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As with every art, cooking also requires passion, interest and time... Irrespective of doing it as a leisure activity or on a regular basis, it involves dedication. The happiness you derive out of cooking by your self and serving is endless... esp someone appreciating your recipe...how nice it feels, is it not???




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Wednesday 25 April 2012

Pongal (Ven Pongal)

This is a very popular south Indian breakfast type. Makes an excellent combination when served with Ulunthu Vadai and Thaengai chutney (coconut chutney) and sambhar.
Ingredients:
1.       Rice : Moong dal in the ratio of 4:1 for 1 cup (for 250 gms – you can use 200 gms rice and 50 gms moong dal )
2.       Salt
3.       Black Pepper: 15
4.       Cashew nuts: 15
5.       Ghee: 3 to 4 tbsps
6.       Curry leaves
7.       Milk: 3 tbsps
8.       Water in the ratio of 1:4 (1 cup ingredients: 4 cups water)
9.       Ginger: very finely chopped in to tiny little pieces (1 tsp)
10.   Jeera (Cumin) : ½ tsp
11.   Asafoedita
There are 2 types that you can m ake this dish.
Type I : Like Hotel Pongal / Kalyana Pongal
In this type of ven pongal, you cook all the ingredients together including whole black pepper.
Preparation Procedure:
1.       In a heavy bottomed kadai, light fry the moong dal and rice in sim for 2 to 3 minutes so that the raw smell of the rice and the moong dal is eliminated.
2.       Wash the ingredients well in water and filter the rice moong dal.
3.       In a pressure cooker vessel, add the rice moong dal and water in the ratio mentioned in the ingredients section.
4.       Add salt, jeera, black pepper, ginger tiny pieces, milk, and curry leaves and pressure cook for around 10 to 11 whistles so that it is well mashed.
5.       After switching off the pressure cooker, allow it to settle for 15 to 20 minutes.
6.       In the mean while, add a tsp of ghee to a kadai and in sim medium roast the cashew nuts to golden brown colour
7.       Open the pressure cooker, immediately add 3 tbsps of ghee, a pinch of asaofedita and the roasted cashew nuts and well mash the cooked pongal very nicely. This needs to be done as soon as you open the cooker. Once the pongal cools down, mashing may become difficult and it will not come smoothly.
Hot delicious pongal is ready J
Type II: This is more like Perumal Kovil Ven Pongal
In this type of Ven pongal, we powder and add the pepper, jeera at the end.
Preparation Procedure:
1.       In a heavy bottomed kadai, light fry the moong dal and rice in sim for 2 to 3 minutes so that the raw smell of the rice and the moong dal is eliminated.
2.       Wash the ingredients well in water and filter the rice moong dal.
3.       In a pressure cooker vessel, add the rice moong dal and water in the ratio mentioned in the ingredients section.
4.       Add salt, milk, finely chopped ginger pieces and curry leaves.
5.       Pressure cook for around 10 whistles.
6.       After switching off the pressure cooker, allow it to settle for 15 to 20 minutes.
7.       In the mean while, add a tsp of ghee to a kadai and in sim medium roast the cashew nuts to golden brown colour and keep it aside.
8.       Powder 20 pepper in a mixie as a coarse powder.
9.       In the kadai, add a tsp of ghee, add the powdered pepper and jeera on sim and immediately take it out after a minute.
8.       After 15-20 mins, Open the pressure cooker, immediately add 3 tbsps of ghee, a pinch of asaofedita and the roasted cashew nuts and well mash the cooked pongal very nicely. This needs to be done as soon as you open the cooker. Once the pongal cools down, mashing may become difficult and it will not come smoothly.
10.   Again add the powdered pepper and jeera and mix with the mashed pongal nicely.

13 comments:

  1. akila mami, yeppadi irukeyl. Aathla manna sowkiyama. Nayku..paruppu usili receipe solrayla...bye ..Priya Kumaraguru. :)

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  2. We are fine Priya, thanks..Paruppu Usili recipe is available in my blog itself. You can refer to that.

    Hope everyone at your home is fine as well..

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  3. Thanks a lot this was very usefull.came out perfect..My family relished it..Devanathan PA

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  4. it was awesome
    thanks

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  5. good tips keep updating thanku

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  6. Superb recipe. Cooked the koil pongal for the first time, as per your recipe and it came out just perfect. Thanks a ton! Keep posting...

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  7. i done the second method its comes out very well thanks madam

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  8. Best ever ven Pongal recipe. Thanks a ton for this post madam :)

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  9. Hello i tried method 2.very nice.
    rice overcooked..because of 12 whistle..thanks

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  10. Hello I tried this recipe and it come out very well... Thank u so much for d recipe...

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  11. Pressure cooker 10 to 11 whistles in high flame or medium or sim?

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  12. Pressure cooking.. i usually do on a medium flame after 5 whistles.. Adding more water and 10 to 11 whistles of pressure cooking is to ensure that big rice particles are not visible and it is well smashed. however, if you like the Pongal to be very thick, reduce little water and no of whistles

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