Instant Pot Ven Pongal (Khara Pongal)

5 from 40 votes

Instant Pot Ven Pongal (Khara Pongal)

Ven pongal or khara pongal is a classic South Indian dish made with rice and moong dal (petite yellow lentils). This one-pot dish can be served for breakfast or lunch/dinner. It has a porridge-like consistency and is mildly spiced.

Prep Time5

Cook Time25

Total Time30

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Diet: Diabetic, Gluten Free, Hindu, Vegetarian

Servings:

Calories: 366kcal

Author: Shilpa Kerur

Equipment

Instant Pot

Ingredients

1 cup rice
1 cup moong dal (yellow lentil)
4 tablespoon ghee (use store-bought or homemade ghee)
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
10-12 cashew
1 inch ginger grated or 1 teaspoon ginger paste
10-12 curry leaves
1-2 green chili finely chopped or as per taste
Salt to taste
¼ cup desiccated coconut
6 cups water

Instructions

Wash the rice thoroughly. Soak them for 15 minutes. Drain the water and set it aside
Set Instant Pot in saute mode and add moong dal. Dry roast for one minute
Transfer it to a bowl and set it aside. At this stage, you can wash the dal thoroughly
Next, add 3 tablespoons of ghee. Add cumin seeds and pepper. Let it splutter
Add cashew and fry till the cashew is light golden
Add curry leaves, ginger, and green chili. Fry for one minute and deglaze the pot
Add the rice and moong dal. Add 6 cups of water
Mix well and secure the IP lid
Set the Instant Pot in pressure cook mode for 8 minutes. Do a natural release of pressure for 10 minutes, then do a quick release
Open the lid and add desiccated coconut and 1 tablespoon of ghee
Mix well and serve hot

Video

Notes

Ghee Pongal tastes the best; however, for a vegan version, you may replace it with either vegan butter or any cooking oil.

Don’t over-roast the moong dal, else it will take a long time to cook. At the same time, don’t skip dry-roasting the moong dal, or else it will become sticky.

I used sona masoori rice, which is a short-grain Indian variety of raw rice. However, any short-grain varieties like seeraga samba rice will also work for this dish. These varieties are easily available in any Indian grocery store.

Nutrition