Venpongal is a popular South Indian breakfast that is easy, tasty and healthy. Venpongal is made with rice, dal, ginger, pepper and cumin seeds. Moong dal is considered one of the healthiest dal and is essential for the protein needs of kids and toddlers.
Venpongal is a favourite breakfast in South India and is take place on all special occasions like weddings. During wedding ceremonies, Venpongal is served with coconut chutney, tomato chutney, tiffin sambar and vada, which is a mouth-watering combo served with banana leaf.
Nowadays even hotels offer mini tiffins including idli, venpongal, vada, kesari, with 2 or 3 types of chutney and sambar. I really like it and enjoy the combo whenever I get the chance.
Pongal is often confused with sweet pongal or sakkarai pongal. Sweet pongal is made with rice, moon dal, jaggery, and cardamom powder. Venpongal is also called kara pongal. Venpongal goes well with coconut chutney and tiffin sambar.
Venpongal is a quick and simple dish when prepared in the pressure cooker, I personally recommend using the pressure cooker for this one-pot meal, to save a lot of time.
Notes
- Use good quality raw rice for pongal, I used ponni pacharisi for this recipe.
- Add 4 cups of water for 1 cup of rice and 1/2 cup of moong dal, cook on a medium-low flame to avoid spilling while cooking in the pressure cooker.
- Pressure cook for 4 – 5 whistles, make sure the rice is cooked well and mushy.
- I recommend adding a little ghee when cooking rice and dal, even a spoonful of ghee is enough to temper. In my experience, pongal absorbs ghee and it does not float on top of pongal if added while cooking or tempering. Adding ghee generously while serving pongal will enhance flavour and taste.
- Make pongal in flowing consistency, if it is not soft enough add a cup of boiling hot water, mix until the desired consistency is achived.
Other Breakfast Varieties– Podi Idli, Oats Idli, Idli Recipe, Rava Idli, Masala Dosa, Adai, Quinoa Idli-Dosa
Milagu Pongal
- 1 cup Raw rice
- 1/2 cup Moong dal
- Ginger a small piece
- 2 tsp Ghee
- 5-10 Cashew nuts
- 2 tsp Jeera
- 2 tsp Pepper
- Few Curry leaves
- 1 pinch Asafoetida
- 1 tsp Oil
- Salt as needed
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In a bowl add rice and moong dal, wash together and soak for 10 minutes. Once done, drain water and set aside.
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In a pressure cooker boil water (for 1 cup rice 3 cups of water) along with required salt and crushed ginger.
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Add soaked rice, moong dal, and add little ghee, pressure cook for 3 whistles. Once done mash it with a spatula.
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Meanwhile, In a small pan heat ghee, add cashew nuts and roast till golden color and add roasted cashews with Pongal.
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Heat oil in a pan add pepper, jeera, and curry leaves allow it to crackle.
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Once done, add asafoetida.
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Add the pepper, jeera mixture with pongal, and combine everything well.
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Serve hot with ghee.
Method
Step by Step Pictures
1. In a bowl add rice and moong dal, wash together and soak for 10 minutes. Once done, drain water and set aside.
2. In a pressure cooker boil water (for 1 cup rice, 3 cups of water) along with required salt and crushed ginger.
3. Add the soaked rice, moong dal and little ghee, pressure cook for 3 whistles.
4. Once done.
5. Mash it with a spatula.
6. Meanwhile, in a small pan heat ghee, add cashew nuts and roast till golden colour.
7. Add roasted cashew nuts with Pongal.
8. Heat oil in a pan add pepper, jeera, and curry leaves and allow them to crackle.
9. Once done, add asafoetida.
10. Add the mixture with Pongal.
11. Mix well.
12. Serve hot with ghee.
Tips:
-You can add green chilis along with pepper and jeera.
-You can adjust the water according to your pressure cooker.
-Apart from raw rice, you can make Pongal with Sona masoori or any other white rice.
