Super satisfying and comforting Ven Pongal recipe! It’s made with rice and moong dal, cooked till porridge consistency. Then flavored with cumin, black pepper, curry leaves, and ginger.
This pongal recipe is the savory version and is a good choice for breakfast, lunch or even dinner. You can enjoy this pongal with a bowl of sambhar and dizzle with a tbsp of ghee on top with a filter coffee on side for wholesome meal.
WHAT IS VEN PONGAL?
Ven Pongal is a savoury South Indian Rice and Lentil dish and is known by many names such as Khara Pongal or Ghee Pongal. The sweet Pongal variation is known as Sakkarai Pongal. Both these variations have a smooth porridge-like consistency and are served piping hot.
INGREDIENTS FOR VEN PONGAL:
- Yellow Moong Dal – Use skinless split yellow moong dal.
- Rice – I have used ponni raw rice but you can also use Seeraga samba rice, Kolam, sona masoori for this recipe.
- Black Pepper – Traditionally whole black peppercorns are used, I have used crushed black pepper since I don’t like whole black pepper coming in every bite. Or simply use ½ teaspoon of ground black pepper.
- Nuts – Use Cashews-nuts. But you can skip it too if you have a nut allergy.
- Ghee – Adding a good quantity of ghee, enhances the taste & aroma of the dish. But if you are a vegan replace it with oil.
- Other Ingredients – Do not skip any spices & herbs like cumin seeds, ginger, curry leaves for this recipe. They enhance the flavor and make the dish yummy.
HOW TO MAKE VEN PONGAL?
Wash and soak the raw rice and moong dal for 15 mins.
In a pressure cooker,add the soaked rice, dal, ginger, green chillies, peppercorns and salt with 4 cups of water.Cook for 5 whistles and allow to naturally release the pressure.
Once the rice and lentils are cooked, they should have a slightly runny, creamy consistency. Stir with a ladle, mashing the rice and lentils a bit, and add a little more water if needed to get to this consistency. If you add more water, do it over medium heat so the rice warms through.
Make the tempering by heating the ghee in a skillet. Add the cumin seeds, curry leaves and stir for a minute. Add the nuts and stir until lightly golden.
Add the tempering to the cooked rice and lentils. Mix well. Serve hot with coconut chutney and sambhar.
TIPS FOR MAKING PERFECT VEN PONGAL:
- You can lightly crush the peppercorns if you want your Pongal to absorb the flavor well.
- The ratio of water is according to your preference. Usually, Pongal has a porridge-like consistency, but if you like a dry version, just reduce the quantity of water.
- For the best tasting Ven Pongal, don’t skimp on ghee. If you are vegan, coconut oil is a good option.
- Soaking dal and millet makes to cook fast, but it is optional and can allow 1 more whistle extra.
- Ginger adds nice flavor to pongal, you can add while cooking dal or while tempering.
- Ven Pongal tastes best when had immediately because the porridge thickens quickly (in less than 30 minutes). To bring it back to its original consistency, add water and mix well. The amount of water depends on the quantity of Pongal. For instance, use a couple of tablespoons of water for a small bowl of Pongal.
WHICH RICE IS BEST TO USE FOR VEN PONGAL?
You can use both ponni raw rice and parboiled rice for making this dish. Seeraga Samba rice is also a good alternative when trying to eat healthy.
HOW TO SERVE THIS VEN PONGAL?
Serve it with a side of Coconut Chutney and Filter Coffee. Pongal Sambar is a very popular combination. Kootu also goes well with it. Other popular dishes to serve with this are Onion Gothsu, Kathirikai Gothsu, or Kalyana Gothsu.
STORAGE SUGGESTIONS:
This dish tastes great when served hot and fresh. But in case you have leftovers, it will last for 3 to 4 days in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.
You might like other pongal recipes,
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Ven Pongal
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw rice
- 1/2 cup moong dal mung lentils — the tiny, yellow ones
- 4 cups water
- 1 tbsp ginger grated
- 2 tsp black peppercorns you can use more or less based on your preference
- 2 green chillies
- 1 tbsp ghee
- 1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/4 cup raw cashews
- few curry leaves
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Wash and soak the raw rice and moong dal for 15 mins.
- In a pressure cooker,add the soaked rice, dal, ginger, green chillies, peppercorns and salt with 4 cups of water.Cook for 5 whistles and allow to naturally release the pressure.
- Once the rice and lentils are cooked, they should have a slightly runny, creamy consistency. Stir with a ladle, mashing the rice and lentils a bit, and add a little more water if needed to get to this consistency. If you add more water, do it over medium heat so the rice warms through.
- Make the tempering by heating the ghee in a skillet. Add the cumin seeds, curry leaves and stir for a minute.
- Add the nuts and stir until lightly golden.
- Add the tempering to the cooked rice and lentils. Mix well.
- Serve hot with coconut chutney and sambhar.
Notes
- You can lightly crush the peppercorns if you want your Pongal to absorb the flavor well.
- The ratio of water is according to your preference. Usually, Pongal has a porridge-like consistency, but if you like a dry version, just reduce the quantity of water.
- For the best tasting Ven Pongal, don’t skimp on ghee. If you are vegan, coconut oil is a good option.
- Ven Pongal tastes best when had immediately because the porridge thickens quickly (in less than 30 minutes). To bring it back to its original consistency, add water and mix well. The amount of water depends on the quantity of Pongal. For instance, use a couple of tablespoons of water for a small bowl of Pongal.
