Rava Pongal

Rava Pongal or Semolina Pongal is a healthy South Indian breakfast recipe made using rava or sooji and moong dal. It is also made for the festival of Sankranti and is one of my fav rava breakfast recipes. Here is how to make simple yet very delicious wheat rava pongal (Step by Step).

For the upcoming festival of Pongal, I have a very simple recipe from Tamil Nadu which is rava pongal. It is a one pot dish made using rava or sooji and moong dal.

It’s a nice variation of the classic Ven Pongal or Khara Pongal and is a delicious South Indian breakfast recipe made in a pressure cooker. You can try the sweet Pongal version too which is called Shakkrai Pongal.

How to make Rava Pongal?

To make this Rava Pongal, you have to first roast moong dal and rava until they are fragrant and slightly browned and then add them in a pressure cooker along with water, ginger and salt and pressure cook until the rava and dal are softened.

Now heat ghee in a pan and add cumin seeds and chillies and cashew nuts. Fry the cashew nuts until they turns golden in colour and then pour this tempering over the cooked moong dal and rava pongal and serve hot.

I add finely chopped ginger to my pongal but since husband and kid is not a big fan of ginger coming in their mouth, I skip it whenever I make it for them. But I strongly recommend adding some grated or finely chopped ginger to your Pongal.

So here is the recipe to make Rava Pongal. Make it for breakfast and with Sankranti coming very soon, this could a lovely dish to make for the festival too.

Make sure the Pongal is not lumpy. Roasting the rava helps a lot and it is a must for making sure it doesn’t clump up. Pongal tastes best just out of the cooker. If you plan to prep in advance, roast the dal and rava and keep. Just add water and pressure cook 10 minutes before you plan to serve it.

Tips to make best Wheat Rava Pongal

Use coarse rava to make pongal. Coarse rava is also called as Bombay Rava.

Make sure to roast the rava until browned. It will not only increase the flavour of the dish but will also make sure the pongal is not lumpy.

To make the process quicker, you can roast the rava in bulk and store in an airtight container whenever you have spare time. You can use this roasted rava to make many dishes.

This pongal taste best when prepared fresh. Make the quantity only for one meal.

In case you have more, add some water to it before refrigerating. The pongal with become thicker when refrigerated and adding some water to it will take care of the consistency.

Adding enough ghee is very important to make good pongal otherwise it will become like a paste.

You can add finely chopped veggies like carrots, beans etc to this dish.

What to serve Rava Pongal with?

I like to serve rava pongal with mango pickle, coconut chutney and a drizzle of ghee. You can also serve some sambar along. A papad on the side is a must for me personally.

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How to make Rava Pongal Step By Step

Dry roast the Dal until it is slightly fragrant and then wash it nicely.

Dry roast the rava until slightly fragrant. Do not brown. 

Drain the dal and add it in a pressure cooker along with rava. Add water, ginger and salt and pressure cook till done. Remove the pressure cooker from heat and let the pressure release. Slightly mash the pongal with the back of a ladle until it is slightly mushy and creamy. Add more water if required.

Heat ghee in a pan.

Once the ghee is hot, add cumin seeds, heeng, curry leaves, green chilli and peppercorns and let them crackle for a few seconds.

Add cashew nuts and fry until they are slightly browned. Pour the tempering over the pongal. Mix and simmer for a minute. Serve hot with coconut chutney and sambhar.

Rava Pongal Recipe

5 from 2 votes

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Rava Pongal

Rava Pongal is a healthy South Indian breakfast recipe made using rava or sooji and moong dal. It is also made for the festival of Sankranti. Here is how to make it.

Course Breakfast

Cuisine Indian

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings 4 people

Calories 122 kcal

Author Neha Mathur

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Rava
• 1/4 cup Yellow Moong Dal
• 3 cups Water
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp Ginger Grated

For tempering

• 2 tbsp Ghee
• 1 tsp Jeera
• 1/4 tsp HIng
• 10-12 Curry Leaves
• 2 Green Chillies Slit into half
• 10-12 Cahsew Nuts
• 6-8 Black Peppercorns Coarsely Cracked

Instructions

1. Dry roast the dal in a pan until it is slightly fragrant.

2. Wash the dal.

3. Dry roast the rava until slightly fragrant. Do not brown.

4. Drain the dal and add it in a pressure cooker along with rava.

5. Add water, ginger and salt and pressure cook till done.

6. Remove the pressure cooker from heat and let the pressure release.

7. Slightly mash the pongal with the back of a ladle until it is slightly mushy and creamy.

8. Add more water if required.

9. Heat ghee in a pan.

10. Once the ghee is hot, add cumin seeds, heeng, curry leaves, green chilli and peppercorns and let them crackle for a few seconds.

11. Add cashew nuts and fry until they are slightly browned.

12. Pour the tempering over the pongal.

13. Mix and simmer for a minute.

14. Serve hot with coconut chutney and sambhar.

Nutrition Facts

Rava Pongal

Amount Per Serving

Calories 122 Calories from Fat 72

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 8g 12%

Saturated Fat 4g 20%

Cholesterol 20mg 7%

Sodium 108mg 5%

Potassium 114mg 3%

Total Carbohydrates 9g 3%

Dietary Fiber 4g 16%

Sugars 1g

Protein 3g 6%

Vitamin A 1.9%

Vitamin C 64.5%

Calcium 2.5%

Iron 5.4%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

You can check more Sankranti Recipes here.

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