Preparation time: 10 min
Cooking time: 45 min
Serves: 3

Ingredients: (measuring cup used = 240ml)

1. 3/4 cup raw rice (1/2 cup for khara + 1/4 cup for sweet)
2. 3/4 cup green gram dal or mung dal (1/2 cup for khara + 1/4 cup for sweet)

Ingredients for khara pongal: (measuring cup used = 240ml)

1. 2 tbsp ghee
2. 1/2 tsp mustard seeds (optional)
3. 1/2 tsp jeera or cumin seeds
4. 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
5. A big pinch of asafoetida
6. 1/2 tsp crushed pepper
7. 8 - 10 cashews
8. 1-2 green chili
9. 1 tsp finely chopped ginger
10. 8 - 10 curry leaves
11. 1/4 cup grated coconut
12. Salt as per your taste

Ingredients for sweet pongal: (measuring cup used = 240ml)

1. 4 tbsp ghee
2. 1/2 cup jaggery
3. 1/4 cup grated coconut
4. 8 - 10 cashews
5. 8 - 10 raisins
6. A pinch of salt
7. A pinch of cardamom powder

Instructions for making Karnataka style khara pongal:

1. Slightly roast mung dal or green gram dal until you get a nice aroma out of it. Do not over roast it, roast only for few minutes.
2. In a pressure cooker take rice and roasted mung dal. Rinse them well for couple of times.
3. Add 4 - 5 cups of water and cook by making 2 whistles. Make sure that the dal and rice are slightly overcooked.
4. Now chop the ginger, crush the pepper, grate coconut, break cashews and keep all other ingredients ready and handy. Then heat ghee in a big frying pan and add in cumin seeds.
5. When cumin seed splutters add in broken cashews, crushed pepper, turmeric powder and asafoetida. Saute it for a while. Then add in chopped ginger, slit green chilies and curry leaves. Fry for few seconds.
6. Add in grated coconut, mix well and switch off the stove.
7. Now add 2/3rd portion of cooked dal and rice mixture to the same frying pan (remaining 1/3rd portion for sweet pongal). Add enough water (approximately 2 cups).
8. Add in salt and bring to boil. Karnataka style khara pongal will be thin like bisi bele bath. Serve it hot along with sweet pongal.

Instructions for making Karnataka style sweet pongal:

1. Take a small vessel, add in jaggery, 1/2 cup of water and bring it to boil. Wait till the jaggery dissolves and switch off the stove.
2. Take another frying pan and add remaining 1/3rd portion of cooked daal and rice mixture. Add in jaggery syrup by filtering it using a strainer.
3. Add in a pinch of salt, grated coconut, mix well and bring it to boil. Reduce the flame and continue boiling.
4. Parallely heat ghee in a small frying pan. Fry cashews and raisins. Pour this to the boiling sweet pongal, add in cardamom powder and switch off the stove. Serve sweet pongal with khara pongal.

Dear reader, We have a brief Kannada description of this recipe. Click here to read this recipe in Kannada.