Ven Pongal!!!

Ingredients:

• Raw rice - 1 cup
• Moong dal - 1/2 cup
• Ginger(Finely chopped) - 1 tsp
• Black peppercorns - 1 tbsp
• Cumin seeds - 1 tbsp
• Ghee - 3 tablespoons
• Roasted cashewnuts - 12
• Curry leaves - 2 sticks for seasoning.
• Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
• Water -5 cups
• Salt to taste

Preparation :

Wash rice and moong dal and rinse completely. Cook the rice and moong dal with 5 cups of water and salt in the Rice cooker. (Pressure cooker needs 3 to 4 more whistles)

Transfer the cooked rice into a serving bowl. Heat ghee in a small pan, add peppercorns, cumin seeds, asafoetida, curry leaves and cashewnuts. Pour this into cooked rice and mix well. Ven Pongal is ready to taste. Serve with sambar and or Coconut chutney.














Memories :

             Villages are Lovely , Clean and Comforting. But sometimes, it can be little...little more thrilling. The Schools were closed for the Pongal. All of the cousins and their parents gathered at grandma’s house to celebrate and enjoy the holidays. Spending a few days of our holidays with them was a very high point for us. We were amazingly fortunate to have all the families geographically close by. It was a time like that, where hundreds of people gathered in the village, and Bull Race(Jallikattu) was the predominant act to watch. The bulls will race through the looooooooong street. people can watch through upstairs porch (machu veedu)...lot of amazing memories .

            Our grandma was very strict but loving , yet get-together’s were so important for her. It was a evening time, and everyone (cousins and parents) used to spend their time - sitting and talking on her front porch(thinnai). Grandma enjoyed doing something around the house because she couldn’t stand inactivity. While she was preparing the evening snack and tea for the 20+ people(!),.. she then noticed that she wanted someone to get milk from her mother’s(!) house. By her order, One of cousin and me made our way to great grandmother’s (we were the 99-100th great grandkids for her)house”. We started walking on the streets, suddenly some were shouting, and cousin was yelling run, run, run.... no more words just ran. Though it was not the time for Bull Race, when we heard the sound of the bull bells, the fear really kicks in. We both were running like anything, took the short cut and reached in front of our great grandma’s house, but the house was locked inside. *Her house was huge, an estate which always fascinated me in lot of ways. It was old- fashioned, ultimate place to play hide - and - seek and some stufts that we always have to be careful around. There were even couple of rooms where we aren’t even allowed to be in without permission.

             No Idea to act fast, if we knock , she will scold(we should not disturb her sleeping) or if we go back …. no chance. Just we peeked inside, a complete silence. Suddenly, as she was working on her garden, she noticed us and opened the door but both of our heart were thumping and mouth was total dry. We didn’t get back to our grandma’s house at time, Imagine what could have happend? scoldings...! Don't ever ask?!. It was the most magical and thrilling experience.

I actually have a dream that all of great grandmother’s kids and her generation should come to her place again and have a great re union party.