Indian & South Asian · Breakfast · Lunch
Ven Pongal (Savory Rice and Moong Dal Porridge)
வெண் பொங்கல் (Ven Pongal)
A comforting South Indian porridge of soft rice and toasted moong dal, finished with a fragrant tempering of black pepper, cumin, ginger and curry leaves. This lighter version uses more dal and less ghee while keeping its creamy, peppery character.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Total
- 45 min
- Serves
- 4
Calories come from: Carbs 69% · Fat 19% · Protein 12%
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Ingredients
For 4 servings- 3/4 cup150 gshort-grain white rice (such as sona masoori or ponni)
- 1/2 cup100 gsplit yellow moong dal
- 5 1/4 cups1,250 gwater
- 1 tsp6 gsalt
- 1 1/2 tbsp20 gghee
- 1 tspwhole black peppercorns
- 1 tspcumin seeds
- 1 tbsp8 gfresh ginger, finely chopped
- 1 small5 ggreen chili, slit (optional)
- 12 leavesfresh curry leaves
- 1 pinchasafoetida (hing)
- 2 tbsp15 gcashew halves (optional)
Steps
- 1
Dry-roast the moong dal in a heavy pan over medium-low heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring, until lightly golden and nutty.
- 2
Combine the roasted dal and rice in a bowl and rinse 2-3 times until the water runs mostly clear; drain.
- 3
Place the rice and dal in a pressure cooker with 4 1/4 cups (1000 g) of the water and the salt.
- 4
Pressure-cook on medium heat for about 15 minutes (4-5 whistles), then let the pressure release naturally for about 10 minutes. (For a stovetop pot, simmer covered for 30-35 minutes, stirring often.)
- 5
Open the cooker and mash the rice and dal lightly with a ladle until creamy.
- 6
Heat the remaining 1 cup (250 g) water and stir in enough to reach a soft, porridge-like consistency.
- 7
Heat the ghee in a small pan over medium heat and add the cashews, if using; fry until golden, about 1 minute.
- 8
Add the black peppercorns and cumin seeds and let them sizzle for 20-30 seconds.
- 9
Add the ginger, green chili (if using), curry leaves and asafoetida and stir for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- 10
Pour the tempering over the pongal and stir well.
- 11
Taste for salt and serve hot.
Swaps, storage and make-ahead
Swaps
- For a vegan version, replace the ghee with coconut oil or a neutral vegetable oil, which keeps every other ingredient plant-based.
- To make it gluten-free, choose an asafoetida labelled gluten-free, since many brands are blended with wheat flour, or simply leave it out.
- For a nut-free version, skip the cashews or use a few roasted pumpkin seeds instead for crunch.
- If you can't find sona masoori or ponni rice, use any short- or medium-grain white rice, such as calrose.
Storage
Cool leftovers quickly and refrigerate in an airtight container within 1 hour, then eat within 1 day. Pongal thickens as it cools, so stir in a splash of hot water and reheat once until steaming hot all the way through. It is best eaten fresh and is not ideal for freezing.
Make ahead
You can dry-roast the moong dal up to a week ahead and store it in an airtight jar once cool. For the softest, most fragrant result, cook the porridge and make the tempering just before serving.
Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.
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Allergens and nutrition
Contains: MilkTree nutsGluten
Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.
Full nutrition
| Per serving (385 g) | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 271 kcal | 70 kcal |
| Protein | 8.7 g | 2.3 g |
| Carbohydrates | 46.5 g | 12.1 g |
| of which sugars | 1.7 g | 0.4 g |
| Fiber | 5.4 g | 1.4 g |
| Fat | 5.6 g | 1.5 g |
| of which saturated | 3.3 g | 0.9 g |
| Sodium | 600 mg | 156 mg |
Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.
