• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
I camp in my kitchen
  • Home
  • Recipe Index
  • Subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipe Index
  • Follow me

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipe Index
  • Follow me

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Breakfast Recipes » Traditional Indian Breakfast Recipes » Venpongal |Khara pongal|How to make Pongal

    Venpongal |Khara pongal|How to make Pongal

    Dec 23, 2020 · Modified: May 21, 2021 by Priya_Srinivasan ·

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Venpongal, also called as khara pongal or savory pongal, a popular breakfast dish in Tamilnadu, served with sambar and chutney.

    Jump to Recipe
    VenPongal

    What is Venpongal/Khara Pongal ?

    Venpongal or Khara pongal is a popular south-indian breakfast dish. A savory dish made with rice and lentils, tempered with curry leaves, ginger and loads of black pepper and cumin. Pongal is served with sambar and white chutney.

    It is the most popular dish served in marriage functions for breafkast. Since pongal is a no onion and no garlic dish, it is prefered as offerings during pooja days.

    Whenever amma makes Pongal for breakfast, we hog and sleep the whole day. None in the house, would bother to getup and ask when is lunch? Our Maid, who comes around 11 am, would immediately guess that the day’s breakfast was Pongal, as the whole house would be dozing and dreaming in their own world’s.

    Khara Pongal

    A well made pongal is a hearty dish, it fills you up for the whole day. It is made with rice and moong dal, a delicious mix of carbs and protein, which is tempered generously in ghee with curry leaves and loads of cumin, pepper and ginger. When served with delicious sambar and chutney, it is the ultimate comfort on your plate.

    How to make VenPongal/Khara Pongal

    To make Venpongal/khara pongal, first dry roast rice and lentils separately until golden brown.

    Take the roasted ingredients in a pan, that will fit inside your pressure cooker. Add milk and water mixed to it. Pressure cook it for 4-5 whistles. . Cooking rice and lentils in milk water mix gives it richness. But if you are allergic to milk and milk products, you can cook it entirely in water.

    Savory pongal making steps
    These are the steps for millet pongal, it is the same recipe but made with millets instead of rice

    Once the pressure releases normally. Heat a heavy bottom pan with ghee, temper it with mustard seeds, curry leaves, ginger, cashewnuts and cumin seeds. Once the cashewnuts turn brown, tip the pressure cooked rice and lentil mix to it. Add ¼ cup of water to the vessel it was cooked, wash it and add it back to the pan.

    Add salt and freshly pounded pepper powder. Mix well and let it cook until all the liquid is absorbed.  Do not cook until dry, as pongal tends to thicken as it cools. Take it off when it is a bit saucy. Serve this venpongal warm with sambar and chutney.

    VenPongal | Khara Pongal | How to make savory pongal

    Venpongal, also called as khara pongal or savory pongal, a popular breakfast dish in Tamilnadu, served with sambar and chutney.
    No ratings yet
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Festival
    Cuisine: Asian, Indian, South-Indian
    Keyword: Barley pongal recipe, How to make khara pongal, Khara pongal recipe, Pongal for breakfast, Pongal sambar, Savory pongal, Venpongal recipe
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 30 minutes
    Total Time: 40 minutes
    Servings: 6
    Calories:

    Equipment

    • Pressure cooker

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup raw rice
    • ½ cup moong dal
    • 1 no green chili optional
    • 1.5 cups milk
    • 1.5 cups water
    • 1.5 teaspoon salt or to taste

    Tempering

    • 3 tablespoon ghee
    • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
    • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
    • 4 tablespoon broken cashewnuts
    • 2 teaspoon shredded ginger
    • 1.5 tsp freshly pounded black peppercorns
    • a sprig of curry leaf

    Instructions

    • In a heavy bottom pan, dry roast rice and dal separately until it gives out a nice aroma. Take care not to burn, keep the flame simmer while roasting.
    • Take the roasted ingredients in a pan/bowl/vessel that fits inside your pressure cooker. Add water and milk to this, mix well and pressure cook for 4-5 whistles. Let the pressure release naturally.
    • If vegan or allergic to milk or milk products, skip the milk and cook it entirely in water.
    • Heat a kadai with ghee, when hot, splutter mustard seeds, add ginger, curry leaves and cashew-nuts. When the cashew-nuts turn golden, tip in the cumin seeds.
    • Immediately tip in the cooked rice and dal mix to this tempering. Add ¼ cup of water to the vessel in which the rice and dal was cooked, wash it and add it back to the pan. Add salt and pepper to this and mix well.
    • Let this mix cook until the liquid is absorbed.  Let this sit on the stove until it becomes saucy. Do not cook it until dry. It will take 10 minutes for it becomes saucy
    • Pongal tends to become dry as it rests. So make sure you remove the pongal when it is saucy, not watery, not dry, just saucy.
    • Remove it from heat and serve it warm with chutney and sambar

    Notes

    • Pongal usually thickens as it rests, so do take it off when it is a bit saucy not watery, a bit saucy. 
    • Serve it warm, even if you have made it ahead, just add 2-3 tablespoon water or milk mixed with water , mix and heat it to become warm and enjoy. 

    Disclaimer

    I m not a Doctor or a Nutritionist The Nutrition information provided above comes from the plugin and is only an estimate.

    Tried this recipe?Mention @Icampinmykitchen or #icampinmykitchen
    For Recipe VideosSubscribe & Follow @Icampinmykitchen on Youtube

    Serve this delicious khara pongal with sambar and chutney for a comforting meal. Pongal can also be served for brunch or dinner.

    More Pongal Recipes

    • Barley Venpongal
    • Varagu Venpongal
    • Broken wheat sarkarai pongal

    If you have tried this recipe and like it, give it a star rating or let me know in the comments below. You could also share it with me on Instagram using #icampinmmykitchen and tagging me @priyasrinivasan.
    You could follow me and my recipes on  Facebook |  Instagram  | Pinterest  | twitter

    Do you like the recipe? PIN IT

    Khara pongal pin

    An old post from January 2012, updated with new pictures and content for better engagement.

    More Traditional Indian Breakfast Recipes

    • Lemon Poha | Lemon Avalakki | Breakfast Recipe
    • Multigrain Flakes Pongal | Khara Pongal with Multigrain
    • Couscous Pongal | Couscous Savory Pongal
    • Watermelon Rind Dosa | Dosai Recipe

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Simplyfood

      January 27, 2012 at 9:36 am

      This dish sounds like a hearty breakfast. very delicious.

      Reply
    2. Priya Suresh

      January 27, 2012 at 9:41 am

      Thats really sad Priya,we will definitely those lovely moments with our siblings na..Inviting pongal Priya,my fav..

      Reply
    3. Ms.Chitchat

      January 27, 2012 at 11:00 am

      Lovely lovely write-up, you made me nostalgic.Our childhood moments are the best and rightly said that we dont realise till it is gone. Nice pongal.

      Reply
    4. Gayathri Kumar

      January 27, 2012 at 11:59 am

      Pongal looks so inviting. Nice write up and thanks a lot for linking…

      Reply
    5. Archana

      January 27, 2012 at 5:07 pm

      looks great.

      Reply
    6. Unknown

      January 27, 2012 at 6:21 pm

      pongal looks delicious

      Reply
    7. Suma Gandlur

      January 27, 2012 at 10:29 pm

      I think every one of us yearn for those precious childhood days. Pongal looks good.

      Reply
    8. Unknown

      January 28, 2012 at 2:09 am

      always comforting and delicious!…

      Reply
    9. Aarthi

      January 28, 2012 at 4:02 am

      YUMMY YUMMY

      Aarthi
      http://yummytummy-aarthi.blogspot.com/

      Reply
    10. Unknown

      January 28, 2012 at 4:29 am

      I agree eating rice in the am makes you doze! Lovely plate of pongal.

      Reply
    11. Nalini's Kitchen

      January 29, 2012 at 3:26 am

      My family's favorite,looks yummy and tempting…

      Reply
    12. Kalyani

      January 29, 2012 at 4:48 pm

      nice one Priya ! and lovely to run the BM with you this Jan … yummy plate of Pongal there…

      Reply
    13. HemasAdugemane

      January 30, 2012 at 5:07 am

      yummy along with this ginger gojju will be superb.

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    CommentLuv badgeShow more posts

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Newsletter Sign-up

    Get a free e-book containing 5 easy vegetarian recipes.

    Meet the Camper

    Hi, I m Priya Srinivasan, the camper in this kitchen.  Read more.

    Pongal Festival Recipes

    • Thinai Sarkarai Pongal|Foxtail Millet Sweet Pongal
    • Varagu Venpongal | Savory Pongal with Millets
    • Rava Pongal | Semolina Pongal | Sooji Pongal
    • South-Indian Tomato Rice |Thakkali Sadam

    See more

    Soups & Salads

    • Bulgur Salad |Pligourisalata| Vegan Salad
    • Barley Vegetable Soup | How to Make Barley Soup
    • Osaman/Clear Lentil Soup
    • Revithiosoupo|Chickpea Soup – Vegan

    See more

    Sandwich Varieties

    • Pizza Sandwich | Easy Breakfast Recipe
    • Capsicum & Paneer Burger
    • Which Sandwich are you going to make today??
    • Feta Cheese And Mint chutney Wrap

    See More

    Popular Posts

    • Flaxseed ladoo Alsi Pinni | Alsi Ki Pinn...
    • Sesame Ladoo| Til Ladoo |...
    • Avaraikkai Poriyal | Broa...
    • Vegetable Sevai | Rice No...
    • Chocolate & Nuts Lad...
    • Ragi Ladoo | Millet Laddu...
    • Rava Pongal | Semolina Po...
    • Semiya Upma | Vermicelli...
    • Vanilla tutti frutti muffins Vanilla Tutti Frutti Muff...
    • Kashayam Featured image Kashayam | Herbal Tea | H...

    My Recent Video

    https://youtu.be/WgvXECsF4m0

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    Copyright © 2020 Brunch Pro on the Brunch Pro Theme

    AS AN AMAZON ASSOCIATE I EARN FROM QUALIFYING PURCHASES.

    Privacy Policy