Description
Ven Pongal is a comforting South Indian breakfast dish made with rice and mung dal, seasoned with cumin, pepper, and curry leaves, and enriched with ghee and cashews.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1 cup Rice
- 1 cup Mung Dal (Split & husked green gram)
- 1 tablespoon Cumin Seeds
- 1 teaspoon Black Peppercorns
- 2 Green Chillis, chopped
- A small piece of Ginger, grated
- A few Curry Leaves
- Salt, to taste
- 2 tablespoons Ghee
- Cashew nuts, a handful
Instructions
- Wash the rice and mung dal thoroughly under running water. Drain and set aside.
- In a pressure cooker, add the rice and mung dal with 4 cups of water. Cook for 3 whistles. For a better mix, cook the lentils for 2 whistles.
- In a kadai or a large pan, heat 2 tablespoons of ghee over medium heat.
- Add cumin seeds and let them splutter.
- Add black peppercorns, chopped green chillis, grated ginger, and curry leaves. Sauté for a minute until fragrant.
- Add a handful of cashew nuts and sauté until they turn golden brown.
- Once the pressure releases from the cooker, open it and add the cooked rice and dal mixture to the kadai.
- Mix everything well, adding salt to taste. Cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until everything is well combined and heated through.
- Serve hot, garnished with additional ghee if desired.
Notes
Ven Pongal can be served with coconut chutney or sambar for a complete meal. Adjust the spice level by varying the amount of green chillis. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days and reheated before serving. For a vegan version, substitute ghee with oil.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Cuisine: Indian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 2
- Sodium: 300
- Fat: 10
- Carbohydrates: 55
- Fiber: 5
- Protein: 10
- Cholesterol: 10