Pongal Kulambu

PONGAL KUZHAMBU: Ingredients: Lentils-1 cup Tamarind- a small orange size Boiled rice-1 handful Raw rice-1 tbsp Peppercorns-1 sp Cumin seeds- 1 tsp Fennel seeds-2 sp Chopped tomatoes-1 cup Avaraikkai- a handful [cut into halves] Red pumpkin- a handfuls [cut into 1” pieces] Sweet potato- 2 handfuls [cut into cubes] Eggplant- 1 handful [cut into medium pieces] Raw banana-2 [cut into cubes] Green mochaikkai-2 cups Turmeric powder-1sp Chilli powder-2tbsp Coriander powder-1 tbsp Shredded coconut- 1 cup Curry leaves- a handful Chopped coriander leaves-a handful Salt to tatse Method: Cook the lentils in a cooker. Soak the tamarind in warm water and then extract the juice after ½ hour. Dry roast the boiled rice, raw

rice, cumin seeds, peppercorns and aniseeds to a nice brown colourand powder them finely. Add the chopped tomatoes, avaraikkai, red pumpkin pieces, sweet potatoes pieces, eggplant pieces, raw banana cubes and the mochaikkai in a cooking vessel and add enough water to cover it. Cook them with enough salt the turmeric powder. When the vegetables are half done, add the tamarind juice, the chilli powder and the coriander powder. After cooking them for some minutes add the dhal and again cook for a few minutes. Now add the powder, the greens and the shredded coconut. Cook under slow fire for 5 minutes.