Ven Pongal

Ingredients

Raw rice - 1 cup
Green gram dal - 3/4 cup
Asaefoetida - a pinch
Salt - to taste
Ginger - 1" piece (grated)
Water - 5 cups

For tempering
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Whole black pepper - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 6-7
Ghee - 2-3 tblsp 
Cashew nuts - 6-7 

Method
1. Soak the rice and dal in 5 cups of water for minimum of 10 minutes.
2. Add required salt, grated ginger and asaefoetida to this mixture and pressure cook 
for 3-4 whistles. (1-2 whistles more than making regular rice)
3. Heat ghee in a small pan, splatter cumin seeds, black pepper, curry leaves.
4. Add this to the cooked rice dal mixture after the pressure is released.
5. Fry the cashews in some ghee and add that too.
6. Mix everything together even when it is still hot. The rice and dal should be partly mashed up.
7. Serve piping hot with sambhar, coconut chutney and vadai.

Some people also have pongal with Gojju.