Crush the black pepper roughly using mortar and pestle. Keep it aside.

Roast the green gram lentils in a heavy bottom wok in low flame. When the lentils turn their color slightly and become aromatic, switch off the flame.

Rinse the rice using enough water and add it to a cooking vessel. Include roasted lentils, turmeric powder too in to the vessel.

Add around 4 cups of water and pressure cook the mixture for 3 whistles and simmer for 5 minutes. Once the pressure releases completely, open the lid and roughly mash the cooked mixture.

Heat a seasoning pan with ghee and broken cashews, fry them till they become brown. Transfer cashews and subsequently fry cumin, crushed black pepper and desiccated coconut together for few seconds.

Combine all the ghee roasted ingredients and salt with cooked rice+lentils mixture. Stir well and cook for few minutes and switch off the flame.

Very simple, mild and easy khara pongal is ready. Serve it with coconut chutney or sambar of your choice.

The ratio of water is 4 times the total quantity of rice plus lentils. Meaning, if rice and lentils together measure 1 cup then you have to add 4 cups of water.

You can replace desiccated coconut by normal coconut too.

It is also a practice to add whole black peppers, but I don't like biting the pepper in between, so crushed them.

For extra spiciness you can add chopped ginger and green chillies too along with cumin seeds seasoning.