Rava Pongal Recipe (Sooji Pongal)

Rava Pongal, also known as Sooji Pongal, Rava Khara Pongal, or Semolina Pongal, is a soft, savory South Indian breakfast made using roasted semolina (rava), ghee, black pepper, cumin seeds, curry leaves, and cashews. It is a faster alternative to traditional Ven Pongal, which is made with rice and yellow moong dal.

You can serve it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, or pack it in the lunchbox. You can also make it for the South Indian Thai Pongal festival (also known as Makar Sankranti in North India).

Sooji pongal can be made in a traditional pressure cooker or an Instant Pot. I have shared both methods in the post below.

Common Mistakes To Avoid When Making Rava Upma

Some recipes require a lot of improvisation, and this rava pongal is one of them for me. When I started to cook this recipe, I cooked the rava and rice together. It was a hot mess. The cooker spewed everything out, and my kitchen took at least an hour to clean.

The next time, I forgot to roast the rava, and the pongal was a hot mess again. However, the experiment taught me that roasting sooji is essential.

Then, I came up with the idea of cooking rice and rava separately and mixing them later. This approach worked. Now I make rava pongal frequently for breakfast, and it always turns out perfect.

I am listing some common mistakes that I made when perfecting this dish so you don’t have to make them again.

Mistake	Why It Happens & Consequences	How to Fix It
Not roasting the rava properly	Unroasted rava gives a raw, floury taste	Dry-roast rava on medium heat till aromatic; it should stay pale, not brown
Using fine rava instead of coarse rava	Fine rava absorbs water too fast, making the pongal sticky and pasty	Use coarse/ Bombay rava for a soft yet grainy texture
Adding rava to boiling water in one go	Hot liquid causes instant lumping, giving the pongal an uneven, gummy texture	Add rava slowly while stirring continuously
Wrong water-to-rava ratio	Too little water=dry pongal; too much=flowy pongal	Use 3½-4 cups of water per 1 cup of rava for classic consistency
Not stirring continuously while adding rava	Rava settles, and clumps and raw pockets are formed	Stir constantly while sprinkling rava into the water
Skimping on ghee	Lack of fat makes pongal heavy and dull	Add ghee as mentioned in the recipe to make sofy pongal

How To Make Sooji Pongal

Prepare The Moong Dal

Step 1: Rinse ¼ cup of yellow moong dal with water, then drain well.

Step 2: Line a baking tray or a large plate with a kitchen cloth and spread the dal on it.

Let it air dry for 20 minutes.

Cook The Dal

In A Pressure Cooker

Step 3: Add the dal to a pressure cooker and dry-roast on medium heat until lightly browned and aromatic. Stir frequently.

Step 4: Add the following ingredients to the cooker and stir well.

• 1 cup water
• 1 teaspoon grated ginger
• 1 teaspoon salt

Step 5: Close the cooker’s lid and cook for 1 whistle on high heat. Then, reduce the heat to low and cook for 12 minutes.

Step 6: Remove the cooker from the heat and let the pressure release naturally.

Open the lid and mash the dal until smooth using a wire whisk or the back of a spoon.

In An Instant Pot

• Press the SAUTE button.
• Add the dal to the instant pot and roast until lightly browned, stirring frequently.
• Add water, grated ginger, and salt to the cooker and stir until well combined.
• Close the Instant Pot lid and set the valve to the sealing position.
• Press PRESSURE COOK and set the timer to 12 minutes at high pressure.
• Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes.
• Release the remaining pressure manually and open the lid.
• Mash the dal until smooth using a wire whisk or the back of a spoon.

Roast The Rava

Step 7: Add ½ cup Bombay rava to a small pan and roast it on medium heat until slightly fragrant (2-3 minutes), stirring continuously.

Do not over-roast the rava. You don’t want to brown it.

Remove the pan from the heat and set it aside.

Make The Pongal

Step 8: Heat 2 cups of water in a pan over medium heat.

Step 9: Once the water starts to boil, add the roasted rava slowly, while whisking with a wire whisk until a smooth, lump-free mixture forms.

Step 10: Add the cooked moong dal to the pan and mix well.

Step 11: Add more water if the mixture appears too thick. The consistency should be similar to that of porridge (khichdi).

Step 13: Reduce the heat to low.

Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Check for salt and add more if needed.

Temper The Pongal

Step 14: Heat 2 tablespoon ghee for tempering in a small skillet over medium-high heat.

Step 15: Add the following ingredients once the ghee is hot, and let them crackle for 4-5 seconds.

• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• ¼ teaspoon asafetida
• 10-12 curry leaves
• 2-3 green chilies (slit in half)
• 6-8 coarsely crushed black peppercorns

Step 16: Add 10-12 whole cashew nuts and fry until slightly browned (1-2 minutes), stirring frequently. 

Step 17: Pour the tempering over the hot pongal and mix well. Serve hot with coconut chutney and sambhar.

Tip – Save some tempering to garnish the ready pongal.

Serving Suggestions

I like to serve rava pongal with Mango Pickle, White Coconut Chutney, and a dollop of ghee.

You can also serve it with Peanut Chutney, Red Chilli Coconut Chutney, or any other chutney of your choice.

Sambar is also a great accompaniment.