Quinoa Pongal Recipe

Quinoa pongal served in a brown bowl with golden spoon on it.

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Quinoa Pongal is an easy, comforting, and one-pot healthy dish made by cooking quinoa with moong dal in an Instant Pot or stovetop pressure cooker, then tempered with cumin, pepper, curry leaves, ghee, and roasted cashews.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Indian, South Indian

Keyword quinoa pongal, quinoa pongal in pressure cooker

Diet Gluten-Free, Vegetarian

Method Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker, Stovetop

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 15

Total Time 20

Servings

Calories 432kcal

Author Bhavana Patil

Ingredients

½ cup quinoa
¼ cup split yellow moong dal
½ teaspoon turmeric
salt to taste
3 cups water to cook & (extra ½ cup for adjusting consistency)

For Tempering

2 tablespoons ghee
8-10 cashew nuts
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon crushed whole pepper
2 green chilies
1 teaspoon ginger finely chopped
1 stalk curry leaves
1 pinch asafoetida (hing)

Instructions

Stovetop Pressure Cooker

Add rinsed quinoa, split yellow moong dal, turmeric powder, salt, and water. Mix well. Close the lid and put the whistle weight on. Cook for 2-3 whistles on medium flame and turn off the gas.
In a tempering pan, add ghee. Once it's hot, add a few cashew nuts. Saute for a minute or till the cashew nuts turn light golden.
Then add cumin (jeera seeds), and black pepper (whole or lightly crushed), and let the cumin seeds sizzle.
Next, add green chilies (slightly lengthwise), ginger (finely chopped), curry leaves, and asafetida. Sauté for another 30 seconds until the curry leaves become crisp.
Once the pressure has been released, open the lid. Add this tempering to the cooked moong dal-quinoa mixture. Mix everything well. Simmer for 1-2 minutes to allow the flavors to blend.
Note: If the pongal is thick, then add ½-1 cup of hot water and adjust the consistency.
Serve it hot with coconut chutney, vegetable sambar, onion tomato raita.

Instant Pot Method

Follow the same steps as the stovetop pressure cooker, Pressure Cook on High for 6-8 minutes, followed by Natural Pressure Release.

Nutrition