Tamarind Pongal

By Chef Jasmine Dsouza

From Namaste Breakfast

Prep: 30 minutes

Cook: 30 minutes

Method: Easy

Course: Rice

Type: South Indian

Key Ingredients:

South Indian style khichdi with tamarind gives it a perfect tang.

Short History: ‘Pongal’ is a traditional harvest festival of Tamil Nadu, India and also the name of a dish made on the occasion. ‘Pongal’ means ‘to boil or overflow’ and symbolises prosperity or abundance. Pongal is an important festival for Tamilian diaspora in Sri Lanka and in other locations Malaysia, South. Speaking of the dish Pongal, it is a preparation of freshly harvested rice and milk with jaggery. Pongal can also include cashews, raisins, split green gram, coconut, and ghee (clarified butter). The savoury version of a Pongal is called Ven Pongal. It is made from rice and lentils and the Tamarind Pongal is one such variation of the Ven Pongal..

What is Tamarind Pongal: Pongal is primarily a sweet preparation of rice, milk and jaggery made on the day of celebration of the harvest festival also called Pongal. The sweet Pongal is prepared to honour the Sun God, thank Mother Nature and to mark the end of the Winter Solstice. As for the Tamarind Pongal, it is a savoury version of a Pongal. It is a traditional breakfast dish in Tamilian homes and some parts of South India too..

Top ways to prepare: There are two ways of making Pongal in an earthen pot on a wood/charcoal fire. First, when cooking Tamarind Pongal in an earthen pot, heat the pot and add water, tamarind pulp, salt and rice and lentils. Let it boil. For the tempering, heat some ghee and saute the dry spices and curry leaves. Add this to the rice-lentil mixture. Also, saute the cashews and add them to the mixture, keeping some aside for the garnish. When done, serve hot garnished with roasted cashews. Alternatively, when cooking the Tamarind Pongal in the pot, you can make the tempering first and add the roasted red chilli, coriander powders and tamarind pulp. Add water and let it boil. Put rice and lentils and let it cook. Garnish the Tamarind Pongal with roasted cashews and serve hot..

Cooking Tips: When cooking the Tamarind Pongal in an earthen pot, keep the heat medium. Put some water in a thali and place it on top of the pot so that the Tamarind Pongal does not burn. Stir the Tamarind Pongal occasionally to check if the rice has stuck to the base of the pot..

Health Tips:

Tamarind Pongal is a nutritious dish loaded with proteins and fibres.

Ingredients

Tamarind pulp 3 tbsps
Rice, soaked and drained 1½ cups
Split green gram with skin (chilkewali moong dal), soaked and drained 1 cup
Asafoetida 1 pinch
Ginger, grated 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Ghee 4 tbsps
Mustard seeds 1 tsp
Cumin seeds 1 tsp
Black peppercorns 1 tsp
Curry leaves 7 to 8
Cashewnuts, halved 6 to 7
Dried red chillies, roasted and powdered 3
Coriander seeds, roasted and powdered 1 tsp
Cashewnuts, roasted to garnish

Methods

Put the rice in a pressure cooker, add split green gram, asafoetida, ginger, salt and 5 cups water, put the lid on and cook under pressure till 2-3 whistles are given out.
Heat 2 tbsps ghee in a tempering pan, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, peppercorns and curry leaves and let the seeds splutter. Add this tempering to the rice-gram mixture in the cooker and mix well.
Heat 2 tbsps ghee in the tempering pan, add cashewnuts and fry till golden. Add to the cooker and mix well.
Transfer this mixture into a deep non-stick pan. Add roasted red chilli powder and roasted coriander powder and mix well. Add tamarind pulp and mix well.
Transfer into a serving bowl, garnish with roasted cashewnuts and serve hot.