Foxtail Millet or Thinai Pongal, also known as Navane Pongal in Kannada, is an easy and healthy South Indian recipe made with millets & yellow moong lentils tempered in ghee with a few spices in an Instant Pot Pressure Cooker or stovetop.
Pongal is the South Indian version of moong dal khichdi. It's very light on the stomach and very easy to prepare. Traditionally, Ven Pongal is made from rice, but today I am sharing a healthy substitute made with millets. I have used foxtail millet in this recipe.
If you don't have Foxtail millet at home, You can make this millet Pongal with little millet (Samai), Kodo millet, or barnyard tastes equally good.
Don't have an Instant pot? You can easily make this millet Pongal in the normal Indian/stovetop pressure cooker. I have provided the steps below.
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What Are Millets?
Millets are Ancient Grains. Mankind has known its nutritional value for centuries. They are naturally gluten-free. Millet can also be used as a healthier alternative to rice and in salad recipes or as a side dish.
Benefits of Millets?
For Humans, Millets release glucose slowly into the bloodstream, unlike highly processed rice & wheat, which release it very quickly. Millets are highly nutritious and rich in calcium, protein, fiber and the list goes on. They are gluten-free, unlike rice and wheat.
- Prevent diabetes
- Healthy heart
- Prevent cancer
- Anti-aging properties
- Balance cholesterol level
- Strengthen bones
- Assist digestion
What is Foxtail Millet?
Foxtail millet, scientifically known as Setaria italica is a type of small cereal grain from the grass family, covered in a thin, crispy hull, usually available in light yellowish-brown color.
Other names for foxtail millet include green foxtail, Italian millet, and German millet. The names in other Indian languages are
- Hindi / Punjabi – Kakum/Kangni
- Kannada – Navane
- Telugu – Korra
- Tamil – Tenai/Thinai
- Bengali - Kaon dana
Foxtail Millet Pongal Ingredients
- Millet – I have used the foxtail millet variety, but you can also use Little millet, Kodo Millet, Proso, or any variety for this recipe.
- Yellow Moong Dal – Use dehusked (skinless) split yellow moong dal.
- Black Pepper - whole black peppercorns are used, you may also use crushed black pepper if you don't like whole black pepper coming in every bite.
- Spices & herbs - Do not skip any spices & herbs like cumin seeds, hing, ginger, curry leaves, and green chilies for this recipe. They enhance the flavor and make the dish yummy.
- Nuts – I used cashews-nuts. But you can skip it, too, if you have a nut allergy.
- Ghee – Adding a good quantity of ghee, enhances the taste & aroma of the dish. But if you are a vegan, replace it with oil.
How to Make Millet Pongal in Instant Pot
Firstly, Press SAUTE on Instant Pot. Next, add ghee or oil to the POT. Note: Tastes better with ghee.
Once hot, add in the jeera, black pepper. Saute for a few seconds.
Next, add the green chilies, ginger, curry leaves, cashew nuts, and asafetida. Saute for another 30 secs till cashews turn light golden brown.
Next, add the rinsed moong dal and saute well for 1-2 minutes until the dal turns light brown or aromatic.
Then add the millets, water, and salt to taste. Mix well. Ensure to Deglaze the bottom of the pot to remove any stuck bits to avoid BURN notice.
Close the lid securely, and turn the vent to "SEALING". Select the PRESSURE COOK/MANUAL (High Pressure) setting and set the cooking time to 8 minutes.
When the instant pot beeps, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, then release any remaining pressure before removing the lid.
Open the lid and mix everything well.
Note: If Pongal is not mushy, select saute mode, add 1 cup of water, and cook for 1-2 minutes or till mixture boils.
Serve Foxtail Millet Pongal with yogurt, raita, or coconut chutney.
Stovetop Pressure Cooker Method
- Heat 1 teaspoon ghee in a pressure cooker and add the washed dal, Saute well for 1-2 minutes till the dal turns light brown or aromatic. Then add millets.
- Add 4 cups of water, and mix well. Close the lid and put the whistle weight on. Cook for 4-5 whistles on medium flame and turn off the gas.
- Once the pressure has been released, open the lid and Mix the mixture well.
- Meanwhile, in a pan, add the remaining ghee, once it's hot, add jeera, black pepper, and saute for a few seconds.
- Next, add the green chilies, ginger, curry leaves, cashew nuts, and asafetida. Saute for another 30 secs till cashews turn light golden brown.
- Add this tempered mixture into the Pongal and boil. Note: If Pongal is not mushy, add 1 cup of water and adjust consistency.
- Millet Pongal is ready, serve with yogurt, raita, or coconut chutney.
What to Serve with Millet Pongal?
Millet Pongal goes well with spicy coconut chutney or sambar. You can also serve it with some papad/appalam and pickle for a quick meal.
Tips
- Pongal tastes best when made fresh and eaten hot.
- Pongal thickens a little on cooling. You can save leftovers in the refrigerator and reheat them in a microwave or on the stovetop (add water if required to adjust consistency) just before serving.
- You can store the leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Variations
- Ratio: The ratio of dal to millet is a personal preference. I have used equal amounts of dal and millet to include more protein in the diet. But you can reduce the dal as well.
- Vegetables: You can also add vegetables like carrots, green peas, beans, and spinach to make this Thinai Pongal recipe healthy.
- Millets: You can also use any millet variety like Little millet, Kodo Millet, or Proso.
- Other Grains: You can substitute millets with other grains like quinoa, rice, sorghum, buckwheat, and broken wheat.
- Lentils: Split moong dal with husk (skin) also works well with this recipe.
- Vegan: Adding homemade ghee enriches the taste of Pongal, but vegans can skip ghee and replace it with any cooking oil.
More Breakfast Recipes
More Millet Recipes
- Little Millet/Samai Upma
- Kodo Millet Pulao
- Little Millet Lemon Rice
- Bajra Khichdi
- Ragi Malt
- Millet Fried Rice
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Foxtail Millet Pongal
Ingredients
Measuring cup used 1 cup = 250 ml
- ½ cup foxtail millet
- ½ cup Yellow Moong Dal
- 4 cups water +1 cup extra to adjust consistency
- 2 tablespoon Ghee/Clarified Butter (Vegans can replace ghee with oil)
- 1 teaspoon Cumin (jeera) seeds
- ½ teaspoon Whole Black Pepper/Pepper corns
- 2-3 green chilies
- 1 teaspoon ginger finely chopped
- 1 stalk curry leaves
- 8-10 cashew nuts
- a big pinch Hing (Asafoetida)
- salt to taste
Instructions
Instant Pot Method:
- Firstly, Press SAUTE on Instant Pot. Next, add ghee or oil to the POT. Note: Tastes better with ghee.
- Once hot, add in the jeera, black pepper. Saute for a few seconds.
- Next, add the green chilies, ginger, curry leaves, cashew nuts, and asafetida. Saute for another 30 secs till cashews turn light golden brown.
- Next, add the rinsed moong dal and saute well for 1-2 minutes until dal turns light brown or aromatic.
- Then add the millets, water, and salt to taste. Mix well. Ensure to Deglaze the bottom of the pot to remove any stuck bits to avoid BURN notice.
- Close the lid on the pot. Set the pot to MANUAL/PRESSURE COOK (High Pressure) and set the timer to 8 minutes.
- Once the pot beeps, let the pressure release naturally.
- Once the pressure has released, open the lid and mix millet Pongal well. Note: If Pongal is not mushy, select saute mode, add 1 cup of water, and cook for 1-2 minutes or till mixture boils.
- Serve Foxtail Millet Pongal with yogurt, raita, or coconut chutney.
Stovetop Pressure Cooker Method:
- 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 millets.
- Add 4 cups of water, mix well. Close the lid and put the whistle weight on. Cook for 4-5 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 jeera, black pepper and saute for few seconds.
- Next add the green chilies, ginger, curry leaves, cashew nuts and asafetida. Saute for another 30 secs till cashews turn light golden brown.
- Add this tempered mixture into the pongal and boil. Note: If pongal is not mushy then add 1 cup of water and adjust consistency.
- Millet Pongal is ready, serve with yogurt, raita or coconut chutney.
Notes
Tips
- Pongal tastes best when made fresh and eaten hot.
- Pongal thickens a little on cooling. You can save leftovers in the refrigerator and reheat them in a microwave or on the stovetop (add water if required to adjust consistency) just before serving.
- You can store the leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Variations
- Ratio: The ratio of dal to millet is a personal preference. I have used equal amounts of dal and millet to include more protein in the diet. But you can reduce the dal as well.
- Vegetables: You can also add vegetables like carrots, green peas, beans, and spinach to make this Thinai Pongal recipe healthy.
- Millets: You can also use any millet variety like Little millet, Kodo Millet, or Proso.
- Other Grains: You can substitute millets with other grains like quinoa, rice, sorghum, buckwheat, and broken wheat.
- Lentils: Split moong dal with husk (skin) also works well with this recipe.
- Vegan: Adding homemade ghee enriches the taste of Pongal, but vegans can skip ghee and replace it with any cooking oil.
Nutrition
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Anonymous says
Do we need to soak millets
Bhavana Patil says
No Need to soak if you are making in a pressure cooker or instant pot.If you have time then you can soak for 15-30 minutes.
Akshya says
Turns out great and is such a comfort food! We now prefer this to rice pongal. I increased jeera and black pepper by 50% for some extra oomph, and also crushed them in a mortar and pestle.
Bhavana Patil says
Thank you so much trying and sharing your feedback Akshya, Glad you liked it.