My MIL makes a mean ven pongal and I have taken a few tips and tricks from her to make sure we novices can also get good results when making pongal in our kitchens.
Contents
About ven pongal Key Ingredients Pongal and the festival connection Tips to make pongal Jump to recipe Step by step images
A bit about ven pongal
Ven pongal is a soft cooked mash up of raw rice and yellow moong dal (lentils) with extra water to give it a creamy texture. It is a popular breakfast or festival dish in Tamil Nadu and is typically seasoned with black pepper and cumin, and garnished with ghee. Ven Pongal has a creamy and soft texture, and it is often served with coconut chutney and sambar or a delicious side dish called Gotsu.
Key ingredients
Ven pongal made by cooking rice and split yellow moong dal together, usually in a pressure cooker, until they become soft and mushy. The tempering or tadka is an important step in making Ven Pongal, as it adds flavour to the dish. The tempering usually includes ingredients like black pepper, cumin seeds, ginger, curry leaves, and asafoetida, which are sautéed in ghee before being added to the soft cooked rice and dal. There are a few variations in ven pongal recipe depending on each household and the flavour can change quite a bit depending on the proportions of each of the basic ingredients, which usually remain the same.
Ven pongal and Pongal festival
Ven Pongal is commonly prepared during the Pongal festival in Tamil Nadu, a harvest festival celebrated in January. Due to this, the “new rice” is made to cook pongal. However, Pongal can certainly be enjoyed throughout the year as a filling and comforting meal. The dish is known for its simplicity, yet it’s delicious and satisfying and many who live away from home crave a good hot plate of Pongal on rainy days.
Tips to make pongal
I know that seems like a lot but making Pongal is a straightforward process, and these tips can help you achieve a delicious end result, especially if you are new to cooking pongal. Adjust the ingredients and proportions to suit your preferences, as always.
Step by Step Ven Pongal Recipe
Soak washed moong dal for 30 minutes Wash the rice and add the soaked dal to this along with 3 cups water. Place in a bowl in a pressure cooker with water. You can also cook it directly in the pressure cooker. Cook for 4 whistles or 15-20 mins until the dal-rice mixture is soft and mushy. Powder the cumin seeds and pepper under “tempering ingredients” together Heat oil (or just use ghee) and add the cashew nuts. Once they are golden brown, add all other ingredients to temper. Roast well. Turn off heat and add the cooked rice-dal mixture to this. Mix everything well with salt and add more hot water if the pongal is too try. Serve ven pongal hot!
