VeN Pongal
Very few dishes come under soul touching, warm, comfort food category. VeN Pongal is one such savoury, South Indian (specific to Tamilnadu) breakfast dish. It is wholesome, super filling and keeps you going until lunch.
VeN Pongal is made with few simple ingredients and each ingredient has a unique role in flavour and taste. Having said that, one important ingredient which decides the ultimate taste of VeN Pongal is the aromatic ghee we use. Home made, slow cooked, ghee enhances the aroma of the pongal and takes it to a different level. So, I suggest to use fresh home made ghee (see how to make home made ghee here). Paired with chutney/sambar/gothsu or any pickle, this is an easy to make, sumptuous dish.
Till date, I’ve never tasted better VeN Pongal than the one my mom makes. She is an expert in making VeN Pongal and I’m happy to share her recipe here. Try the VeN Pongal with our Sutta Kathrikkai Gothsu!
Ingredients
Rice – 1 cup
Moong dhal – 1/4 cup
Salt – 1 tsp (or to taste)
Ghee – 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp
Crushed black pepper – 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds – 1/2 tbsp
Grated/minced ginger – 1 1/2 tbsp
Fresh curry leaves – a few
Cashew nuts halved – 15-20 pieces
Milk – 3 tbsp
Asafoetida (hing) – 1/2 tsp
Yield
Serves 3-4
Prep time
10 mins
Cook time
30 mins
Method
1) In a kadai/pan, on minimum heat, dry roast moong dhal for 3 to 4 mins until you get a nice aroma.
2) Now wash the rice and dhal together twice. Add 1/2 tbsp of ghee and cook them until soft and mushy. Set aside.
3) In the meantime, heat a kadai/pan, add 1 tbsp of ghee and fry the cashews until mild golden and set aside.
4) In the same kadai/pan, heat 2 tbsp of ghee. When mildly heated, add the cumin seeds and let it splutter a bit. Now add crushed pepper, ginger and curry leaves. Fry for 30 secs and add this to the cooked rice, dhal mixture. Also, add the fried cashew, salt and asafoetida to it and mix properly.
5) In a different pan, mildly heat the remaining ghee and add this to the pongal. Also add the milk at this stage and mix one last time.
6) Serve VeN Pongal hot with chutney/sambar/pickle/gothsu.
Notes
- Dry roasting moong dhal and adding a small quantitiy of ghee while cooking rice and dhal, adds more flavour and aroma to VeN Pongal.
- Roast the cashews in minimum heat until golden and crisp and avoid high heat.
- Don’t compromise on the quantity of ghee. Generous amount of ghee is added to get the perfect, glazed, non sticky pongal. The test my mom suggests – take a spoon of warm pongal in your mouth and it should slide down your throat easily without much effort to swallow. That is the right consistency. Infact, some call it Ghee Pongal for this reason. Since Pongal is fairly rich, it is usually consumed in smaller quantities.
- Adding ginger and pepper helps to digest VeN Pongal easily. These also help reduce the heavy feeling some people experience after having pongal and aid digestion.
- Adding few tbsps of milk helps to keep the pongal moist for a longer time.
- Pongal is best enjoyed when hot. So keep all the ingredients ready and start preparing VeN Pongal just 30 mins before serving.
