Methi Matar Pongal / Vegetable Pongal

Every January, we celebrate the harvest festival Pongal. The name is derived from the fact that the dish pongal is cooked in the morning and offered as naivedyam to the gods thanking them for the harvest.

A hot bowl of delicious pongal is perfect for any time. It is an easy one pot meal that I

crave for especially on cold snowy mornings when I feel lethargic to get up.

Ingredients

Rice - 1 cup

Moong dal - 1/2 cup

Mustard powder - 1/2 tsp

Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp

Curry leaves - 5

Green chillies - 4

Whole Peppercorns - 8-10

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Methi leaves - 2 cup

Green peas - 1/2 cup

Carrot - 1/4 cup (optional)

Beans - 1/4 cup (optional)

Water - 4 1/2 cups

Butter/Ghee

Salt

Steps

1. Heat some butter/ghee in a pressure cooker. Fry the moong dal till it turns golden brown and the raw smell goes away. Now add the vegetables and fry for a minute. Add all the spices and mix well.

2. Now add the water and pressure cook for 1 or 2 whistles.

3. Add a dollop of butter/ghee on top before serving.

Serving ideas

Serve with some fresh peanut or coconut chutney. Peanut-onion rasam also goes very well with it.

Meal Today: Methi Matar pongal with peanut chutney

Tips

Rice:Water is 4:1 for good pongal that is not too watery and not too firm. If you add a lot of vegetables, add an extra half cup of water.

You can try out a masala pongal using the same spices as that of biryani.