This Ven Pongal recipe brings the authentic flavors of South India to your table in under 30 minutes. Made with rice, lentils, and fragrant spices, it’s a quick, comforting dish I’ve been making for years, just like my mom! Serve with White Coconut Chutney with frozen coconut or Vegetable Sambar.
I love making this easy Khara Pongal, Rava Pongal or Oats Idli for brunch over the weekends. It’s such a comforting dish that comes together in minutes, and when enjoyed immediately, it just melts in your mouth!
I’ve been making savory Ven Pongal and Sakkara Pongal for years, especially during the Pongal festival—a tradition I learned from my mom, who always knew how to balance the flavors just right. Now, I’m excited to share this family recipe with you!
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe?
- Ready in just under 30 minutes—perfect for busy mornings.
- You will need 12 Ingredients including water and salt.
- Make it in Pressure Cooker or Instant Pot for a faster Khara Pongal dish.
- Rich, warm flavors from ghee, spices, and ginger make it incredibly satisfying.
- Naturally gluten-free, and easily made vegan by swapping the ghee for vegan butter.
- It’s a comforting meal that works just as well for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
🧾Ingredients
- Rice: I usually use Sona Masoori rice or Ponni Raw Rice, but any regular medium to short-grain white rice works well. Indian varieties like Surti Kolam, or Indrayani are great options too—use whatever you have on hand.
- Yellow Moong Dal (split yellow lentils): This dal gives the best flavor to Pongal. While you can substitute with red lentils, the taste will differ slightly.
- Ghee: Essential for that authentic, rich flavor—there’s really no substitute when making traditional Pongal.
- Asafoetida: I prefer the LG brand of asafoetida powder. If you’re using a block of asafoetida, soak a small piece in water before using.
📖 Variations and Substitutions
- No Sona Masoori rice? Any short-grain rice will do, or even long grain basmati rice will do. I've tried and they are delicious too.
- If you don’t have moong dal, you can try red lentils or toor dal.
- Vegan? Simply swap out the ghee for vegan butter or oil, and you're good to go!
- No cashews? Feel free to omit or swap with peanuts for a nutty crunch.
🔪How to make Ven Pongal?
- Roast the lentils: Heat a pan and dry roast the moong dal on medium heat until it turns slightly golden and fragrant.
- Cook rice and dal: Rinse the rice and moong dal together. Add them to a pressure cooker with 7 ½ cups of water. Cook on high pressure for 6 minutes in an Instant Pot, or for 15 minutes in a stovetop pressure cooker. I
- Prepare the tempering: In a small pan, heat ghee. Add black peppercorns and let them sizzle. Then, add cumin seeds, chopped ginger, curry leaves, cashews, and asafoetida. Fry until the cashews are golden.
- Combine: Pour this aromatic tempering over the cooked rice and dal. Mix well, season with salt, and serve hot!
💭 Sandhya’s Pro Tips
- Only use fresh ingredients curry leaves and ginger for best flavors.
- Break the cashews and roast in ghee. As a rule of thumb, you should have at least a bite of cashew in every spoonful. I learnt this tip from a chef.
- Roasting the moong dal brings out its nutty flavor, so don’t skip this step!
- Ven Pongal is best enjoyed hot, so serve it fresh. If you have leftovers, you can reheat with a splash of water to get back that creamy texture.
- It is quick and easy to make in a Pressure cooker or in an Instant Pot.
- You can also add vegetables like carrots, peas & green beans, but that’s not the authentic version. However, it’s a great way to include veggies in your meal!
Storing Leftovers
- In the fridge: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two days.
- In the freezer: For longer storage, portion in individual containers, label and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Thaw & Reheat: Thaw in the fridge overnight or defrost in the microwave. When reheating, add a little water to get that creamy consistency back.
👪Serving
I love serving Ghee Ven Pongal with chutneys like quick white coconut chutney, tomato chutney, or a side of mixed vegetable sambar. For an even more festive feel, serve it with vegetable gotsu or red pepper chutney.
I also offer this Ven Pongal as a special offering to God during Navratri.
Recipe FAQ's
Pongal is one of the most celebrated harvest festivals in Tamil Nadu, typically observed in mid-January. It’s all about giving thanks for a bountiful harvest, particularly for rice, sugarcane, and turmeric.
The festival lasts for four days, starting with Bhogi, where old belongings are burned to signify new beginnings, followed by Surya Pongal, the main day where Ven Pongal(Khara Pongal) and Sakkarai Pongal (a sweet version) are prepared as offerings to the Sun God. Mattu Pongal celebrates the cows, and the final day, Kannu Pongal, is spent visiting relatives and friends.
During the festival, families come together to cook traditional dishes like Khara Pongal, making it a key part of the celebrations. But honestly, it’s such a comforting dish that many enjoy it year-round—especially when you need something warm, hearty, and satisfying.
For Ven Pongal, I typically use Sona Masoori rice, but any regular medium to short-grain white rice works well. You can use Indian varieties like Surti Kolam, Sona Masoori, Ponni, or Indrayani—whatever you have on hand. If you're out of these, long-grain basmati rice is a great alternative, and I’ve tried it—it turns out delicious too!
Pongal and Khichdi may share similar ingredients, but they are distinct dishes with different preparation methods. In Khara Ven Pongal, the tempering is added at the end, giving it a flavorful finish. In contrast, for Lentil Khichdi, the tempering is cooked along with the dish, infusing the flavors throughout as it cooks. So, while both are rice and lentil-based, the cooking process and taste differ.
For a simple one-pot recipe. Start by heating ghee in the Instant Pot, add cashews, and fry them until golden brown. Remove and set aside. Next, add the remaining ghee, cumin seeds, curry leaves, ginger and black pepper for tempering. Once done, remove and set aside.
Now, add moong dal, rice, salt, asafoetida, and 7 cups of water to the pot. Pressure cook for 6 minutes, then let the pressure release naturally (NPR). Stir in the tempering, and your Instant Pot Ven Pongal is ready to serve!
More South Indian Dishes
Ingredients
- 1 cup Rice I have used Sona Masoori Rice
- 1 cup Moong Dal
- 7½ cup Water
- Salt to Taste
Tempering
- ½ cup Ghee
- 5 tablespoon Ginger chopped (About 30g)
- ¼ teaspoon Asafoetida
- 10-15 Curry Leaves
- 1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
- 2 teaspoon Black Pepper
- 15 Cashews broken
Instructions
Stove top Instructions
- Roast the lentils: Dry Roast Moong Dal in a pan until the color begins to change slightly and its fragrant.About 2-3 minutes. Set it aside. Once its cools down, wash it along with rice.1 cup Rice, 1 cup Moong Dal
- Add the washed rice, moong dal and salt to the pressure cooker along with 7.5 cups of water. Seal the pressure cooker and cook for 15 minutes.¼ teaspoon Asafoetida, 7½ cup Water
- Prepare the tempering: For Tempering, Heat Ghee in a small pan, add Black Pepper. Once they begin to crackle, turn off the flame. Add cumin Seeds, ginger, curry leaves followed by the addition of Cashewnuts. Fry until the Cashewnuts turn light brown.¼ teaspoon Asafoetida, ½ cup Ghee, 10-15 Curry Leaves, 1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds, 2 teaspoon Black Pepper, 15 Cashews
- Combine: Add the tempering to the prepared Ven Pongal and give it a good mix.Serve Ven Pongal / Khara Pongal hot with frozen coconut chutney and south indian onion sambar.
Instant Pot Instructions
- Roast the lentils: Set the Instant Pot to sauté mode. Dry roast the moong dal for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently until lightly golden and fragrant. Turn off sauté mode once done.
- Cook rice and dal: Rinse the rice and moong dal. Add them to the Instant Pot with 7 ½ cups of water. Secure the lid, set the valve to sealing, and cook on high pressure for 6 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally. (If you are in a rush, release the pressure after 10 minutes.)
- Prepare the tempering: In a separate pan, heat ghee. Add black peppercorns and let them sizzle. Add cumin seeds, chopped ginger, curry leaves, cashews, and asafoetida. Fry until the cashews turn golden brown.
- Combine: Pour the tempering over the cooked rice and dal mixture in the Instant Pot. Stir well, season with salt, and serve hot!
Notes
- Only use fresh ingredients curry leaves and ginger for best flavors.
- Break the cashews and roast in ghee. As a rule of thumb, you should have at least a bite of cashew in every spoonful. I learnt this tip from a chef.
- Roasting the moong dal brings out its nutty flavor, so don’t skip this step!
- Ven Pongal is best enjoyed hot, so serve it fresh. If you have leftovers, you can reheat with a splash of water to get back that creamy texture.
- It is quick and easy to make in a Pressure cooker or in an Instant Pot.
- You can also add vegetables like carrots, peas & green beans, but that’s not the authentic version. However, it’s a great way to include veggies in your meal!
- In the fridge: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two days.
- In the freezer: For longer storage, portion in individual containers, label and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Thaw & Reheat: Thaw in the fridge overnight or defrost in the microwave. When reheating, add a little water to get that creamy consistency back.
Shanaya says
Turned out to be very delicious. I have been using Instant Pongal Mix from True Elements and this recipe went perfect with it.
Mallika says
Happy Pongal to you Sandhya. Very lovely pics. Love that shot in the pressure cooker!
Moumita Malla says
Such a nice recipe. .I have been finding this recipe for a long time. .Thanks for sharing. You have also elaborated this recipe in very easy way
Meena Kumar says
Oh yummm ... I am ready to have pongal any day.