Puli Pongal

Puli pongal is a traditional dish prepared in Tamilnadu. Pongal means mashed up rice. This is a pongal made with tamarind and broken rice with some seasonings. This is a tangy and tasty dish which can be prepared very easily.

Ingredients:

• Broken Rice - 1 cup
• Tamarind - small lemon sized
• Gingelly Oil or Sesame Oil - 3 tbsp.
• Mustard Seeds - ½ tsp.
• Ured Dhal - ½ tsp.
• Channa Dhal - ½ tsp.
• Peanuts - 1 tsp.
• Red Chillies - 3
• Turmeric Powder - ½ tsp.
• Asafoetida - a pinch
• Curry Leaves - a handful
• Salt - 1 tsp. or as needed

Method:

• Soak tamarind in a cup of hot water for 10 minutes and extract juice and keep aside. If you want you can use tamarind paste.
• In a pressure cooker, heat gingelly oil and add mustard seeds.
• When it splutters add ured dhal, channa dhal, asafoetida and peanuts and roast foe some time.
• When it turns red add curry eaves and red chillies and saute for a minute.
• Now add the broken rice, tamarind juice and 1 and a half cup of water along with salt and turmeric powder.
• Close the pressure cooker with the lid and pressure cook for 3 whistles.
• When cooled remove the lid and mix well.
• Serve hot with Coconut Chutney or Daangar Pachadi.

Note:

If you don’t have broken rice, you can simply grind raw rice in a mixie to a coarse rava consistency. Run the mixie one or two times.