Pongal is a South Indian-style porridge made using rice and yellow moong lentil. It can be made sweet or savory. The savory version is called Ven Pongal or Khara Pongal. Sharing the recipe to make the savory version below. Make this protein-packed dish in 30 minutes.
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About This Recipe
Pongal is a South Indian style porridge made using short-grain rice, yellow moong lentil, and a few spices. This pongal recipe can be made sweet or savory. The savory version is called ven pongal or khara pongal and the sweet one is called sakkari pongal.
I have a detailed post about Sakkarai Sweet Pongal, so do check it out. In today’s post, we will talk about the savory version that is Ven Pongal.
Ven Pongal or Khara Pongal is a super flavorful and delicious savory dish that is made for the festival of Sankranti. It is also offered as naivedhyam to god in homes and temples. It is also made for other festivals and auspicious days.
It is comfort food as it is light on the stomach and is very easy to prepare too. You can call it a variation of North Indian Khichdi.
Khara Pongal can be served for breakfast, lunch, or dinner along with coconut chutney, sambar, or gotsu.
Every home in South Indian has its own way of preparing Pongal Recipe. There is Iyengar Style and there is Andhra Style. Temples have their own recipe to make this dish and so do the hotels.
The only thing common is the use of rice and moong dal and this homemade pongal recipe is great to enjoy this dish in all its glory. The proportion of dal and rice may also vary from home to home though.
This ven pongal recipe is,
- Quick + Easy
- Flavourful
- Delicious
- Nutritious
- Perfect for weekday breakfast
Ingredients
Rice – Use any short grain flavorful rice to make the pongal. Jeera Samba, Sona Masri, Surti Kolam, or Indrayani are some choices.
Yellow Moong Lentil – To make ven pongal, you will need yellow moong dal or husked and split yellow moong lentil. Use good quality lentil for best taste.
Ginger – Adding ginger while cooking the rice and dal, really oomphs up the flavor and seasons the dal and rice from within.
Ghee – A ghee tempering really changes the way khara pongal recipe tastes. Traditionally cow’s ghee is used to temper it. But you can use buffalo ghee too.
Others – Other than ghee, you will need asafoetida, cumin seeds, curry leaves, green chilies, cashew nuts, and black peppercorns.
If you want it to be gluten-free, then avoid adding hing or asafoetida in the tempering.
Use fresh and green curry leaves for the best flavor. You can adjust the amount of green chilies as per your spice level. As green chilies are the only ingredient to add spiciness, I would suggest you add the below-mentioned quantity.
Cashew Nuts adds a great crunch in the soft Pongal, so do not miss on it.
Black Peppercorns are a must in this recipe. The flavors from black peppercorns really enhance the taste of a simple ven pongal.
How to make Ven Pongal Recipe?
Start by dry roasting the lentils. Add ½ cup yellow moong lentil to a pressure cooker and roast on medium heat until it is slightly fragrant. It will take 4-5 minutes. Do not roast on high heat otherwise, the lentil might burn.
Once the dal is roasted, remove the cooker from heat. Add ½ cup short grain rice to the cooker and wash the dal and rice with water 2-3 times.
Add 3 cups of water, 1 tsp grated ginger and salt to taste to the cooker, and pressure cook for one whistle on high heat. Now simmer the heat to low and cook for another 10 minutes.
Remove the pressure cooker from heat and let the pressure release naturally. Once the pressure is released, open the lid of the cooker. Slightly mash the pongal with the back of a ladle until it is slightly mushy and creamy. Add more water if the mixture is too thick. It should have a consistency of a porridge.
To temper it, heat 3 tbsp ghee in a pan. Do not use oil for tempering and do not reduce the quantity of ghee. Ghee tempering makes it delicious, so do not compromise.
Once the ghee is hot, add 1 tsp cumin seeds, ¼ tsp asafoetida, 10-12 whole curry leaves, 2 green chilies (slit into half), and 10-12 coarsely crushed peppercorns, and let them crackle for a few seconds. Add 10-12 whole cashew nuts and fry until they are slightly browned. Keep stirring while frying.
Pour the tempering over the Pongal. Mix and simmer for a minute. Serve hot with coconut chutney and sambhar.
Pro Tips By Neha
Pongal recipe tastes best when prepared fresh. Make the quantity only for one meal.
Use any small grain rice to make Pongal. Seeraga Samba rice is traditionally used in South Indian homes but even Sona Masuri or Parmal will do.
In case you have leftover, add some water to it before refrigerating. It with become thicker when refrigerated and adding some water to it will take care of the consistency.
Some people make very thick Pongal. If you like that consistency, then use little less water as mentioned below. I like the consistency a little flowy hence used 3 cups of water.
You can add chopped vegetables like peas, carrots, etc to make this recipe healthier.
Adding ghee is very important otherwise it will turn pasty.
Some people add a little milk to their recipe. You can try it too. Add ½ cup milk once the pongal is cooked and cook it for another 5 minutes. You can even try adding some coconut milk to it.
I have had it with a little grated fresh coconut added to it and it tastes delicious too.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you want to cook it in a rice cooker, just roast the dal in a pan and then add dal, rice, water, and salt to a rice cooker. Cook until rice and dal are cooked well. Then prepare tempering in a pan and pour it over the Pongal.
This recipe uses a ghee tadka, which makes it non-vegan. But if you want a vegan version, you can temper it with vegetable oil instead.
To make variations of pongal, rice can be replaced by millets, oats, rava (sooji), poha (aval) or brown rice.
Serving Suggestions
Khara Pongal is traditionally served on a banana leaf with coconut chutney.
Serve it with a side of Coconut Chutney and Filter Coffee. Pongal Sambar is a very popular combination. You can also serve it with yogurt, papad, and pickle for a quick meal.
Kootu also goes well with hot Ven Pongal. 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.
While reheating, add a little water and adjust the consistency, as it might become a little thick and dry while refrigerating. You can also give it a fresh ghee tadka after heating.
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Recipe Card
Ven Pongal Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup short grain rice
- ½ cup yellow moong lentil
- 3 cups water
- salt (to taste)
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
For the tempering
- 3 tablespoon ghee
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ¼ teaspoon asafoetida/hing
- 10-12 curry leaves
- 2 green chilies (slit into halves)
- 10-12 whole cashew nuts
- 10-12 black peppercorns (coarsely ground)
Instructions
- Start by dry roasting the lentils. Add ½ cup yellow moong lentil to a pressure cooker and roast on medium heat until it is slightly fragrant. It will take 4-5 minutes. Do not roast on high heat otherwise, the lentil might burn.
- Once the dal is roasted, remove the cooker from heat. Add ½ cup short grain rice to the cooker and wash the dal and rice with water 2-3 times.
- Add 3 cups of water, 1 tsp grated ginger, and salt to taste to the cooker, and pressure cook for one whistle on high heat. Now simmer the heat to low and cook for another 10 minutes.
- Remove the pressure cooker from heat and let the pressure release naturally. Once the pressure is released, open the lid of the cooker. Slightly mash the pongal with the back of a ladle until it is slightly mushy and creamy. Add more water if the mixture is too thick. It should have a consistency of a porridge.
- To temper it, heat 3 tbsp ghee in a pan. Do not use oil for tempering and do not reduce the quantity of ghee. Ghee tempering makes the pongal delicious, so do not compromise.
- Once the ghee is hot, add 1 tsp cumin seeds, ¼ tsp asafoetida, 10-12 whole curry leaves, 2 green chilies (slit into half), and 10-12 coarsely crushed peppercorns, and let them crackle for a few seconds. Add 10-12 whole cashew nuts and fry until they are slightly browned. Keep stirring while frying.
- Pour the tempering over the Pongal. Mix and simmer for a minute. Serve hot with coconut chutney and sambhar.
Notes
Nutrition
You can check more Sankranti Recipes here.
