Raw rice - 1 cup
Green gram (Moong) dal - 3/4 cup
Asaefoetida - a pinch
Salt - to taste
Ginger - 1" piece (grated)
Tamarind - a little piece (marble sized, soaked in water)
Water - 5 cups
For tempering
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Whole black pepper - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 6-7
Ghee/ Sesame oil - 2-3 tblsp
Cashew nuts - 6-7
To Powder
Dry red Chillies - 2-3
Corriander Seeds - 1 tsp
Method
1. In a pressure cooker, take the rice, moong dal, water, required salt, grated ginger, asaefoetida and cook for 3-4 whistles.
2. Wait till the pressure is released. The rice should be little overdone.
3. Heat ghee in a small pan, splutter the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, black pepper, curry leaves.
4. Add this to the cooked rice dal mixture after the pressure is released.
5. Fry the cashews in some ghee and add that too.
6. In the mean time, make a powder of the ingredients under 'to powder' and add that to the pongal too.
7. Add the tamarind juice also to the pongal.
8. Mix everything together and cook the rice for another 5-7 minutes for the tamarind to get cooked.
9. Add a spoon of sesame oil/ ghee and Serve piping hot with sambhar, coconut thuvayal and vadai.