What is Pongal?
Pongal in Tamil translates to overflowing. The overflowing of milk signifies prosperity and abundance in Tamilian culture. Pongal is a 4 day long harvest festival celebrated in Tamil Nadu. Special delicacies are made during this festival. Ven Pongal, Sakkarai Pongal, Payasam, Sambar and Coconut Chutney, to name a few.
What is Khara Pongal?
Khara Pongal and Ghee Pongal are the two other names of Ven Pongal. The recipe is super easy to make and is uber delicious. I believe that the recipe is a close version of khichdi. It is made with a variety of short grained rice and yellow moong dal. The only difference between khichdi and pongal is, the tempering. Tempering in pongal is added only after the rice and lentils are cooked. The tempering is made with lots of ghee, cumin seeds, asafetida, curry leaves, cashews and black peppercorns. The tempering is what truly creates magic in this recipe. If you haven’t tasted this easy yet super delicious delicacy, I suggest you must!
Ingredients to Make this Recipe
Yellow Moong Dal - Yellow moong dal renders a creamy texture to this recipe, and cannot be substitued. Short Grained Rice - You can use Sona Massouri Rice/ Or Par Boiled Rice for this recipe. But, any short grained variety of rice should work. Water - Water is used to cook the rice and the lentils. In some families some milk is also added. But I feel the lentils add enough creaminess to this recipe, so I prefer not to add milk.
Ghee - Ghee brings the nuttiness and flavor to this recipe, and in my opinion, it literally is the star ingredient. The more you add the better it tastes. Tempering Aromatics and Spices - The tempering is the most important part of this recipe, so make sure you add all the tempering ingredients to make this recipe tastes absolutely lip smacking delicious. You will add cumin seeds, asafetida, cashwes, curry leaves, minced ginger and black peppercorns.
Expert Tips from my MIL to Make this Recipe
The rice-to-lentils ratio should be 1:1. This gives the perfect texture and creaminess to the ghee pongal. Dry roast the rice and lentils, and this brings out their beautiful flavors and makes the recipe taste super delicious.
If you are making this recipe in the instant pot, for every rice and lentils to water 1:3 ratio works well, if you are cooking it in a pressure cooker or pan. Be genrous to add ghee. It elevates so much flavor. If you want you can also add freshly grated coconut, some temples in Tamil Nadu add it, and their Ven Pongal tastes amazingly delicious.
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