Padma Shri awardee R.Madhavan loves this high-protein South Indian dish for breakfast; detailed recipe inside

Indian actor and writer R.

Madhavan was awarded the Padma Shri by Droupadi Murmu, President of India on Tuesday.

The actor, who loves peace and simplicity in life, is known for his impeccable screen presence and is also a very conscious eater.

According to one of his interviews with Curly Tales, he is a healthy, slow-eater who enjoys traditional South Indian food a lot.

In the interview, he mentioned his love for South Indian Pongal, a high-protein dish over Upma, which is made with sooji.

Scroll down to read the details of the dish and how you can make it at home.It is a protein-rich breakfast dish that combines rice and moong dal (split yellow lentils).

According to experts, while rice is rich in carbohydrates and gives you energy, moong dal contributes a significant amount of plant-based protein, fiber, and essential nutrients.

The USDA data says 100 grams of raw moong dal offers around 24 grams of protein.

It also offers fiber, and essential nutrients.

The combination of cereals and pulses also improves the overall amino acid profile of the meal, making it more nutritionally balanced.

To boost the protein content further one can add paneer, nuts, or serve Pongal with protein-rich accompaniments such as sambar and chutney made from roasted gram.Ingredients: ½ cup rice, ½ cup yellow moong dal, 4 cups water, 1 tablespoon ghee, 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, 1 teaspoon black peppercorns, 10–12 cashews, 1 inch ginger, 8–10 curry leaves, and salt to tasteMethod: To begin with, dry roast the moong dal in a pan for 2–3 minutes until aromatic.

In the meantime, wash the rice and roasted dal together.

Add water and cook in a pressure cooker for 4–5 whistles or until soft and mushy.

In the same pan, heat ghee and add cumin seeds, black peppercorns, cashews, ginger, and curry leaves.

Sauté until the cashews turn golden.

Now, pour the tempering over the cooked rice and dal mixture.

Add salt, mix well and serve hot with sambar and coconut chutney on the side.According to the same interview, he is also a fan of Idli, Dosai, Puttu, Medhu Vadai, Kuzhi Paniyaram, Thengai Chutney, and Kanji.

Kanji is R.

Madhavan's favourite summer breakfast and refers to a porridge-like dish made with overnight fermented rice and seasoned with onion, green chilli, curd, and a tempering of ghee, mustard seeds, and curry leaves.

It is also a gut-friendly dish enjoyed mostly for breakfast in summer months.