Veg Pongal is an amazing dish from South India that is made with rice and yellow moong dal. The dish can be turned sweet or savoury, depending upon your taste. It can be made sweet or savoury; it all depends on your preference. This recipe has a wonderful flavour of cumin, asafetida, curry leaves, ginger, and black pepper.
Veg Pongal can be served for morning breakfast with side dished like sambar and coconut-based chutneys. It can also make a quick and easy lunch. Scroll down for step by step Pongal recipe.
Per bowl of veg Pongal contains 285 Calories
- Fat 11 g
- Saturated Fat 6 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat 1 g
- Cholesterol 22 mg
- Sodium 409 mg1
- Potassium 101 mg
- Carbohydrates 38 g
- Fibre 3 g
- Sugar 1 g
- Protein 8 g
Prepare time: 5 min
Cook: 20 min
Ready in: 25 min
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- ½ cup rice
- ¼ cup moong dal
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds, lightly crushed
- ⅛ teaspoon asafoetida
- 1-inch ginger, chopped
- 3 to 3.25 cups water
- salt as required
For Tempering
- cumin seeds – 1 teaspoon
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns whole or crushed
- 1 sprig of curry leaves
- 10 to 12 cashews
- 2 to 3 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter)
Preparation
Roasting Moong Dal
- Firstly, clean the moong dal.
- Now, heat a small pan and add the moong dal to it.
- Keep stirring the moong lentils on low flame till you smell their irresistible aroma.
- Now, rinse the rice and dal.
Cooking Rice And Moong Dal
- Drain very well, and then add them to a pressure cooker.
- Now add all ingredients – cumin seeds, asafetida, chopped ginger.
- Next, add salt as per taste and pour water into it.
- Use a pressure cooker for cooking on medium to high flame. Allow 7 to 8 whistles, or cook around 11-12 mins.
- Once the pressure of the cooker settles down, remove the lid to check the consistency.
- If the consistency of Pongal is like pulao, add ½ to 1 cup hot water and mix properly.
- Once cooked well, then cover with the lid and keep aside.
Tempering
- Take another small pan, and heat the ghee.
- Then, a cumin seeds and let them splutter.
- Next, add the cashews to it.
- Fry until the cashews become light golden.
- Once done, add black peppercorns and add nearly 10 -12 curry leaves.
- Stir it very well and fry until the curry leaves become crispy in texture.
- Ensure the black peppers should also be fried well.
Making Ven Pongal
- Now put the entire tempering on the Pongal.
- Mix properly.
- Cover with the lid and keep ven Pongal aside for about 5 to 6 minutes.
- This allows the aroma to stay in the Pongal and give it a flavorful twist.
Now, remove the lid and serve hot with sambar or coconut chutney.