Millet Pongal (Instant Pot & Stovetop)

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 in ghee tempered 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. Generally, Pongal is made from rice, but I am sharing a healthy substitute made with millets today. I have used foxtail millet in this recipe. You can also use Little Millet (Samai).

Foxtail Millet in Indian Languages

Foxtail Millet is a type of small cereal grain from the grass family. Millets release Glucose slowly into the bloodstream against highly processed rice & wheat which release it very quickly. Millets are highly nutritious and rich in calcium, protein, fiber and the list goes on. In addition, they are gluten-free, unlike wheat.

• Hindi / Punjabi – Kakum/Kangni
• Kannada – Navane
• Telugu – Korra
• Tamil – Tenai/Thinai

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.

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

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.

Foxtail Millet Pongal Ingredients

• Yellow Moong Dal – Use skinless split yellow moong dal.
• Millet – I have used foxtail millet variety but you can also use Little millet, Kodo Millet or any variety for this recipe.
• 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, green chilies for this recipe. They enhance the flavor and make the dish yummy.
• Nuts – Use 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 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.

What to Serve with Millet Pongal?

Serve Millet Pongal dish with some spicy chutney or sambar. You can also serve it with some papad 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 in a microwave or on the stovetop (add water if required to adjust consistency) just before serving.

Variations

• The ratio of dal to millet is a personal preference. I have used equal amounts of dal and millet 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 thinai Pongal recipe healthy.
• Adding ghee enriches the taste of Pongal but Vegans can skip ghee/clarified butter and replace it with any cooking oil.
• You can also use husked split moong dal, which makes this moong dal millet khichdi more healthy.
• You can use the same recipe to make quinoa, rice, broken wheat pongal. Just replace millets with rice, broken wheat, or quinoa.

If you like this recipe, then check out more Millet Recipes from my blog

• Little Millet/Samai Upma 
• Kodo Millet Pulao 
• Little Millet Lemon Rice
• Bajra Khichdi

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