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    Home » Lentils & Legumes » Pongal

    How to make Ven Pongal Recipe in Instant Pot

    Published: Apr 26, 2009 · Modified: Aug 19, 2022 by Pavani · 16 Comments

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    Pongal is a delicious and comforting South Indian style rice and lentils dish. My recipe is made in an Instant pot which makes it very easy and convenient. A perfect one pot meal.

    Green plate with pongal and spoons

    Katte pongali or Venn pongal is a savory rice and lentils dish that is very popular in South Indian cuisine. It is a one pot meal that is hearty and comforting.

    My mom used to make it for breakfast/ brunch. But I make it as a meal for any time of the day. It is also a perfect dish to make during dasara or any other Indian festival.

    This is a easy to make recipe that takes about 10 minutes of hands on time. I use the instant pot because it is so much easier and more convenient. The use of ghee gives the dish its characteristic flavor and taste.

    In addition to this savory version, a sweet pongal is also made with jaggery. Both of these ghee laden rice dishes are served as prasad (offering) to devotees in Hindu temples.

    green plate with a spoon of scooped up pongal

    Ingredients

    This recipe uses basic pantry ingredients:

    Rice - I use sona masoori variety. You can use other short or medium grain rice. Do not use aromatic variety like basmati or jasmine.

    Moong dal - you can use either split, skinned or split without skin. Traditionally it is made with split, skinned moong dal and that is what I usually use.

    Ghee - adds a lot of flavor to this dish. But if you are vegan, then feel free to use oil.

    Ingredients needed - details in the recipe card

    Other ingredients you need are:

    • Peppercorns & cumin seeds
    • Ginger, green chilies and curry leaves
    • Hing, turmeric and salt
    • Cashews (optional)

    Instructions

    Traditionally Pongal is made in a pressure cooker or in a pan. But I have found that the Instant pot works the best for me as it is hands free. I can set it up and go about doing other stuff. Here's how I make it in an Instant Pot.

    Set the Instant Pot on 'Saute' mode. Add the moong dal and rice to the pot and roast for 2~3 minutes or until fragrant. Turn off the instant pot and remove rice and dal into a sieve and wash well under water.

    Return them to the Instant pot and add turmeric, salt and water. Set it on 'Manual/ Pressure cook' and cook on high pressure for 12 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally.

    Step by step photos of the before and after cooking rice and lentils

    In the meantime, coarsely grind peppercorns and cumin seeds and set aside.

    Mortar with peppercorns and cumin seeds ground to coarse powder

    In a small pan, heat ghee and oil on medium heat. Add the freshly ground pepper-cumin powder, hing, grated ginger and curry leaves. Cook for 1~2 minutes or until fragrant.

    Add this tempering to the cooked rice and dal. Mix well to combine.

    At this point, if the pongal looks too thick, then add ½~1 cup of water to get to a porridge like consistency. Serve hot with chutney or sambar or plain yogurt.

    Step by step photos showing the making tempering and adding to pongal

    Tips

    • I recommend using short or medium grain rice. Avoid using basmati or jasmine or other aromatic variety.
    • Use a combination of water and milk to make a creamy and soft pongal.
    • To make in a pressure cooker, follow the same process but cook for 3~4 whistles.
    • Vegetables like carrot, onion, potato, green peas etc. can be added to make this a wholesome meal.
    Steel bowl with tempering topped khichdi

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What is the difference between Pongal and Khichdi?

    The main ingredients used in both of these dishes are similar - rice and lentils. In the south, pongal has a creamy consistency and is usually made without any veggies. North Indian version, Khichdi, is more pilaf-like and might have vegetables added.

    What do you eat with Pongal?

    Traditionally pongal is served with gosthu (vegetable side dish) in Tamil Nadu. In Andhra it is served with your favorite chutney or sambar.

    Few more south Indian recipes to try:

    • Tomato Moong dal
    • Curd Rice | Daddojanam
    • Palakura Punukulu (Spinach lentil fritters)
    • Mysore Kuzhambu
    • Vankaya tomato pachadi (Eggplant-tomato chutney)
    • Sorakaya kobbari karam (bottle gourd in coconut curry)
    Green plate with Katte Pongali
    Green plate with khichdi

    Pongal

    Delicious South Indian style rice and lentils dish called Pongal. This recipe uses Instant Pot to make this dish easy and very convenient.
    Author: Pavani
    Print Pin Rate
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Prep Time: 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time: 30 minutes mins
    Total Time: 40 minutes mins
    Course: Breakfast
    Cuisine: south indian
    Servings: 4 serving

    Ingredients

    • ½ cup Moong dal
    • 1 cup Rice*
    • ½ teaspoon Turmeric
    • To taste Salt
    • 4 cups Water*
    • 1 teaspoon Peppercorns
    • 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
    • 3 tablespoons Ghee*
    • 2 tablespoons Oil
    • ½ teaspoon Asafoetida
    • 2" Ginger piece, finely grated
    • 3 Green chilies, slit
    • 6~8 Curry leaves
    • 2 tablespoons Cashews
    Get Recipe Ingredients

    Instructions

    • Set the Instant Pot on 'Saute' mode. Add the moong dal and rice to the pot and roast for 2~3 minutes or until fragrant. Turn off the instant pot and remove rice and dal into a sieve and wash well under water.
    • Return them to the Instant pot and add turmeric, salt and water. Set it on 'Manual/ Pressure cook' and cook on high pressure for 12 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally.
    • In the meantime, coarsely grind peppercorns and cumin seeds and set aside.
    • In a small pan, heat ghee and oil on medium heat. Add the freshly ground pepper-cumin powder, hing, grated ginger and curry leaves. Cook for 1~2 minutes or until fragrant.
    • Add this tempering to the cooked rice and dal. Mix well to combine.
    • At this point, if the pongal looks too thick, then add ½~1 cup of water to get to a porridge like consistency. Serve hot with chutney or raita.

    Notes

    • I recommend using short or medium grain rice. Avoid using basmati or jasmine or other aromatic variety.
    • Use 3 cups of water and 1 cup of milk to make a very-soft pongal.
    • To make in a pressure cooker, follow the same process but cook for 3~4 whistles.
    • Vegetables like carrot, onion, potato, green peas etc. can be added to make this a wholesome meal.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 365kcal
    Tried this recipe?Mention @cooks_hideout or tag #cookshideout!

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    Comments

    1. Parita

      April 26, 2009 at 7:45 pm

      Nice Combo Pavani...Pongal looks yummy similar to khichdi isnt it?

      Reply
    2. Pooja

      April 26, 2009 at 7:46 pm

      Pongal is looking lovely..

      Reply
    3. Ramya Vijaykumar

      April 26, 2009 at 8:44 pm

      pongal has come really well Pavani... Love the color... Havent tried with tomato raita...

      Reply
    4. Prathibha

      April 27, 2009 at 2:38 am

      my comfort food....lovely colour..

      Reply
    5. A 2 Z Vegetarian Cuisine

      April 27, 2009 at 3:34 am

      Nice picture, haven't tried with tomato raita, good combo.

      Reply
    6. Suparna

      April 27, 2009 at 3:37 am

      Hi Pavani,Pongal is an any time comfort food, tomato raita works well with pongal 🙂 ur pongal looks vry pleasant and tasty.TC

      Reply
    7. Red Chillies

      April 27, 2009 at 3:52 am

      This is one of our favorite comfort and go-to meal. Healthy and delicous isn't it?

      Reply
    8. varunavi

      April 27, 2009 at 6:51 am

      Loved the pongal.I used to feed my kids this almost everyday,now i stopped it.

      Reply
    9. Finla

      April 27, 2009 at 12:24 pm

      Looks creamy and delicous.

      Reply
    10. Lubna Karim

      April 27, 2009 at 12:51 pm

      Oh wow pongal looks drooooooolworthy.....

      Reply
    11. Cham

      April 27, 2009 at 7:43 pm

      I never tasted pongal with raita, delicious!

      Reply
    12. Rajesh Kumar

      May 15, 2015 at 11:23 am

      Wow looks really delicious. I would like to try this soon :-order online food delhi

      Reply
    13. Mona Kumari

      September 04, 2015 at 9:23 am

      Thank you for sharing this information and Very good looking blog.very informative article.laxmi nagar restaurant, indian food,chinese food

      Reply
    14. Usha Rao

      November 13, 2020 at 5:43 am

      5 stars
      Made IP pongal for lunch and it was an easy peasy process. Thanks for the recipe.

      Reply
    15. Chef Mireille

      November 13, 2020 at 8:28 am

      5 stars
      I love ven pongal and since I have recently gotten an IP been looking for recipes to try. This one came out perfect. Thanks as I now have more recipe to add to my IP repertoire.

      Reply
    16. Sandhya Ramakrishnan

      November 17, 2020 at 4:21 pm

      5 stars
      We love ven pongal and making it in IP has been a breeze. Looks so perfect Pavani and it's absolutely a keeper recipe.

      Reply

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