Dry roast the moong dal in a pan on low flame till it's aromatic. It should not change to a brown color. Turn off the heat. Wash the dal and rice together in some water and drain it fully.

In a pressure cooker, add the washed rice and dal, cumin seeds, hing, ginger and salt and mix well. Add the water and pressure cook for about 8 whistles. The rice and dal should be fully cooked and soft and mushy and the consistency should be a little liquidy - neither dry nor too liquid. You can add a little hot water if the pongal seems very dry.

For the tempering, crush together the cumin and peppercorns lightly. In a pan, heat ghee and add the crushed cumin and peppercorns. To this, add the curry leaves and cashews and fry till the cashews are a nice golden brown color. Add this to the cooked pongal and mix well. Cover and keep for 5-10 min for the flavours from the tempering to seep through the pongal. Serve hot.