PONGAL - VADAICURRY

Pongal :
Wash 1 cup raw rice and 1/2 cup mung dal. Add 2 1/2 cups water, salt, a pinch of cumin seeds and cook in pressure cooker for 1 whistle. Then reduce flame & cook for a further 10mins. Remove from stove, add 1/2 tsp. asafoetida powder, mix well and set aside. Heat 1 tsp. oil and 2 tsp. ghee in a pan, and splutter 1tsp. cumin seeds, 2 tsp. pepper corns, 1 small piece of giner [finely grated], 5 cashewnuts broken and a few curry leaves. Add this seasoning to the cooked rice, mix well and serve hot.

Vadaicurry:
Grind together 1 small piece ginger, 8 garlic, 1tsp. fennel seeds, 3 red chilly, 1 piece cinnamon, 1 clove and 1 cardamom to make a thick paste. Soak 1 cup chana dal for 1 hour and grind to a coarse paste, adding as little water as possible. To this dal paste, add 1 Tbsp. of the ground masala paste, required salt and mix well. Make small vadais and fry in hot oil. Keep aside. In a pan, heat some oil and saute 2 chopped onions till brown. Then add 2 chopped tomatoes, the ground masala paste, 1tsp.each of chilli powder & coriander powder, 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder and saute well. Then add 1 cup of coconut milk and bring to a boil. Break up the fried vadais into bite-size pieces, add to the gravy, mix well & taste for salt. Add little water if gravy is too thick, bring back to the boil , switch off stove. Serve hot with pongal.