• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Curry Trail

Simple Flavorful Recipes For The Home Cook

  • Recipe Index
  • Side Dish
  • Chicken
  • About Me
Home > Breakfast > Ven Pongal | Khara Pongal | Ghee Pongal
50 minutes minutes

Ven Pongal | Khara Pongal | Ghee Pongal

Modified: Mar 26, 2024 · Published: Jan 14, 2019

Jump to Recipe Rate this Recipe Print Recipe

Ven pongal or khara pongal is ultimate comfort food traditionally served for breakfast in Southern parts of India. Ven pongal as popularly called is that breakfast dish that you want to make it every week and I personally wouldn’t mind everyday too. It’s soothing, comforting and satisfying.

ven pongal is rice and moong dal breakfast dish served in earthen pots along side coconut chutney and sambar

Pongal is a festival that celebrates the renewal of the earth, the bountiful harvest and the turnaround of the sun when winter shifts to spring and days gets longer.  Pongal is a celebration of prosperity of harvest and crops in the villages, it is celebrated to thank the sun, rain and land. It is almost like a thanksgiving festival of South India. And these thanksgiving festival calls for making Pongal in the most traditional way possible, cook newly harvest rice in clay pots.

I have been fortunate enough to witness and celebrate pongal in a harvest land in front of temple in a most authentic way.  This festival is celebrated most grandly in the villages and I had a chance to be in one such village. It was during the childhood days, but the memories are so fresh and strong that I can still remember it.  My dad’s sister(my aunt) had farm land and in their the festival was a grand occasion. It’s a 4 day celebration. First day is bhogi. We clean the house and collect all the unwanted items.  Bhoji starts as early as 4 or 5 AM. At home we take bath first and then make a bon fire of all unwanted items we collected. The entire lane would have bon fire lit in front of their houses and we all would sit in front to warm our selves.

ven pongal is rice and moong dal breakfast dish served in earthen pots along side coconut chutney and sambar

The second day is more significant day, Surya pongal , a day to thank the Sun. The day starts early, where first the women of the house cleans the grounds in front of the gateway entrance. Cow dung in mixed with water and sprinkled on the grounds(if you are not from India, you would probably be giving me a grimace. Villagers workship cow as their God and they never mind to touch dung with their hands. Also it is believed that waxing the floor with cow dung is supposed to have antiseptic properties).  And then grounds are decorated with fine rice flour or kolam powder. Rice powder is used to invite ants and birds as a symbol of harmonious co existence.  The kolam(rangoli) is filled with colored powder to add more beauty. The green ground(due to cow dung water) with white and colorful kolam makes the whole house look beautiful. It gives a traditional warm feel to the whole set up. Every house makes different kolam designs and woman of the house specializes in this art. They practice different designs on everyday basis. In villages people go to temples where their new harvest would be stocked. Clay pots are decorated by tying up ginger, turmeric, sugarcane piece and banana at the neck.  New harvest is used to make pongal. Rice is cooked in milk in clay pots over a wood fire stove in open grounds(usually near temples) . Sugar or jaggery is added for sweet pongal. The Pongal dish is offered to the Sun god as thanksgiving and eaten as ‘prasad’. It is made at the auspicious time.  People exchanged greetings and Chakarai Pongal with their neighbors.

ven pongal is rice and moong dal breakfast dish served in earthen pots along side coconut chutney and sambar

Third day is maatu pongal, when bulls and cows are bathed and their horns are painted and cattle’s are worshiped. Later people also organize a cattle race to have fun.

Fourth day is Kannum pongal, a day to meet relatives and greet them all. That’s how 4 days of grand PONGAL FESTIVAL is celebrated in South India!

How to Make Ven Pongal

Ven pongal(savory version) is made along with sakarai pongal(sweet pongal). To accompany the ven pongal, people eat brinjal (eggplant) sambar (stew), vadai, idli, and spicy accompaniments.

Rice and moong (yellow lentils) are cooked with excess water to get porridge consistency and then it’s seasoned with cumin, whole pepper corns, ginger pieces, curry leaves and cashews all fried in ghee. Ghee or clarified butter is MUST for any pongal recipe. Don’t skip on ghee!

Served for breakfast dish along side coconut chutney or spicy sambar (lentils stew) is simply irresistible combination and totally comforting!

Traditionally, ven pongal is cooked in clay pots. But in cities pressure cooker is used to cook the rice and lentil. Ven Pongal or Khara Pongal is a very popular and comforting south Indian breakfast dish made from rice and moong dal. It’s texture resembles risotto!  I can call it South Indian Risotto.

It’s one pot meal that is spiced with pepper corns, cumin and even green chilies.  Serve it hot with coconut chutney and sambar, delicious.

I can eat this dish for breakfast, lunch or dinner and I’m satisfied.

Don’t miss to check 15 amazing recipes that you should try for pongal festive-

15 amazing pongal recipes

Don’t forget to Subscribe to CurryTrail  Recipes below to get our newest recipes delivered straight to your inbox.

LOVE THIS RECIPE? KEEP IN TOUCH AND DON’T MISS OUT ON ANY OF CURRYTRAIL RECIPES! FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM, PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, TWITTER, GOOGLE+.

ven pongal is rice and moong dal breakfast dish served in earthen pots along side coconut chutney and sambar
3.50 from 2 votes

Ven Pongal

Jyothi Rajesh
The ultimate comfort food traditionally served for breakfast in Southern parts of India. Ven pongal as popularly called is that breakfast dish that you want to make it every week and I personally wouldn't mind everyday too. It's soothing, comforting and satisfying. 
Prevent your screen from going dark
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate this Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 40 minutes mins
Total Time 50 minutes mins
Course Breakfast
Cuisine Indian
Servings 3 servings
Calories 451

Ingredients
  

  • ½ cup rice
  • ½ cup yellow moong dal
  • 2 green chilies
  • 1 ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 2 teaspoon black pepper corns
  • 1 sprig curry leaves
  • 10 cashews
  • 1 teaspoon ginger, chopped fine
  • 3 tbspn ghee
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • salt to taste

Instructions
 

  • Dry roast rice and moong dal in a hot kadai. This will bring out nice aroma of the pongal.
  • Wash & Soak rice and moong dal together for about 15-20 minutes. Soaking helps in faster cooking.
  • In a pressure cooker add the soaked rice and dal and 4 cups of water, whole green chilies(slit) and pressure cook for 3-4 whistles.
  • Once pressure is released, remove the cooker lid and mash the mixture using a ladle.
  • In a deep bottom pan, add ghee and roast cashews in hot ghee until they turn golden brown. Remove cashews and keep them aside.
  • Into the same pan add oil, once hot, add cumin seeds, pepper corns, asafoetida, salt, chopped ginger and curry leaves. Saute for a minute or 2.
  • Now add cooked rice dal mix and mix it well making sure no lumps are formed. Reduce the flame and cook it for 5 minutes.
  • Serve hot with coconut chutney and sambar or even spicy pickle goes well with pongal.

Notes

  1. Do not miss the step of dry roasting rice and dal separately. This will bring the flavors out and results in pongal that tastes as good as from your favorite restaurant.
  2. Ghee is MUST while making pongal. The flavor and taste of pongal all depends on how much ghee you use. Loads of ghee = amazing tasty pongal 😀
  3. I always soak dal and rice together before cooking in pressure cooker. This helps cook rice-dal faster. 
  4. Adding green chilies to rice-dal in pressure cooker is optional. If you like spicy pongal then green chilies does it's magic. 

Nutrition

Calories: 451kcalCarbohydrates: 51gProtein: 12gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 37mgSodium: 114mgPotassium: 126mgFiber: 5gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 90IUVitamin C: 16.9mgCalcium: 45mgIron: 2.8mg
Did you make this recipe?Follow @CurryTrail and tag #CurryTrail to share your creation!

“PIN IT” TO YOUR BREAKFAST BOARD

ven pongal is rice and moong dal breakfast dish served in earthen pots along side coconut chutney and sambar with text overlay

 

More Simple & Delicious Breakfast Recipes

  • breakfast pizza with eggs and bacon
    Bacon and Egg Breakfast Pizza
  • close up view of cajun shrimp on white grits
    Southern Style Shrimp and Grits Recipe
  • nutella and strawberry stuffed in bread for french toast roll ups.
    Nutella Strawberry French Toast Roll Ups
  • pesto eggs on avocado toast.
    Pesto Eggs On Avocado Toast
266 shares
  • 3
Previous
Homemade Chicken Nuggets
Next
Basic Chia Seed Pudding {5 Ways to Serve}

Reader Interactions

    3.50 from 2 votes

    Leave A Reply! Cancel reply

    Share your thoughts!
    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked with *

    Recipe Rating




    Comments & Reviews

  1. Aditi Dave says

    March 12, 2018 at 12:06 pm

    5 stars
    Can we roast after soaking dal n rice?

    Reply
    • jyothirajesh says

      March 12, 2018 at 12:54 pm

      I prefer roasting first and then soaking in it water. Haven’t done the other way around, so can’t really tell how will it turn out!

      Reply
  2. Esani caterer says

    March 12, 2018 at 10:28 am

    2 stars
    another mind blowing recipes thank you for sharing us

    Reply
    • jyothirajesh says

      March 12, 2018 at 12:54 pm

      Thank you.

      Reply
  3. Revathi says

    January 11, 2016 at 7:29 pm

    A perfectly made pot of pongal. One of my favorites. I love how you have presented it those styled earthen pots 🙂

    Reply
    • jyothirajesh says

      January 11, 2016 at 8:50 pm

      Thank you revathi. I LOVE clay pots very much 😀

      Reply
  4. Linda @ Veganosity says

    January 08, 2016 at 8:16 pm

    Thank you for sharing your traditions with us, Jyothi. I’m always fascinated. Yes, I did catch myself grimacing when I read about handling cow dung-haha! But I love that your culture worships cows. If only everyone would worship all animals. Hopefully someday.

    This recipe sounds perfect to me. I love risotto and I love all of the flavors in this. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
    • jyothirajesh says

      January 09, 2016 at 12:48 pm

      I’m very glad you loved reading my post dear! We all have so many different cultures that is so amazing to know and learn about other cultures. If you can get yellow lentils, you must give this recipe a try, you will love it 😀

      Reply
  5. Uma Raghuraman says

    January 08, 2016 at 1:13 pm

    Biggest Festival for us and even as a child I used to look forward to pongal holidays. Pity that my children do not enjoy those holidays here in the North ! Needless to say, this is my most favourite dish . So beautifully presented .

    Reply
    • jyothirajesh says

      January 08, 2016 at 4:59 pm

      Thank you very much Uma 🙂 It would be nice to see if our kids too can relate and enjoy these traditional festivals

      Reply
  6. shailaja says

    January 07, 2016 at 8:41 pm

    Its looking gorgeous….well said about pongal jyothi ,we andhrites celebrate this as a biggest festival, lovely props.

    Reply
    • jyothirajesh says

      January 07, 2016 at 9:02 pm

      Thank you Shailaja 🙂

      Reply

Primary Sidebar

Jyothi - Author of Curry Trail.

Welcome, I'm Jyothi

My food philosophy is simple, fresh and full of flavors! I love ‘spicy’ food. In fact so much so that I can skip dessert for extra spicy savory food!

More About Me
Subscribe

Recipes In Your Inbox

Sign up to receive all our latest recipes straight to your inbox.

    🥗 Salad Recipes

    • healthy arugula beetroot and feta cheese salad on white plate
      Healthy Arugula Beet Salad With Feta Cheese
    • close up view of spinach and strawberry salad in a wooden bowl.
      10 Minutes Strawberry Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing
    • 3 bean salad in bowl
      3 Bean Salad
    • close view of Asian chicken salad
      Chinese Chicken Salad
    • pea salad with cheese, bacon and red onion in ceramic bowl
      Classic Pea Salad With Bacon And Cheese
    • classic egg salad in a bowl.
      Easy Classic Egg Salad Recipe

    🍲 Soup Recipes

    • chicken and gnocchi soup in a bowl.
      Chicken Gnocchi Soup with Bacon
    • spicy sriracha ramen noodles soup topped with soft-boiled eggs.
      20 Minutes Spicy Sriracha Ramen Noodles Soup
    • chicken detox soup in a pot.
      Healthy Immunity Boosting Chicken Detox Soup
    • leek and potato soup served in ceramic soup bowl with bacon
      Creamy Potato Leek Soup (with no added cream)
    • instant pot chicken noodles soup in white bowl
      Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
    • easy egg drop soup in bowl
      Easy Chinese Egg Drop Soup
    Featured on:
    Yummly Logo.
    Tastewise Logo.
    Plattershare Logo.
    parade Logo.
    Greatist Logo.
    Foodgawker Logo.
    Buzzfeed Logo.
    Subscribe

    Recipes In Your Inbox

      Curry Trail Submark Logo.

      Connect With me

      Categories

      • Starters/Appetizers
      • Breakfast
      • Lunch/Dinner
      • Main Dishes
      • Side Dish
      • Desserts

      About

      • About Me
      • Contact Us
      • Privacy Policy
      • Accessibility
      • Latest
      ©2025, Curry Trail. All Rights Reserved. Accessibility About Privacy Policy
      Back To Top
      Design by Pixel Me Designs
      ×
      Subscribe

      Recipes In Your Inbox

      Sign up to receive all our latest recipes straight to your inbox.

        266 shares
        • Pinterest
        • 3Facebook
        • Flipboard
        • Email

        Rate This Recipe

        Your vote:




        A rating is required
        A name is required
        An email is required

        Recipe Ratings without Comment

        Something went wrong. Please try again.