Ven Pongal

Ven Pongal
  • 1 cup white rice
  • 1 cup yellow lentils (moong dal)
  • 3 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter), divided
  • salt to taste
  • 4 cups water, or as desired
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 5 curry leaves
  • 1 (1 inch) piece fresh ginger root, minced (optional)
  • 1/4 cup cashews (optional)


  1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat; add rice and lentils. Cook and stir until toasted and fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes. Rinse.
  2. Place rice-lentil mixture, 1 tablespoon ghee, and salt in a rice cooker or pressure cooker; add water. Cook according to manufacturer's instructions until rice and lentils are tender and the consistency of a paste, 20 to 25 minutes. Stir and mash into a fine paste.
  3. Heat 1 tablespoon ghee in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add black pepper and cumin seeds; cook until seeds start to pop, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir cumin mixture into rice-lentil mixture.
  4. Tear curry leaves roughly and stir into rice-lentil mixture; stir in ginger. Season with salt.
  5. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon ghee in a skillet over medium-high heat; cook and stir cashews until toasted and fragrant, 2 to 4 minutes. Garnish rice-lentil mixture with toasted cashews.

05/11/2018
Ven Pongal, recipe PT15M PT1H 5 455 calories

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