1 cup rice such as Jasmin rice or sona masuri rice. You need starchy glutinous rice, so don’t use Basmati rice
1 cup moong dal
2 tbsp ghee
1 inch ginger piece, finely chopped
1 green chili, cut in 4 pieces
6 cups water. Ven Pongal is supposed to be soft and hence more water than usual
1 tsp salt or to taste
For Tempering
1 tbsp ghee
1 1/2 tsp black pepper corns
2 tsp Cumin seeds
15-20 cashews, broken into pieces
1/2 tsp asafetida
15-20 curry leaves
Method:
Ven Pongal
Dry roast rice and dal over medium heat for a couple of minutes. Dal should not change its color. Once you feel the nice aroma of the dal turn off the heat and rinse it in water for a couple of times
Put instant pot in sauté mode. If using pressure cooker, put on medium heat
Melt ghee, add finely chopped ginger, green chili pieces and sauté for 30 seconds
Add the rice and dal, mix well and sauté for a minute
Then add water, salt and start cooking. If you are using Instant Pot, cook in a mode that cooks for 10 minutes under pressure. If using pressure cooker, cook for 4 whistles
When you are able to safely open, start preparing the tempering
Tempering
Put your tempering pan on medium heat
Melt ghee and roast cashews in it. Once the cashews turns golden, add pepper corns, cumin seeds, curry leaves, asafetida and mix for 30 seconds and then turn off the heat
Add the tempering to the pongal and mix well. Feel free to add more ghee at the end to get nicer aroma and taste!
Serve Ven pongal hot with chutney, sambar and vada!
1 cup little millet or any millet mix (we used Ancient Grains by ’24 mantra’ that is a mix of Foxtail millet, Little millet, Barnyard millet and Kodo millet)
1/2 cup moong dal
1 1/2 tsp salt or to taste
1 tbsp coriander powder
1 tsp red chili powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp garam masala
1 tbsp kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
3.5 cups water
Method:
Wash millets a couple times till the water is no longer very cloudy
Then soak them in 2 cups of water for an hour (and use the same water for cooking)
Similarly, wash moong daal a couple times till the water is no longer very cloudy and keep it aside
Put Instant Pot on sauté mode
Add oil / ghee and when hot, add cumin seeds
When cumin seeds start crackling, add grated ginger and sauté for 5-10 seconds
Add chopped onion, potato, beans, carrots and sauté for a couple of minutes
Add chopped tomatoes, spinach and sauté for a couple of minutes
Add salt, coriander powder, chili powder, turmeric powder, garam masala and kasoori methi and mix well
Add millets along with its water, moong beans, additional 1.2 cups of water and mix well
Put the lid and switch the Instant Pot to a mode that would cook for 15 minutes on high heat under pressure
After the cooking cycle is complete, let it cool till the lid can easily open without any force
Stir in ghee and chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with yogurt on the side
Eggplant, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds, 1 medium size
Onion, minced, 1 medium size
Allspice, 1 tsp
Cinnamon, 1/2 tsp
Nutmeg, 1/4 tsp
Black pepper, 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Tomato, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds, 2 large
Potatoes, peeled, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds, 2 large
Water or stock, well seasoned with salt, 2 cups
Rice, soaked 1/2 hour in water to cover, 1 1/2 cups
Pine nuts, 1/2 cup
Method:
Drain the rice and put aside
Gently roast the pine nuts and put aside
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté the eggplant slices on each side to lightly brown. Remove to a plate
Add more oil to the skillet if needed and sauté the onions until translucent. Add allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and pepper and sauté. Add water / stock and put aside
Grease a 3-quart heavy bottomed saucepan well with olive oil. Lay the tomato slices to cover the bottom of the saucepan. Sprinkle about 1/2 cup of the rice over the tomatoes. Lay the potato slices to cover the rice and sprinkle about 1/2 cup of rice over the potatoes. Lay eggplant slices to cover the rice and press down well to compact all the ingredients. Add the rest of the rice and the seasoned water or stock
Bring to a boil over medium-high flame, then quickly reduce heat to low, cover tightly and simmer for 30-35 minutes. Toward the end of the cooking time, check to see if more water needs to be added
Remove from heat and let rest for 15 minutes. Remove lid and invert a serving platter over the saucepan. Turn upside-down and carefully slip the saucepan off the rice
Use a big pan with a tight fitting lid instead of a pot for this recipe. Rinse rice with water and drain
In a pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium heat and toss in a clove of crushed garlic. Add rice into the pan and sauté until the rice become dry and grains are slightly translucent. This will take about 10 minutes. Pour the toasted rice in a bowl and keep aside
Using the same pan, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sauté the onions, garlic, bay leaf, and carrot for 2 minutes. Add the zucchini, peppers, tofu, and green beans and sauté for another 2 minutes
Add rice into the vegetable mixture, as well as all the spices. Stir until all is well combined. Add diced tomatoes and pour in the vegetable broth. Let the pan come to a slight simmer (about 7-8 minutes) and cover it with the lid. Let it cook under medium heat for 10 minutes
Open lid quickly, toss in your spinach, cover the lid again and then turn off the heat
Let the pan sit for another 15-20 minutes. Don’t not open the lid. This ensures that all moisture and flavor is absorbed completely into the rice. After 15-20 minutes, stir the rice and serve hot
Serves: 4
Remarks:
This recipe has been adapted by adding tofu. The tofu is frozen and then thawed to give a unique texture
You may substitute tofu with 1/2 cup chopped almonds. Vegetable broth gives a unique flavor to this recipe; do not substitute it with water
Wash and soak the moong dal and broken wheat for at least 15 minutes. Drain and keep aside in a large vessel that can accommodate all the ingredients and will fit in your pressure cooker
Prepare the tempering in a small pan by heating the ghee and adding the cinnamon, cloves, cumin seeds and asafetida and stirring for 30 seconds
Add tempering to the dal and broken wheat along with all the vegetables and other ingredients and stir for 4 to 5 minutes
Add 4 cups of water to it and pressure cook for 3-4 whistles
Allow the steam to escape and open the pressure cooker
Stir the khichdi vigorously, adding a little hot water if required so that the dal and the broken wheat mix well
2 tablespoons (or a bit more) canola, safflower, or olive oil
6 or 8 green onions (scallions) chopped finely
1/4 cup finely chopped bell pepper or 1 jalapeno pepper minced after removing seeds and veins
1 cup green beans, rinsed, trimmed, and cut into 1/4 pieces
1 cup carrots, rinsed and cut into sugar cube-size small pieces
2 1/4 cups boiling water with 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
3 whole cardamom pods
1 stick of cinnamon broken into small bits
3 whole cloves
2/3 cup white basmati rice, rinsed and thoroughly drained
2/3 cup quinoa or millet, rinsed and thoroughly drained
Juice of fresh lemon or lime
Fresh chopped cilantro for garnish
Method:
Prepare the vegetables as described
Heat the oil_ in a saucepan over medium heat and stir-fry the scallions and peppers for five minutes
Add the green beans and carrots and sauté for about three minutes
Remove the vegetables from the pot, transfer them to a bowl, and set them aside
In another saucepan, bring water and salt to a boil. Turn the heat down, and keep it simmering while preparing for the next step
In the same oily pot used for the vegetables, stir-fry the rice and quinoa for five minutes over low heat, adding just a little oil to moisten them
Add all the spices and vegetables and continue to stir-fry for two more minutes
Pour in the simmering salted water and stir to mix._ Raise the heat to medium and bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat and cook for 10 minutes. Uncover, and check the grains to see if they are done by pressing one or two between your fingers
Cover the pot again, remove it from the heat, and keep covered for five minutes. Sprinkle with lemon or lime juice and garnish with cilantro before serving
Serves: 4
Remarks:
If you cannot find quinoa in your area, substitute it with millet. Basmati rice and quinoa cook quickly and perfectly with the small pieces of beans and carrots.
