Make Traditional Ven Pongal Right at Home with These Easy Steps (2024)

Ven pongal is a traditional, comforting breakfast dish from south India. With raw rice and moong dal (lentils) and a mild spice plus flavor from black pepper, cumin, ghee tempering.

Perfect winter food, especially made during Tamil month Margazhi. I also make it when I want something comforting as well as easy to make in the weekends.

Check out my easy pongal gotsu and Chidambaram brinjal gothsu which will go well with this dish.

About

Ven pongal also known as khara pongal, is a south Indian breakfast dish with raw rice, yellow mung lentils (yellow moong dal or pasi paruppu/ Payatham paruppu in Tamil).

The texture is creamy more like a khichdi or risotto as water ratio is more. Black pepper and cumin seeds adds flavor as well as aids digestion. I always prefer homemade ghee as I feel it is lighter comparatively.

Each house, they make a variation though small, makes a lot of difference in outcome.

Ingredients

Here are the basic ingredients for ven pongal.

• Rice - Using raw rice is a must, I use sona masuri, but ponni raw rice also work.
• Moong dal - Mung lentils/ pasi paruppu gives the creamy texture
• Black pepper - Adds flavor and spice
• Cumin seeds - For digestion as well as flavor
• Ginger - Enhances flavor and helps with digestion
• Ghee - One of the main ingredient that is must
• Asafoetida - Gives flavor and balances gastric properties of dal.

See recipe card for full list and exact quantities.

Top tip

Having said pongal is easy job at kitchen, it's tricky too to get the right consistency.

I have struggled a lot to get it right. Either the pongal becomes so dry or so watery. But I have some trouble shooting ideas now if I run into trouble.

Tips to get perfect ven pongal:

• Less water will end up in dry pongal while too much water may taste bland and texture will be too runny.
• The rice variety also matters. New rice takes less water, aged rice takes more water. Usually for pongal, use newly harvested rice.
• Depending on dal quantity the water quantity will also change.
• Keep hot water ready to adjust the consistency when you open the cooker if in case needed. Adjust salt too accordingly.
• Roasting the dal makes it more flavorful.

My notes

An important point to note is depending upon the make and model of the pressure cooker, the number of whistles may change.

Some model takes just long time between whistles. In such cases, be cautious to avoid burnt bottom. Also I prefer indolium material over stainless steel for the same reason.

Also depending on rice variety, the water quantity also changes. So test test test and find your exact recipe.

You can make pongal directly in a small pressure cooker like I did or if you are using large cooker, you can so Pot in pot method too. My MIL does that.

Variations

One pot version - As I mentioned earlier, you can make pongal in many ways. My mom's pongal is one pot pongal.

She tempers whole pepper and cumin along with ginger, green chilli curry leaves and asafoetida. I have posted it but added turmeric along while she doesn't add. Her dal ratio is more for the rice which gives creamy texture.

Millet version - Instead of rice, swap any millet, I prefer using polished ones (not the ethnic millets - not processed), white millet varieties like barnyard or samai rather than something like thinai.

Oats pongal - For healthier version, use oats and cooked dal like I have done here.

Rava pongal - You can use semolina too instead of rice. Or wheat rava.

So other than this, I have 5 other pongal recipes in this website 😃.

Serving suggestions

Ven pongal serving suggestion : Always serve hot with a teaspoon of ghee topped for each serving.

A simple pongal gotsu or brinjal gosthu (links above) or even regular tiffin sambar or coconut chutney goes well with ven pongal.

FAQs

Recipe card

Step by step images

1. Firstly, wash1 cup Raw riceand¼ cup Moong daltogether. An optional step is to roast the moong dal for extra flavour.

2. Then heat a small cooker with1 teaspoon Ghee. Fry1 tablespoon Ginger choppedand1 pinch Asafoetidafor few seconds.

3. Then add5 cups Water, bring to boil. After that, add the washed rice, dal,Saltand pressure cook for 4 whistles in medium flame.

4. Wait until pressure gets released naturally, after that open and mash.

5. Finally, temper with the items given under the table. First2 tablespoon Ghee, when hot add1 teaspoon Pepperand let it start splutter and then switch off the flame. Add8 Cashewsand1 teaspoon Cumin seedsfry till cashews turn golden. After that1 sprig Curry leavesand⅛ pinch Asafoetida.

6. Mix in the heat furthermore and then add it to pongal and mix well.

While serving, serve hot with a teaspoon drizzle of ghee in melt form. This gives best results.

Serve it super hot with gothsu or chutney as an accompaniment. I made gothsu with potato and carrot the other day and ginger coconut chutney

Instant pot ven pongal

Using Instant pot is my favorite way for a hassle free job. Here's how to make ven pongal in Instant pot. Refer the short video in the recipe card in case you need.

I use a different ratio and method than the above stove top method:

• ½ cup rice
• ½ cup moong dal
• 1 teaspoon Rock salt
• 3.5 cups water

To temper

• 1 tablespoon oil (For soft texture and restaurant flavor)
• 1 tablespoon Ghee
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds (crush pepper and cumin together coarsely)
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• ⅛ teaspoon asafoetida

1. Firstly wash rice and dal together.
2. Then heat instant pot in saute mode, High heat setting.
3. After that, add oil, ghee and then add crushed pepper cumin, asafoetida, ginger, curry leaves.
4. Then add washed rice dal and roast for a minute until water content is gone.
5. After that, pour measured water, salt and mix well.
6. Cancel saute and close the lid with pressure valve in sealed position.
7. Cook in Rice mode, More & High pressure for 15 minutes. Again wait for minimum 15 minutes before opening.
8. Then release pressure if any after 15 minutes.
9. Finally mash well to get a creamy consistency. Serve hot with ghee!