Khara Pongal( moong dal Khichidi)

Pongal is one of the popular harvest festival of south india,mainly Tamil nadu.Pongal falls in the mid-January every year and marks the suspicious beginning of Uttarayan-Sun's journey northwards.This pongal festival lasts for four days,Bogi festival,surva pongal,mattu pongal and kannum pongal. On this day people prepare various dishes based on rice which is newly harvested on the 1st day of pongal which is known as bogi festival.So next 3 days people prepare various delicacies with this rice like venn pongal,chakkarai pongal( sweet rice),khara pongal and many more. 

                 This pongal is almost like North indian Khichidi.Which is prepared with a combination of rice and dal.

Ingredients:
Basmathi rice or Broken basmathi rice/akki nucchu- 1 cup
Moong dal-1cup
Pepper-1/2 tsp
Pepper  crushed-1/2 tsp
Green chilly-2 slit
Ginger crushed-1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp
Ghee/clarified butter/oil-1tbsp
Salt to taste
For seasoning;
Mustard-1/2  tsp
Cumin-1/2 tsp
Cashew nut-10( cut into 2)
Curry leaves-1spring
Ghee-1tbsp

Method:-

• Wash and soak dal and rice together .
• Now add 6 cups of water along with soaked rice and dal,ginger,peppercorns,crushed pepper,green chilles,turmeric powder,Ghee and salt to taste.Cover and cook for about 10 minutes or just take 2 whistle and switch off the gas.
• Allow it to cool for 10-15 minutes.Now open the lid and stir the cooked contents.Add hot water if necessary and adjust salt . The cooked dal and rice should be more on fluid side as it absorbs the water and becomes tough when cool.The spoon should move freely when mixing,its like almost dropping consistency.
• Now take a small pan and add some ghee and put in mustard,jeera, cashew nuts and curry leaves.Put this over the Pongal and serve hot.
• Add some ghee while serving