Diet Pongal (khichdi)-from mom with love

There are some recipes which remain close to your heart because they are passed down from your mother. This is one of those recipes. Preparing such dishes reminds us of the time when we relished our mom’s cooking and now when we try to cook them it's nowhere close to what she does and it never can be :(

Most of us have those days when we want to spend as little time as possible in the kitchen or are lazy to cook an elaborate meal. This recipe holds good for that moment. This pongal/khichdi is an uncomplicated one pot meal (so lesser dishes for your dishwasher:)), it is healthy (www.livestrong.com/article/256333-what-are-the-benefits-of-bulgur-wheat/;google and see the benefits of bulgur wheat) and can be cooked quickly.

Prep time- 5 min, cooking time-10 min

Ingredients

Bulgur wheat- 1 cup

Moong dal* - ½ cup

Black pepper- 1 tbsp (mix whole and powdered)

Jeera*- 1 tsp

Green chillies- 2

Ginger- 1 tbsp

Curry leaves- one sprig

Broken Cashew nuts- 4-6

Ghee or oil- 2 tbsp

Salt to taste

Method:

1.    In a pressure pan heat oil/ghee. Fry the cashews until they are golden brown and keep aside. Then add jeera, pepper, green chillies, and ginger.Saute for a few mins. Add curry leaves.

2.    Add washed moong dal and bulgur wheat and roast a little.

3.    Then add 4-5 cups of water (ratio of water:bulgur wheat 5:1). Add salt and pressure cook for 4-5 whistles. Add ghee and the cashews and serve hot.

It can be accompanied with coconut chutney or tomato ghotsu (chutney of sorts-we will share this recipe in our chutneys special shortly).

Serve hot on a cold wintery day and you’ll enjoy it. So whether you are nostalgic about your mother’s cooking or you are cooking to make memories for your own kids, try this recipe and you’ll not regret it.

 

Tips:

*The quantity water and number of whistles can vary depending on the quality of the wheat. So try it once and see what works best for you.

 *You can use rice instead of bulgur wheat but it is not as healthy as wheat. Bulgur also called dalia in the northern part of India is frequently used in Middle Eastern cuisine.You can find it in turkish section of your local supermarkets.

Note: Avoid bulgur wheat if you are gluten-intolerant.

Bon apetite!!

 

Glossary:

Moong dal- Green gram (English), Pesar pappu (telugu), Paasi paruppu (tamil).

Jeera-Cumin seeds (English), Jeelakarra (telugu), jeeragam (tamil).