Ven Pongal and Gosthu :South Indian comfort food


Warm and Velvety rice-lentils(Ven Pongal) served with hot spiced-up lentils veggie gravy(Gosthu)is Classic taste of South Indian comfort food.Folks down south ,love their food spicy and hot;rice and lentils are consumed almost 3 meals a days.The piquant sambar powder is well-stocked spice in every household,used to flavor the tangy tamarind and lentil based soups like Sambar and Rasam.With heavy duty grinder missing in my kitchen I use the store-bought sambhar powder,but nothing beats the taste amd aroma of fresh home made sambar powder.
Suganya's Ven Pongal with Gosthu is typically served for breakfast or brunch.This is my third delectable recipe tried and tasted from Tasty Palettes.Glad to be sending this over to the host of T&T this month,sweatha of Tasty curry leaf.

Ven Pongal

(serves 2)
Ingredients
1/2 cup White Rice
1/2 cup Yellow Mung dal
1 teaspoon fresh ginger,finely chopped
1 teaspoon Peppercorns
1/2 a teaspoon each of cumin and mustard seeds
2-3 dry red chillies
6-8 curry leaves
1 tablespoon vegetable oil or extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt.

Method
Wash and soak the rice & lentil for 5-10 minutes. Drain the water,transfer in a pressure cooker or small saucepan with lid.Add 3 cups of water ,season with salt and Cover,let cook on medium-high heat for about 10-12 minutes in pressure cooker and 45-50 minutes in the saucepan until soft and mushy.
Prepare the tempering by heating the oil in a small pan,add the chillies,seeds,curry leaves ,ginger and pepper corns.saute for a minute,then mix in the cooked rice-lentil mixture.add a little hot water if needed.Serve hot with gosthu or any chutney

Gosthu

Ingredients
(serves 2)
1/4 cup Yellow Mung Dal
2 cups Mixed vegetables Eggplants,carrot,cauliflower,squash or any other you like,cut in chunks
1/2 a medium Onion, sliced
1 medium plum Tomato ,chopped
1 cup tamarind water,soak about a tablespoon of tamarind in warm water for few minutes,strain out the pulp. or use 1 teaspoon of tamarind paste and mix in a cup of water.
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 a teaspoon each of cumin and mustard seeds
2 tablespoon Cilantro,chopped
1 tablespoon Vegetable Oil or Extra virgin Olive oil
1/2 a teaspoon Salt
1 tablespoon Sambar powder(roasted and ground coriander seeds,red chillies and Chana lentil)
Method
Wash and soak the lentil for 5-10 minutes. Drain the water,transfer in a pressure cooker or small saucepan with lid.Add 1 cups of water ,season with salt and Cover,let cook on medium-high heat for about 10-12 minutes in pressure cooker and 45-50 minutes in the saucepan until soft.When cooked mash or blend it to smooth paste.
To prepare the gravy heat oil on medium heat in a medium saucepan ,add the mustard seeds,onions and curry leaves. saute for 2-3 minutes,then add the tomatoes and turmeric.Cook another 2 minutes before stirring in the tamarind water and sambar powder and vegetables.cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes until veggies are tender.Finally add the cooked lentil paste and simmer 5 more minutes before turning off the heat. Serve hot with rice ,idli,dosa or gosthu.

Comments

gothsu is best with pongal. inseparable pair :) now ur pics tempt me and make me hungry :(
Varsha Vipins said…
wow..This is so tempting Yasmeen..that Gosthu is just yum with all those veggies..:) I am hungryyy..:(
Sara said…
This looks like great comfort food, I love all those spices.
Dori said…
This looks really healthy... I have to bookmark this!
Sanghi said…
My favourite breakfast..! your's is perfect combo dear:)
s dear its very comfort and good combo... i have emptied yr plate with my eyes itself... (wat to do cant with mouth rihgt he he he)
Indhu said…
lovely recipe... the picture is soo tempting...
Ashwini said…
Wow Comfort food..Looks so tempting..Love gosthu with all the veggies..yummm
Cham said…
Gotsu and pongal are simply delectable! My fav breakfast! Great choice :)
Raks said…
Indeed its a comfort food,I always do it once a month on a lazy weekend:)
Sunshinemom said…
My sister is the gothsu fan! I prefer venn pongal with coconut chutney:) It is truly comfort food!
Priya Suresh said…
Thats a tempting platter Yasmeen, i love pongal n gosthu together...ur pictures makes me hungry!
sangeeta said…
i love khichdi.....this combo is new for me.....
Finla said…
For use it is indeed a comforting plate of food.
FH said…
I made the same too for her, was so yummy. Great choice! :)
Anonymous said…
Truly a comfort yasmeen..loved the spread
Preety said…
you bet this is real comfort food
Poornima Nair said…
This is indeed comfort food...looks so yumm, just pass me that dish.
Deepthi Shankar said…
nice combo .. its truly a comfort food
Chef Jeena said…
What a delicious and healthy treat. I love south Indian cuisine it is soooooo good!
Lavanya said…
lovely combo..tempting enough to make this..nice pics!!
Manju said…
now, THIS is my kind of comfort food!!
Gita Jaishankar said…
This is my absolute comfort food with medhu vadas, nice picture Yasmeen. Now I have to make pongal for breakfast as soon as I can :)
Sum Raj said…
this is so tmepting..i love this type of breakfast but wht can i do a bit lazy to prepare in morning..so i will prepare for dinner..
Malar Gandhi said…
Yasmeen, its a real twist to see ven pongal and gotsu from you, dear. Yeah its a great comfort in Tamil Nadu. Though its a breakfast meal...I prefer to eat for dinner!! The plate is so inviting, lovely!!
CurryLeaf said…
Wholesome dish I too prefer it at lunch .Thanks for the hearty entry.
Unknown said…
Comfort food Indeed!
Vikis Kitchen said…
somehow I missed to this post. Very authentic and looks delicious . Nice combo. I can have it any time, simple but yummy dish.
Reicpe man said…
looks great i like to put abit more spice to give an extra bite

thanks
Anu said…
Ven pongal looks yummy. Gosthu looks very inviting :)

I am Anu from My Scrawls. I have posted my version of Ven pongal in my blog. Do visit my blog in ur free time. Would be happy to receive ur comments :)
Suganya said…
I have never used cauliflower in gosthu. Wonder why? :). Pongal is more of a brunch thing (which happens to be at lunch time in my household). Hope you liked it :)

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