Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup – raw Rice
• 1/4 cup – moong dal
• 1 cup – Spinach
• 3.75 cups – water
• 1/2 tsp – cooking oil
• 2 pinches – Turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp – salt
• For the seasoning:
• 1 tbsp – Ghee
• 2 tsp -jeera
• 1 sprig – Curry leaves
• 1 – green chilli, slit lengthwise
• 1/2-inch piece – ginger, finely chopped
• 1 tsp – peppercorns
• 2 tsp – cashew nut, splits
• 2 pinches – Hing ( Asafoetida ), optional

Method:

1. Wash, clean and chop the spinach into fine pieces.
2. Wash and clean the dal and rice. Do not soak rice and dal in water.
3. Mix the rice, moong dal, chopped spinach, turmeric powder, oil and salt together and cook in a pressure cooker.
4. After the 3rd whistle, reduce the heat from high to low and cook again for 5 minutes.
5. Let the cooker cool.
6. The rice, spinach and dal mixture will be thick and there won’t be any trace of water.
7. For the seasoning:
8. In a pan, heat ghee.
9. Add cumin seeds and saute for a few seconds.
10. Add slit green chillies, chopped ginger, curry leaves, peppercorns, split cashew nuts and hing to it.
11. Fry on low heat for 5 – 8 minutes or till the cashew nut turns golden in color.
12. Pour this seasoning over the pongal and mix it well.
13. Serve hot with sambar, vada and filter coffee.
14. Recipe Courtesy: Niya Prakash’s World