Easy Ven Pongal Recipe – Rice Lentil Dish

Ven Pongal is a savoury dish popular in Tamil Nadu, South of India, for its simple use of ingredients, crispy tempering of cumin, hing and curry leaves. This dish is typically served as a breakfast dish in many parts of South India including Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh, and is now becoming well known in other parts of the country as well. It is easy to make and doesn’t require a lot of time!

What is Pongal?

“Pongal” in Tamil means to boil or bubble up and Ven means white. This dish is native to most South Asian regions like South India and Sri Lanka. Pongal goes by many names like Venn Pongal, Ven Pongal (Tamil) or Huggi (Karnataka), and can be savoury or sweet. Chakarai Pongal is sweet and is made during the Pongal festival (yes, we have a festival named Pongal too). During the Pongal festival in Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry, Kerala, and Sankranthi festival in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Pongal is made as an important meal for all. There are other types of Pongal like Melagu Pongal and Puli Pongal. Another variation of Pongal is called khichdi, mostly consumed in the North of India where rice, lentils and vegetables are all cooked in a single pot. In the light of exploring new breakfasts and introducing you to the lesser-known dishes of India, here we are with Ven Pongal. Here is @beextravegant bringing this brilliantly simple dish to your screens for you to try.

How to prep for Ven Pongal: Tips and Tricks

The preparation time is not a lot. Hardly 15-20 minutes is required to prep the rice and the lentils. Start by toasting the lentils or split/peeled mung beans in a dry pan. Roasting allows the moong beans to get aromatic and there is no foam formed when the water is added. Another tip is to avoid using sticky rice as the Pongal will turn mushier than required.

Here’s a step-by-step process on how to make Ven Pongal in a few easy steps.

1. Heat a small pan or a wok and toast the moong dal/lentils. Keep the heat low and stir till they become aromatic. Add the toasted lentils and uncooked rice to a bowl.

2. Generously wash the lentils and rice until the starchy water runs out.

3. Save this water and use it to water your plants. Keep ’em healthy and thriving 😀

4. Once the rice and lentils are rinsed, add them to a pressure cooker with 4 to 5 cups of water.

5. Then add asafoetida (hing), and chopped ginger and salt to taste the uncooked rice and lentil mix.

6. Add cumin powder and salt to taste.

7. Pressure cook on medium heat for about 10 to 12 minutes. If you wish to use Instant Pot to cook the rice and lentils, keep the setting on ‘rice”. The consistency we’re looking for is slighty mushy and not porridge-like.

8. Remove the cover to check the consistency and whether the cooker has naturally released all of its pressure. If it appears dry and not just a little bit mushy, add about 1/2 cup extra boiling water and simmer the Pongal with an open cover for a little while

Tempering:

9. Moving on to tempering: In a small pan, heat the oil or vegan ghee. (If possible try to use vegan ghee as it gives the Pongal more authenticity and flavour). Add the cumin seeds and allow it to splutter.

10. Add cashews and fry until the cashews become very slightly golden. Be careful not to let it go brown. I let it fry longer and ended up with burnt cashews. But you can do better than Dr. Butterfinger, right?

11. Add the peppercorns and curry leaves. You can add crushed pepper corns or pepper powder but I personally prefer them whole. The whole peppercorns add some crunch and spice to the dish.

12. When the leaves are crispy, stir well, remove them from the fire, and then add the tempering right away to the Pongal. Mix well and cover so that the flavours settle and infuse into the Pongal.

12. Put into the mould shape of your liking and serve with some coconut chutney or sambar. Enjoy!

And there you have it. Easy, simple and yet fragrant Ven Pongal, ready to be gorged on. Do try this Ven Pongal Recipe and let me know how you like it in the comments. If you have another way of preparing the same recipe, do let me know. I would love to try it out as well.

Check out my other recipes for Indian breakfast:

1. Easy Sambhar Recipe
2. Spicy Red Kaara Chutney
3. Kuzhi/Kuli Paniyaram