PONGAL:

Fry ½ cup broken green gram dhal in a tsp ghee till a nice aroma floats up
on the air.
Soak this in water for 1 hour with 2 cups of raw rice.
Pour 10 cups of water in a cooking vessel and let it simmerl.
Add the rice and the dhal and cook on a medium fire.
When the rice is almost cooked, add 1tbsp finely chopped ginger and
1tbsp finely chopped green chillies.
Heat a small kadai and add 3tbsps pure ghee.
Add 2sps crushed pepper, 1sp asafetida powder and 2sps crushed cumin
seeds.
Fry for a few seconds and pour this tempering to the rice.
Add enough salt and some chopped coriander leaves.
You can add some more melted ghee and fried cashew nuts to taste.