Ven Pongal with Black Pepper, Ghee and Cashews
Lalkila Kitchen · Vegetarian · Rice · Breakfast · Everyday cooking · Pongal · Festivals · Tamil Nadu
Ven pongal brings rice and yellow moong dal together in a soft savoury bowl. This credited South Indian preparation is useful when you want a yielding texture rather than separate grains. Keep hot water nearby for the final adjustment: the mixture thickens as it stands, and a spoon should move through it easily.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup short- or medium-grain white rice
- 1/4 cup hulled split yellow moong dal
- 1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, divided
- 1/8 tsp asafoetida
- 1 heaped tsp chopped ginger
- 3–3 1/4 cups water, adjusted as needed
- 2–3 tbsp ghee
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 10–12 curry leaves
- 10–12 cashews
- Salt to taste
Method
- Dry-roast dal gently until fragrant, without browning. Rinse it with the rice and drain.
- Put rice, dal, half a teaspoon cumin, asafoetida, ginger, salt and water in a suitable pressure cooker. Follow its instructions and filling limits; cook until both grains are very soft. Let pressure release naturally before opening.
- Loosen with hot water if needed. Heat ghee separately; add remaining cumin, cashews, pepper and curry leaves carefully. Cook until cashews colour lightly.
- Mix the tempering into the soft rice and dal and serve warm.
Cooking notes
Use a cooker you know how to operate, and follow its manual rather than transferring a whistle count from another model. Check the grains after opening: undercooked rice cannot be corrected merely by adding a finished tempering. This is the savoury version, distinct from sweet pongal. The source places it in everyday breakfasts and festival cooking, including Pongal; this adaptation makes no claim to a particular temple’s preparation.
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Source and adaptation
Adapted from Dassana Amit’s Ven Pongal, Dassana’s Veg Recipes, credited there to reader Durga ji and her mother’s method. Original recipe.
Retained the rice-to-dal balance and tempering. Replaced cooker-specific whistles with the manufacturer’s instructions and a soft-grain check. No total cooking time or yield is claimed.
This is an editorial adaptation, not kitchen-tested by Lalkila. FoodSafety.gov cooking temperatures and safe food handling provide the safety references. The featured image is a generated illustration of this recipe.