Peppery Rice & Lentil Pongal

📝 Ingredients

• 50 g long-grain rice
• 60 g red lentils
• 600 ml water (500 for cooking, 100 for adjusting)
• ½ tsp salt
• 20 g unsalted butter
• 20 g cashew nuts
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• ½ tsp black peppercorns
• 10 g fresh ginger (a 2 cm piece)
• 250 g plain whole-milk yoghurt (2 pots of 125 g)

🍴 Utensils

• Fine sieve
• Saucepan with lid
• Small frying pan
• Wooden spoon
• Cutting board and knife

📖 Steps

1. Rinse the rice and red lentils together in a fine sieve under cold water, rubbing them with your fingers, until the water runs almost clear. This removes surface starch and reduces foaming during cooking.
2. Put them in a saucepan with 500 ml water and the salt. Bring to the boil over a high heat, skim off the white foam that rises to the surface with a spoon, then reduce to a low heat and cover, leaving the lid slightly ajar.
3. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes and scraping the bottom well, as lentils stick quickly. Meanwhile, peel the ginger with the edge of a spoon, chop it very finely and roughly halve the cashews.
4. Crack the peppercorns by crushing them under the flat of a large knife, or in a mortar: you want pieces, not a powder. This freshly cracked pepper gives pongal its fragrant warmth, which heats the mouth without burning like chilli.
5. The pongal is ready when the rice has burst and the lentils have completely broken down. Mash it with the back of the spoon to get a soft, purée-like texture; if it's too thick, gradually add the remaining 100 ml water. Keep warm over a very low heat.
6. Melt the butter in a small frying pan over a medium heat. When it foams, toast the cashews in it for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring, until the butter smells nutty. Add the cumin, pepper and ginger and stir for 30 seconds, until the cumin sizzles, without letting the butter burn.
7. Immediately pour the flavoured butter and its toppings over the pongal, stir gently and taste to check the salt. The pongal should be creamy, glossy and full of cumin and pepper flavour.
8. Divide between two bowls and serve piping hot, with the plain yoghurt on the side or a big spoonful on top: its freshness balances the richness of the butter and the heat of the pepper.