January 6, 2016

Ven Pongal | Kaara Pongal | Easy Pongal Recipe

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I have a Pongal fanatic at home – my husband. He would be the only person to love having Pongal any time of the day 😀 Given our busy schedules, I can never prepare Pongal for breakfast although its a classic breakfast recipe. I resort to preparing Pongal for dinner and we enjoy it piping hot right out of the pot. I have already shared Thinai Pongal and Rava Pongal – adaptations from this classic Rice Pongal. There is literally nothing that can beat this perfect rice and moong dal Pongal. Traditionally, this is prepared for the Pongal festival in an earthen pot early in the morning. While it takes a long time to cook that way, I prefer using the short cut method of pressure cooking pongal for faster and better results. I can guarantee you that this recipe yields perfect pongal that stays moist and yummy. The best combination for Pongal is coconut chutney and sambar! A dollop of ghee on top of hot Pongal could take you to the 7th heaven 😀

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To make Ven Pongal | Kaara Pongal

  • Servings: 2
  • Difficulty: Easy
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What I used –
  • Raw Rice, 3/4 cup ( I used Sona Masoori)
  • Moong Dal, ¼ cup
  • Curry leaves, a few
  • Jeera/Cumin Seeds, 2 tsp
  • Whole Black Pepper, 1 tsp
  • Asafoetida, 1 tsp
  • Oil, 1 tsp
  • Salt, as required
  • Water, 4 cups
  • Ghee/Clarified Butter, 1 tsp (optional)

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How I made –

1. In a pressure cooker, heat oil. Add jeera and whole black pepper. Once jeera is golden brown, add asafoetida. After a few secs, add washed curry leaves.

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2. In a bowl, add the rice and moong dal, wash and set aside. Add the rice-dal mixture to the cooker. Stir fry for 3-4 mins on low flame. This helps in cooking the rice and moong dal to a mush. Add four cups of water and add salt required. Mix well.

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3. Bring the water to boil. Set the flame on medium and pressure cook  it for atleast three – four whistles. Wait until the pressure is released from the cooker before opening the lid of the cooker. Mix well and make sure its mushy.

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4. Serve hot with chutney/sambar of your choice. Add a tsp of ghee on top to enhance the taste.

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Note –
  • Optionally, adding green chilli and finely chopped ginger helps enhance the spiciness of the Pongal.
  • To make it more spicy without using green chillies and ginger, slightly crush the black pepper.
  • I use very limited amount of oil for making this pongal, as it’s cooked in pressure cooker. Adding a tsp of oil/butter on top enhances the taste.

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