Ven Pongal Instant Pot

Ven Pongal (Khara Pongal) also known as Moong dal khichdi is a classic South Indian breakfast recipe made with rice & yellow moong lentils in ghee along with few Indian spices in a Instant Pot Pressure Cooker.

A hearty spicy porridge style dish to start your day on a healthy note and also perfect festive recipe & one pot healthy meal.

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Pongal, Idli Vada combo is one of the most popular breakfast item you will find in any South Indian restaurant in India.

Pongal is the south indian version of moong dal khichdi.Its very light on stomach and very easy to prepare.It can also be given to infants and toddlers.

Today i am sharing One Pot Ven Pongal recipe which i have prepared in my electric pressure cooker, Instant Pot DUO60 6 QT.But traditionally rice and dal are first pressure cooked and then ghee tempering is poured over cooked rice dal mixture and simmered for few minutes.

Don’t have an Instant pot? You can easily make this in the normal Indian/stovetop pressure cooker. I have provided the steps below.

LOOKING FOR MORE BREAKFAST RECIPES THEN DO CHECK Hariyali Poha ,Karnataka Style Mandakki Usli ,Spicy Tawa Idli ,Palak Moong Dal Dosa ,Pav Bhaji Dosa, Restaurant Style Upma.

What is Pongal (Festival)

Pongal is a multi-day harvest festival of South India, particularly in the Tamil Nadu that marks the first day of the sun's return journey to the northern hemisphere, widely known as Makar Sankranti in India and this is typically celebrated on January 14.

What is Ven Pongal

Ven pongal is a spicy and savory dish where rice and moong dal are cooked and tempered with cumin, pepper, ginger and ghee. There's also a sweet version of pongal called Sakkarai(sweet) pongal. It's made with jaggery instead of spices.

Ven Pongal Ingredients

Yellow Moong Dal – Use skinless split yellow moong dal.

Rice – Traditionally short grain white rice is used to make ven pongal.I have used Sona masoori white rice but you can also use seeraga samba rice for a good flavor.

Black Pepper - Traditionally whole black pepper corns are used ,I have used crushed black pepper since i dont like whole black pepper coming in every bite.Or simply use ½ teaspoon of ground black pepper.

Spices & herbs - Do not skip any spices & herbs like cumin seeds ,hing ,ginger ,curry leaves for this recipe.They enhance the flavour and makes the dish yummy.

Nuts – Use Cashews-nuts. But you can skip it too if you have nut allergy.

Ghee – Adding good quantity of ghee, enhances the taste & aroma of the pongal. But if you are a vegan replace with oil.

Edible Camphor – a pinch of Edible camphor (pacha karpoora) can be added to get Temple style ven pongal taste.If its not readily available ,skip it.

How to make Ven pongal in Instant pot

1.Press SAUTE (Normal) on Instant Pot. Add ghee or oil in to the POT.Note:Tastes better with Ghee

2.Once POT is hot add in the Cumin/Jeera, Black Pepper and Cashewnuts. Saute for 30 secs or till cashew nuts turn light brown in color.

3.Add the chopped green chillies, ginger ,curry leaves and asafoetida. Saute for another 30 secs.

4.Next, add the washed dal and rice. Saute well 1-2 minutes till dal turns light brown or till aromatic.

5.Add water, salt.Mix well.

6.Close the lid on the pot, and turn pressure valve to SEALING position.

7.Set the pot to MANUAL/PRESSURE COOK (High Pressure) and set timer to 8 minutes.

8.Wait for NATURAL PRESSURE RELEASE(NPR).

9.Once the pressure has released, open the lid and mix pongal well.

Note: If rice is not mushy then select saute mode and add 1 cup of water and cook for 1-2 minutes or till mixture boils.

10.Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Ven Pongal or khara pongal recipe is ready, serve with yogurt, raita or tamarind chutney.

Stove top pressure cooker Pongal

• Heat 1 teaspoon ghee in a pressure cooker and add the washed dal, Saute well 1-2 minutes till dal turns light brown or till aromatic.Then add rice.
• Add 4 cups of water ,mix well.
• Close the lid and put the whistle weight on. Cook for 3-4 whistles on medium flame and turn off the gas.
• Once the pressure has released, open the lid and Mix the mixture well.
• Meanwhile in a pan add remaining ghee ,once its hot add cumin/(jeera) ,black pepper, cashew-nuts. Saute for 30 secs or till cashew nuts turn light brown in color.
• Add the chopped green chillies, ginger ,curry leaves and asafetida. Saute for another 30 secs.
• Add this tempering into the cooked moong dal rice mixture and boil.Note: If rice is not mushy then add 1 cup of water and adjust consistency.
• Pongal is ready, serve with chutney, sambar, raita or tamarind chutney.
  

What to serve with Ven pongal

Ven Pongal dish is usually served with some spicy chutney or sambar.You can also serve it with some papad, raita and pickle for a quick meal.

Tips

• Pongal taste best when made fresh and eaten hot.
• Using small grain rice such as sona masuri or Seeraga Samba rice is preferred to make traditional Pongal.
• Pongal thickens a little on cooling. You can save leftovers in the refrigerator and re heat in a microwave or on stove top (add hot water if required to adjust consistency) just before serving.

Variations for Instant pot Ven pongal

• Ratio of dal to rice is a personal preference.I have used equal amounts of dal and rice to include more protein into the diet.But you can reduce the dal as well.
• You can also add some vegetables like carrots ,peas ,spinach to make this Pongal healthy.
• Adding ghee enriches the taste of pongal but Vegans can skip ghee/clarified butter and replace with any cooking oil.
• You can also use husked split moong dal, makes this moong dal khichdi more healthy.
• Use the same recipe to make healthy pongal recipe with millets ,quinoa ,rava ,oats.

More South Indian Breakfasts

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