Pongal & Puli Kajipu

 

As it goes without saying, Pongal is a very famous South-Indian breakfast staple dish, eaten particularly on the Makar Sankranti festival.

Puli Kajipu, literally means, Sour Curry in Tulu. This one is so sour that your eyes will be in a perennial half-blink as long as you are eating this, and complements the slightly bland taste of the Pongal well.

I know, we are no where closer to Pongal, but suddenly last week, I began to crave for Mom’s Pongal and Puli Kajipu, the best I’ve ever eaten. I called her up, and asked her for the recipe, which I replicated to the T, and had a sumptuous breakfast. :)

Turns out Pongal is very similar to the Khichdi, but Mom’s Pongal has a special ingredient … Jaiphal or Nutmeg, which when added while the Pongal is cooking gives out a very distinct aroma to the entire dish.

Recipes, straight from my Mom’s kitchen, flowing through the phone … :-)

Pongal

Ingredients [To serve 1]

Rice – 1/3 C [Soaked for at least 10 mins]
Moong dal – 1/3 C [Soaked for at least 10 mins]
Pepper corns – 4-5
Grated Nutmeg – 1 Tbsp
Turmeric – 1/2 tsp
Salt – To Taste
Oil – 1 tsp
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Water – 2 C [Typically, 3 times the quantity of the rice+dal mixture]

Instructions
In a pan, heat the oil. Once it heats up, add the cumin and mustard seeds.
After the spluttering of the seeds ends, add the turmeric, pepper corns, and grated nutmeg.

Add the water, salt and finally the rice.
At this point you can choose to either pressure cook this or simply cook this in the pan.

Remove from heat once the rice + dal mixture is thick, is not like a porridge, but like a slight mash.

Puli Kajipu

Ingredients

Tamarind paste – 2 Tbsp
Water – 1 C
Grated Jaggery – 2 Tbsp
Green chillies – 2 , cut in long pieces
Salt – To taste

For the tempering
Ghee – 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Hing (asafoetida) – 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves – 4-5

Instructions

Boil the tamarind paste, water, jaggery and chillies together till the liquid thickens to a string-pouring consistency. Add salt and remove from heat.

Prepare the tempering, and pour it on the curry.

Serve with Pongal, hot.