Ven Pongal

Ven Pongal is a popular breakfast that comes from the southern state of Tamil Nadu in India. It is easy to make and is absolutely delicious.

The two main ingredients that are used for making Pongal are rice and moong dal. These two can be combined to make savoury pongal or sweet pongal. Today, the recipe I am sharing is that of the savoury version. Ven means white, and Pongal means bubbling and frothing. Unlike many other Indian foods, Pongal has no turmeric, hence its colour is white. It is traditionally made in an earthen pot, in which rice and moong dal are cooked. When they cook, they bubble and froth, which explains why Ven Pongal is named so.

Ven Pongal is also called Khara Pongal ( meaning savoury Pongal) and Ghee Pongal ( because it is made in Ghee).

Pongal also refers to the harvest festival that comes in the month of January, in which people celebrate a successful harvest by making sweet and savoury pongal along with vegetable curry made with seasonal and freshly harvested vegetables.

Making Ven Pongal is easy. At home, people typically make it in a pressure cooker, which reduces the cooking time. The simple breakfast resembles a porridge but is a lot more flavourful and delicious.

So, let’s start:

Equipment Needed:

• Pressure Cooker: https://amzn.to/3QO0hqw
• Pan: https://amzn.to/3QOm41k
• Knives: https://amzn.to/3Lg64Bj
• Cutting Board: https://amzn.to/3K0dh8L
• Mortar and Pestle: https://amzn.to/3u4xLrI

Ingredients Needed to make Ven Pongal:

• 1 Cup Rice
• 1 Cup Roasted Moong Dal
• 6 Cups Water ; and an additional amount to adjust the consistency
• Salt; to taste
• 2 tbsp Finely chopped Ginger
• 1 tsp Black Peppercorns; crushed
• 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
• 12-15 Cashews
• 2 tbsp Ghee
• 10-12 Curry Leaves
• ⅓ tsp Asafoetida

Some Notes:

1. For roasting moong dal, transfer the dal into a pan. On medium heat, roast it till it becomes fragrant. Constantly mix with a spatula, or else it can burn. Do not brown the dal; just roast till you get the aroma. Once roasted, transfer them to a plate and let them cool.
2. Don’t make a powder from black peppercorns. Lightly crush them using a mortar and pestle.

Method to make Ven Pongal: 

• Combine roasted moong dal and rice.
  
  
  
• Wash them well and let them soak in water for about 30 minutes.
  
  
  
• After 30 minutes, wash once again and discard all the water.
  
  
  
• Transfer this to a pressure cooker. Add salt, ginger and about 6 cups of water.
  
  
  
• Pressure cook it till the rice and lentils become soft and mushy.
  
  
  
• Add a cup of water and mix to make it loose.
  
  
  
• In a pan, heat ghee. On medium heat, fry cashews, asafoetida, cumin seeds, crushed peppercorns, and curry leaves.
  
  
  
• Put this on the cooked rice and lentils.
  
  
  
• Mix well and serve hot with some extra ghee.
  
  

Some Additional Notes for my readers in Germany:

You can get most of the ingredients needed for this recipe from the local supermarket, except Asafoetida, Moong Dal and Curry Leaves. You can source these ingredients from any Indian shop near you. You can even check the online store of Spicelands. They are a big store in Frankfurt, delivering all across Germany.

Here is the recipe in printable format:

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Check out other recipes from my kitchen here.

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