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225g basmati rice
150g skinless mung beans (mung dhal)
50g ghee or unsalted butter
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
2.5cm piece root ginger, grated or
minced
15-20 curry leaves
1½ teaspoons salt
50g raw cashews, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander
leaves
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Method:
Wash the rice and the mung beans in
several changes of water and soak them, separately, for approximately
20 minutes. Drain thoroughly. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the
ghee or butter and heat the remainder in a heavy-based saucepan over a
low heat. Add the cumin seeds and the black peppercorns.
Fry them for 15-20 seconds and add the ginger followed by the curry
leaves. Fry them for 25-30 seconds. Add the rice and the
beans, raise the heat slightly and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add
the salt and pour in 700ml hot water. Bring to the boil, reduce
the heat to very low and cover the pan tightly. Cook for 10
minutes and switch off the heat source. Leave the pan
undisturbed for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the reserved ghee or
butter in a small pan over a low heat and fry the cashews until they
are lightly browned. Using a metal spoon, transfer the rice onto
a serving plate. Spread the chopped coriander leaves evenly on
top followed by the fried cashews along with the ghee or butter in
which they were fried. Serve with a vegetable, meat, poultry or
fish curry. This delicious and easy-to-cook dish is known as Ven
Pongal. It is made to celebrate New Year and the harvest
festival as they coincide in January. The mung beans used are
the skinless variety which you can buy in Indian stores. They
cook very quickly and really complement the delicate grains of basmati
rice. Traditionally ghee is used which gives the dish its
distinctive taste. Alternatively, unsalted butter can be used,
but take care not to burn it. 2-3 tablespoons sunflower oil can
also be used if you want to avoid saturated fat.
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