparing both sakkarai pongal and ven pongal. I have already posted the recipe for sakkarai pongal, so here I am with the Ven pongal recipe. I have earlier posted a quick sambar recipe which goes well with pongal, idli, vadai and dosa. Today I am sharing another sambar recipe which also goes well with ven pongal.They both are made for each other.

Ven Pongal with Sambar

 Prep Time : 10 mins

 Cook Time : 20 mins 
 Serves: 3-4
 Recipe Category: Breakfast
 Recipe Cuisine: Indian
 Author:Padhu Sankar

   Ingredients needed

   Raw rice - 1 cup
   Green gram dal(split yellow ones)/pasi parupu/moong dal- 1/2 cup
   Water - 5 cups
   Salt as required

   For the Ven Pongal seasoning

   Oil - 3 tbsp
   Ghee - 2 1/2 tbsp
   Whole black pepper -1 1/2 tsp
   Cumin seeds/jeera -1 1/2 tsp
   Ginger - 1 inch piece finely chopped
   Curry leaves - a sprig

   Cashew nuts - 5-7

   For the Sambar

   Onion -2
   Tomato -2
   Moong dal - 1/4 cup
   Sambar powder - 1 tsp
   Salt as required

   Vegetables for sambar

   Brinjal - 1 medium size
   Potato - 1 medium size
   Carrot - 1

   Seasoning for sambar

   Oil - 2 tsp
   Hing/asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
   Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
   Urad dal -3/4 tsp
   Curry leaves -a sprig

Preparation

Dry roast rice and dal separately till it becomes slightly hot. Do not fry till dal changes color.

Wash and pressure cook rice + dal together with 5 cups of water, adding needed salt for 4 whistles. You can also cook directly in the cooker but take care not to burn the rice and dal.

Once the pressure subsides, open the cooker and mash the dal and rice nicely when it is hot and keep it aside. Check for salt, if needed, add and mix it well.

I have used old rice, if you are using new rice, add 4 cups of water. The quantity of water differs according to the type of rice used.  The point to be noted is - the rice + dal mixture should be cooked in such a way that it should be mushy.

Heat a tsp ghee and fry the cashew nuts until golden brown. Keep it aside.

Slightly crush half of pepper and jeera - or grind half of it in the blender just for a second. You can even add peppercorns and cumin seeds as such but I personally prefer to crush half of it slightly and add the remaining as such for more flavor.

Method

Heat ghee + oil in a pan/kadai, add finely chopped ginger, pepper + jeera, saute for a few minutes, then add curry leaves and saute for a few more seconds.

Add mashed rice + dal mixture, fried cashew nuts and cook on low heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.

Serve hot with sambar or coconut chutney.

SAMBAR FOR PONGAL

This is a very simple and quick sambar which goes well with pongal.

Preparation

Chop all the vegetables including onion and tomato finely. Wash and peel the skin of carrot and potato and then chop finely.

Take a pressure pan, add chopped carrots, potato, brinjal, moong dal and pressure cook for 3 whistles. Keep it aside.

Method 

Heat 2 tsps of oil in a pan, add hing (perungayam in Tamil) and mustard seeds. When mustard seeds sizzle, add urad dal and curry leaves.

When urad dal turns golden brown, add finely chopped onions. Saute till it becomes transparent.

Add tomatoes and cook till tomatoes become mushy.

Add sambar powder, pressure cooked vegetables + dal mix, needed salt, 1 cup of water and boil on medium heat for 5-10 minutes.

Garnish with coriander leaves.

Note - This sambar should be watery, so adjust water accordingly.

Serve Ven pongal hot with piping hot sambar. Simply heaven!!

Check step by step recipe for Khara Pongal/ven ponga here.

Meet you all again with more interesting recipes and tips, till then it is bye from Padhu of Padhuskitchen. Do try it and give your feedback.