It is harvest time in India. A year of hard work has paid off in a golden harvest of rice. This is the rice that will keep the entire village fed for the next year. The paddy is harvested, hulled and stored with great care. And the entire village celebrates. So do the towns and big cities. It is Pongal time!

A time for abundance. A time when joy permeates. A time for celebration. A time to cook newly harvested rice with newly harvested sugar cane that has been made into jaggery – Pongal! The very word “Pongal” means to overflow in abundance.

In India, this is my favorite time of the year. The weather is cool’er’ and the urchins on the street are happier. The kids roll the old bicycle tire with a stick for entertainment and generally run around begging for bits of sugar cane to chew on. In return, they’ll run small errands for the teenage boys – pass the love note to the pretty girl next door with compliments from the “anna” (elder brother) who gave them the bit of sugar cane in exchange. The pretty girl takes the note, reads it, casts a sidelong glance and a shy smile at the pimpled teen boy while briskly shooing off the urchin to hide her embarrassment. Love is in the air! Joy is in the air. And Pongal is upon us.

This year, I decided to make Pongal with brown rice. I am guessing that in the ancient days they used to make Pongal with brown rice before the rich made it fashionable to eat refined white rice. My husband and I love the texture of brown rice. It certainly doesn’t hurt that it is an unrefined carbohydrate and known to be better for health than eating white rice. All in all, it is a happy addiction.

Here is my recipe – shout “Pongalo Pongal” as you make this, so the Gods shower you and your family with wealth, prosperity and good health.

Here is what you need:
1/3 cup split yellow moong dal
2/3 cup brown rice
1 1/2 cups powdered jaggery (available at any self-respecting Indian grocery store)
2 1/2 + 1 cup water
1/2 cup whole milk or 2% milk

To garnish:
3 tbsp butter
25 cashews chopped
25 golden raisins
1 tsp cardamom powder

Here is how you make this:

Heat a pan on medium to low heat and toast the moong dal until light brown and aromatic. Remove from stove and now toast the rice for about 5 minutes on a low setting. Remove from stove. Place the rice and dal together in a dish. Add 2 1/2 cups water and bring to a boil or pressure cook. Cook until tender and set aside.

In another pan, place the jaggery and 1 cup water and bring to a roiling boil until the jaggery melts and become syrupy. Now add the cooked rice and moong dal and 1/2 cup milk. Simmer.

Heat butter in a pan until melted and bring it to a boil. Now take off the stove and cool a bit for about 5 minutes. Place it back on the stove on medium heat and add the chopped cashews. Fry until golden brown. Remove from the pan with a slotted ladle. Now add the golden raisins in the same melted butter and fry for just about 20-30 seconds until they puff up. Remove the pan and pour the melted butter and golden raisins on the simmered Pongal.

Add the powdered cardamom and mix well. Garnish with fried cashews.

Now that the world seems to be upside down and we are all focused on the economy, it seems to be a fantastic time to talk about abundance, so we can put the economic crisis behind us. Like the author of The Secret tells us, we get what we focus on, so let’s all focus on PONGAL!

Pongal is also the name of the dish that is made on Pongal day. Traditionally, it is made sweetened with jaggery (molasses) and eaten as a dessert. But, there is a breakfast version of this dish that I am now going to share. The sweet version of pongal is called “Chakkarai pongal” or sweet pongal – duh! The breakfast version, is called “Venn pongal” or white pongal and it is usually made with white rice.

Ever since my foray into the unrefined carbohydrate world, I have looked to see where I could substitute brown rice for white and this experiment of changing “Venn pongal” to Brown rice Venn pongal has been a great success with my family!

Try it – it is simple to make, easy on the stomach, has the right mix of unrefined carbs and protein (from the lentils) and the touch of ginger turns this simple dish into a delicious, aromatic, epicurean delight.

Here’s what you will need:

2/3 cup brown rice
1/3 cup yellow split moong lentils (the ones with the peel removed)
1 1/2 – 2 cups water
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 pinch asofoetida powder (optional)
1 tsp salt
2 dry red chili (broken into smaller pieces)
3 tsp chopped ginger
4 tsp or less cashews (chopped)
1 1/2 tsp Olive oil

To make:

Heat a pan and dry roast the yellow moong lentils until they become aromatic – for about 3-4 minutes. Stir constantly to ensure the lentils do not burn. Remove from fire. Now add the brown rice and dry roast – another 3-4 minutes. Remove from fire.

Mix in the rice and lentils. Add the water (I have provided 2 different ratios for water- add 1 1/2 cups if you like the rice dry and the grains firm, or add 2 cups water if you like the pongal mushy). Cook until all the water is absorbed. Set aside.

In a pan, heat oil. Add the chopped cashews and fry until golden brown. Remove from fire and set aside. Now add the cumin seeds into the same warm oil and stir fry until golden brown. Add the red chili and fry a minute more. Now add the asofoetida powder and immediately add the chopped ginger. Saute for another minute. Now add the cooked rice lentil mixture and salt and mix thoroughly.

Remove and garnish with fried cashews.
Serve hot with Red pepper gotsu or Peanut chutney.
Serves 2.