Rava Pongal (Sooji Pongal, Semolina Pongal) is a healthy South Indian breakfast recipe made using rava (sooji, semolina) and yellow moong dal. Make this wholesome dish using simple pantry staples in under 30 minutes (vegetarian).
I love South Indian breakfasts for their simple flavors. Here are more of my favorite South Indian-style morning breakfast recipes – Rava Upma, Ven Pongal, Ragi Idli, Egg Dosa, and Ragi Vermicelli.
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About Rava Pongal (Sooji Pongal, Semolina Pongal)
Rava Pongal (Sooji Pongal, Rava Khara Pongal, Semolina Pongal) is a South Indian dish made using semolina and yellow moong lentil (yellow moong dal).
Traditionally, Pongal (also called venn pongal, khara pongal) was made using rice and lentils. Now many variations like oats pongal, poha pongal, and broken wheat pongal have come up, and this rava pongal is one of the variations of the classic dish too.
Sooji Pongal is a wholesome dish that tastes delicious. Like the classic ven pongal, rava pongal is also served for breakfast. But you can serve it for lunch or dinner or pack it for the lunchbox. It is also made for the festival of pongal as a variation to ven pongal.
You can also make a rava sakkarai pongal which is the sweet version of this dish. Just follow my sakkarai pongal recipe (sweet pongal recipe, chakara pongal) and replace the rice with rava.
Rava pongal recipe is vegetarian and can be easily made vegan. You can also double or triple the recipe.
Ingredients
Rava – This pongal is prepared with a coarse variety of rava (semolina), also known as Bombay rava. Do not use the fine sooji or Bansi sooji to make pongal otherwise, it will turn out mushy.
Sooji is lightly roasted before adding to the cooker with other ingredients. Do not brown it; otherwise, it will change the color of your pongal. You can buy already roasted rava to fasten the process.
Dal – You will need yellow moong dal (split and skinned moong lentils).
Ginger – Fresh ginger adds a subtle flavor, making this pongal even more delicious. So do not miss this one.
For Tempering – Pongal is tempered with ghee, cumin seeds, asafetida (hing), curry leaves, green chilies, cashew nuts, and black peppercorns.
Use ghee (not oil) for tempering, as it adds a lovely rich, authentic taste.
To make the recipe vegan, you can replace ghee with coconut oil.
Adjust the green chilies as per your taste.
Cashew nuts are optional, but they add a nice crunch.
How To Make Rava Pongal
Prepare The Moong Dal
Rinse ¼ cup yellow moong dal with water and drain the water well.
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
Add the dal to a pressure cooker and roast on medium heat until lightly browned, stirring frequently.
Add 1 cup water, 1 teaspoon grated ginger, and 1 teaspoon salt to the cooker and stir well.
Close the cooker’s lid and cook for 1 whistle on high heat. Then reduce the heat to low and cook for 12 minutes.
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 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 well.
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
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. We don’t want to brown it.
Remove the pan from the heat and set it aside.
Make The Pongal
Heat 2 cups of water in a pan over medium heat.
Once the water starts to boil, add the roasted rava slowly, and whisk using a wire whisk until a smooth, lump-free mixture is formed.
Add the cooked dal to the pan and mix well.
Add some more water if the mixture looks thick.
Reduce the heat to low.
Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring a few times.
Check for salt and add more if needed.
Temper The Pongal
Heat 2 tablespoon ghee for tempering in a small skillet over medium-high heat.
Once the ghee is hot, add
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ¼ teaspoon asafoetida
- 10-12 curry leaves
- 2-3 green chilies (slit into half)
- 6-8 coarsely crushed black peppercorns
and let them crackle for 4-5 seconds.
Add 10-12 whole cashew nuts and fry until slightly browned (1-2 minutes), stirring frequently.
Pour the tempering over the pongal and mix well. Serve hot with coconut chutney and sambhar.
Tip – Save some tempering to garnish the ready pongal.
Pro Tips By Neha
Make sure the pongal is not lumpy. Roasting the rava helps a lot and is a must for ensuring it doesn’t clump up.
Use coarse rava to make pongal. Coarse rava is also called Bombay Rava.
To make the process quicker, you can roast the rava in bulk and store it in an airtight container whenever you have spare time. You can use this roasted rava to make many other dishes too.
This pongal tastes 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 becomes thicker when refrigerated; adding some water will take care of the consistency.
Adding a generous amount of ghee is essential to make a good rava khara pongal recipe. Otherwise, it will become like a paste.
You can add finely chopped veggies, like carrots, beans, etc., to this dish.
Frequently Asked Questions
The difference between cream of wheat and semolina is their texture and how they are processed. Cream of wheat is a finely ground wheat product that has a smooth and creamy texture, while semolina is a coarser grain and has a slightly gritty texture.
Serving Suggestions
Serve rava pongal for a healthy breakfast, lunch, evening snack, or dinner. You can also pack it for school or office lunch boxes.
Pongal tastes best just out of the pan. If you plan to prep in advance, roast the dal and rava and store them. Cook just before you plan to serve it.
I like to serve rava pongal with Mango Pickle, Coconut Chutney, and a drizzle of ghee. You can also serve it with Peanut Chutney, Red Coconut Chutney, or any other chutney you like.
You can also serve this simple south Indian breakfast recipe with Sambar. Papad on the side is a must for me.
This spicy Bombay Chutney goes very well with it too.
Storage Suggestions
You can store this rava pongal in the fridge for about 2 to 3 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Reheat it in a microwave or over the stovetop. You can add a little water when reheating, as it becomes thick after refrigerating.
You can also store it without the tempering and give it a fresh tempering before serving it.
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Recipe Card
Rava Pongal Recipe (Sooji Pongal, Semolina Pongal)
Ingredients
- ½ cup Bombay rava (semolina)
- ¼ cup yellow moong dal (skinned petite yellow lentils)
- 3 cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
For Tempering
- 2 tablespoons ghee (use coconut oil for a vegan recipe)
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ¼ teaspoon asafetida (hing)
- 10-12 curry leaves
- 2 green chilies (slit into half)
- 10-12 whole cahsew nuts
- 6-8 black peppercorns (coarsely crushed)
Instructions
Prepare The Moong Dal
- Rinse moong dal with water and drain the water well.
- 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
- Add the dal to a pressure cooker and roast on medium heat until lightly browned, stirring frequently.
- Add 1 cup of water, ginger, and salt to the cooker and stir well.
- Close the lid of the cooker and cook for 1 whistle on high heat. Then reduce the heat to low and cook for 12 minutes.
- 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 ladle.
In An Instant Pot
- Press SAUTE button.
- Add the dal to the instant pot and roast until lightly browned, stirring very frequently.
- Add water, grated ginger, and salt to the cooker and stir well.
- Close the lid of the instant pot and set the valve to the sealing position.
- Press PRESSURE COOK and set the timer to 12 minutes.
- 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 ladle.
Roast The Rava
- Add 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. We don’t want to brown it.
- Remove the pan from the heat and set it aside.
Make The Pongal
- Heat 2 cups of water in pan over medium heat.
- Once the water starts to boil, add the roasted rava slowly, and whisk using a wire whisk until a smooth lump free mixture is formed.
- Add the cooked moong dal to the pan and mix well.
- Add some more water if the mixture looks thick.
- Reduce the heat to low.
- Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring a few times in between.
- Check for salt and add more if needed.
Temper The Pongal
- Heat ghee for tempering in a small skillet over medium-high heat.
- Once the ghee is hot, add cumin seeds, asafetida, curry leaves, green chilies, and black peppercorns, and let them crackle for 4-5 seconds.
- Add cashew nuts and fry until they are slightly browned (1-2 minutes), stirring frequently.
- Pour the tempering over the pongal and mix well. Serve hot with coconut chutney and sambhar.
- Tip – Save some tempering to garnish the ready pongal.
Notes
Nutrition
You can check more Sankranti Recipes here.
mehul
nice recipe
thanks for sharing
Neha Mathur
Thnx a lot 🙂