Fittingly named, huggi is the ultimate comfort food.
You definitely feel like you’re being hugged when
eating it. Similar rice and lentil dishes exist throughout
India, and are known by different names. This
rice dish is also known as pongal in South India and
is often served during the Hindu harvest festival of
Sankranthi. There are spicy and sweet versions. You
can make the sweet version by omitting the black
pepper, cumin, asafetida, and ginger and adding
sugar, golden raisins, and ground cardamom.
Serves four.
30
INGREDIENTS
1 cup basmati rice, preferably Dehraduni, or jasmine rice
⅓ cup moong dal or red lentils
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
4 tablespoons plus ½ teaspoon ghee or unsalted butter
1 teaspoon peeled, grated fresh ginger
2 tablespoons cashews, broken into large pieces
1 teaspoon cumin seeds or ground cumin
½ teaspoon whole black peppercorns or freshly ground
black pepper
1¼ teaspoons salt
¼ cup dried unsweetened shredded coconut
Big pinch of asafetida (hing) powder
DIRECTIONS
Wash the rice in several changes of water until the
water runs clear. Soak the rice in water, generously
covered, for at least 30 minutes. (This is optional
but results in softer, more evenly cooked rice.) Drain
thoroughly using a fine-mesh sieve.
In a soup pot, dry-roast and stir the lentils continuously
over medium heat until they are golden brown
and have a nutty aroma, 2 to 3 minutes. (This step is
optional but reduces the stickiness of the dal.) Thoroughly
wash the lentils using a fine-mesh colander.
Return them to the pot, together with the rice, and
add 3½ cups of water. Bring to a boil. Skim the foam
off the top. Add the turmeric powder, 2 tablespoons
of the ghee, and the ginger to the boiling mixture.
Cover and cook over low heat until the rice and lentils
are completely cooked, about 20 minutes. At this
point, the grains will look separate. Add another ½
cup of water and continue to cook over medium-low
heat, partially covered, for about 5 minutes. When
you stir the mixture, it should have a creamy consistency.
Feel free to mash the rice and lentils with a
spoon. The consistency should be similar to a risotto.
Turn off the heat.
While the rice and lentils are cooking, put ½ teaspoon
of the ghee in a tempering pot or small pan over medium
heat. Add the cashews, stirring them until they
are fragrant and turn golden brown, a few minutes. Set
the cashews aside to cool in a bowl lined with a paper
towel. If using cumin seeds and peppercorns, roughly
crush them in a mortar with a pestle. Set aside.
When the rice and lentil mixture is cooked, mix in
the salt, coconut, and fried cashews, reserving some
cashews for garnish.
Put the remaining 2 tablespoons of ghee in the
tempering pot or small pan over medium heat.
When melted, add the crushed black peppercorns
and cumin seeds and the asafetida. Fry for a few
seconds until fragrant. Turn off the heat.
Immediately pour the spiced ghee over the rice. To get
all of the spiced ghee out of the pot, put a spoonful
of the rice mixture into the pot, stir, and spoon it back
into the rest of the dish. Taste for salt and adjust as
needed. Garnish with the reserved cashews. Serve hot.
When reheating, add a little water to loosen up the
dish, as it has a tendency to dry out.
—From “Vibrant India: Fresh Vegetarian Recipes from
Bangalore to Brooklyn,” Ten Speed Press, 2017.
Khara Huggi
or Pongal
by CHITRA AGRAWAL
FOOD