Kitchen Recipe Collection
Indian Ven Pongal
A deeply comforting, savory porridge made from rice and moong dal, heavily tempered with ghee, whole black peppercorns, cumin, and cashews.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 30 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- easy
- Cuisine
- indian
Ingredients
Scaled for 4 servings
- raw rice (short grain)
- split yellow moong dal
- ghee
- whole black peppercorns
- cumin seeds
- ginger
- curry leaves
- cashew nuts
- water
Equipment
- Pressure cooker
- Small pan (for tempering)
Instructions
- 1
Roast Dal
Dry roast the yellow moong dal slightly until aromatic. Wash the dal and rice together.
- 2
Pressure Cook
Cook the rice and dal with water (usually a 1:4 ratio for a porridge-like consistency) and salt in a pressure cooker until extremely mushy.
- 3
Mash
Open the cooker and mash the cooked rice and dal together until creamy.
- 4
Temper
In a small pan, heat a generous amount of ghee. Add cumin seeds, slightly crushed whole black peppercorns, finely chopped ginger, curry leaves, and cashew nuts. Fry until cashews are golden.
- 5
Combine
Pour the sizzling hot tempering over the mashed rice and dal. Mix thoroughly.
Cooking Tips
- The texture should be soft, creamy, and semi-liquid when hot, as it thickens considerably as it cools.
- Do not skimp on the ghee. Ghee is the primary flavor profile of Ven Pongal.
Variations
- Sweet Pongal (Sakkarai Pongal): Made with jaggery instead of spices and pepper.
Chef's Notes & Storage
- A classic South Indian breakfast, often served in temples as prasadam (offering).
Nutrition Estimate
350 calories · 9g protein · 45g carbs · 15g fat · 4g fiber per serving
