Arikela Pongali (varagarisi Pongal)

All about millets this is my theme for this week. Millets are one of the oldest food, but now we totally for get about them. Now a days they are geting popular because  they are highly nutritious. Millets release very less percentage of glucose so they are good for diabetic people. Not only for diabetic people they are good for every one because Millets are rich in iron, magnesium, potassium and calcium. so start including Millets in your diet.
                                                                  I have started including Millets in my every day meal. In the bigining it was little diffecult to have millets in the place of rice. So first I use to cook them two times a week. Gradualy I increased cooking them for five days a week.
                                                           There are many kinds of millets like Arikelu (kodo millet, varagu arisi), Samalu ( little millet, samai), Jonnalu (sorghum, cholam), Sajjalu (pearl millet, kambu) and many more like this. I have chosen Kodo millet(arikelu) for my today recipe.
                                               Arikelu is well known as kodo millet in English, varagu arisi in Tamil, kodra in Hindi. This millet looks like foxtail millet, but little larger then foxtail millet. Kodo millet has a nice flavor, the seeds keep their shape after cooking also. You can cook this like white rice or you can make this with different flavors like coconut rice, lemon rice, you can soak them for over night and mix with urad dal and make dosa and many more recipes like this. Now check out today recipe......
INGREDIENTS:---
Arikelu (varagu arisi) ---  1 cup
Pesarapappu (pasiparuppu, moong dal)   ---  1/2 cup
Ghee   ----   1 tab sp
Black pepper, cumin powder  ----   2 tea sp ( dry roast pepper and cumin and make a coarse powder)
Water    -----     5 cup
Ginger   ----   1/2 tea sp finenly chopped
Ghee   ----  2 tea sp
Black pepper corns  ---- 1/4 tea sp
Urad dal   ----  1 tea sp
Cumin seeds    ----  1/2 tea sp
Asafoetida  --- a big pinch
Curry leaves   ----   1 spring
Milk   -----  1/2 cup
Salt to taste
METHOD:---
1. Wash and soak Arikelu in five cups of water for half an hour.
2. Dry roast moong dal for few minutes and add this fried dal to Arikelu.
3. Add milk, pepper and cumin powder, salt, chopped ginger pieces mix well, cover with lid and pressure cook for 3 to 4 whistles in a pressure cooker.
4. After 3 to 4 whistles switch off the heat and let it cool
5. Open the pressure cooker add 1 tab sp ghee mix well.
6. Now heat 1 tea sp ghee add urad dal, black pepper corns, cumin seeds fry for a while then add asafoetida, curry leaves fry for a second and add this to Arikelu pongali mix well.
Serve hot with coconut chutney, Allam pachadi (ginger chutney), Gojju.
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