Equipment:

• Small frying pan for frying cashews(optional)
• Pressure Cooker / Big Pot with Lid

Ingredients:

• Rice                          – 1  1/2 cups
• Moong Daal                    – 1 cup
• Ghee(clarified butter)   – 2 tablespoons
• Cumin Seeds(Jeera)       – 1 teaspoon
• Black Pepper                  – 1 teaspoon
• Salt                          – 1 teaspoon
• Cashews(halved)            – 1/2 cup
• Water                         – 7 cups

• Milk(optional)                – 2 cups
• Asafoetida(optional)       – 1 pinch
• Curry leaves(optional)   – 5 or 6 leaves

Preparation:

1. In a big pot or pressure cooker, heat 1 tsp ghee; Roast Moong Daal to golden color. Remove and keep aside
2. Add cashews to the same ghee and roast them (until slightly golden in color) and keep aside(Or, optionally, you can roast the cashews in a small pan). Also you can add a pinch of asafoetida to this ghee(good for digestion) along with curry leaves
3. In the big pot, heat 1 tablespoon of ghee , add cumin seeds, black pepper and heat for 1–2 minutes
4. Pour in Moong Daal from step 1,  rice and add water and salt to this
5. Stir in once and place the lid and cook on Medium high heat for approximately 12 minutes. When the water is almost completely evaporated(or pressure cooker gives out 3 whistles), remove the lid and mix(in case of pressure cooker, you can switch of the stove)
6. Replace the lid partially for the steam to escape
7. Add cashew nuts and ghee from step 2
8. The Katte pongali (khara pongal) is ready