Rava Pongal or Semolina Pongal is a quick and healthy South Indian breakfast recipe made with rava, moong dal and tempered with spices.
You can put up this wholesome breakfast recipe within 30 minutes by using simple kitchen staples
I often make Pongal recipe t home because it very easy to make and healthy too . If you want to try few similar recipes, then try these too – Khara Pongal, Sihi Pongal , and Huggi Anna
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About this recipe
Rava Pongal, also called Semolina Pongal or Sooji Pongal is a South Indian breakfast recipe . Traditionally, Pongal is made using rice and lentils, but rava pongal is one of the variations to the of the classic pongal recipe.
Just like a classic pongal , this rava pongal also tastes delicious. Always serve pongal hot with ghee and coconut chutney by side. It is a wholesome dish, tastes delicious. and is served for breakfast. It is also made on Sankranti / Pongal festival as a variation to Khara pongal.
This Rava Pongal is,
- Wholesome
- Full of flavors
- Easy to make
- Uses minimal ingredients
Ingredients
Rava – This pongal is made with a medium size , coarse variety of rava (semolina), also known as Bombay rava. Do not use the fine sooji to make this pongal.
Dal – Split yellow moong dal is main ingredient in pongal , rinse and soak moong dal for at least 30 minutes before you add it to the cooker.
Water – You can adjust the consistency of pongal by adding less or more water.
Add salt , as per your taste.
Ginger – Fresh ginger adds a nice subtle flavor to pongal. But science behind is few may find lentils as bloating and gassy , adding ginger with asafoetida will combat its effect hence do not miss this one.
For tempering – Pongal is tempered with ghee, mustard seeds , cumin seeds, asafoetida (hing), curry leaves, green chili peppers, black peppercorns and cashews.
I recommend to use only ghee in this recipe, as it adds a rich and authentic taste.
Use fresh and green curry leaves for a better aroma. Just 1 or 2 slit green chili peppers are enough in this recipe , as pongal will never be spicy ! But anyhow you can adjust as you need.
Cashew nuts are optional, but it does add a nice crunch.
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How to make Rava Pongal
Rinse and soak moong dal for minimum 30 minutes. Though it’s not necessary to soak moong dal , I recommend it as it helps for proper digestion and absorption of nutrients by the body.
Heat 1.5 tablespoon of ghee in a pressure cooker , add soaked moongdal and saute for 3-5 minutes on medium low heat, add turmeric , ginger and mix well.
Add 1 to 1.5 cups of water and
pressure cook for 2-3 whistles.
Let pressure settles down on its own before you open the lid. Moon dal is well cooked
Whilst ,in a thick bottom pan , roast semolina in 1 teaspoon of ghee until fragrant.
Transfer roasted rava into a bowl and set aside.
In the same pan, heat 1.5 tablespoon of ghee , add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, black peppercorns and cashews .
When cashews changes color , add curry leaves , green chilli and asafoetida.
Add roasted rava and mix well everything.
To this now add, cooked moong dal ,
Add hot water , salt and stir well everything ,
cover lid and cook for 5 minutes.
You can make it either thick or thin as per your preference. If you prefer thick consistency then reduce the amount of water .
After 5 minutes, open lid ; give a quick stir and turn off the stove.
Drizzle ghee on rava pongal and serve hot with coconut chutney.
Recipe Card
Rava Pongal Recipe
Ingredients
To pressure cook
- 1.5 tablespoon clarified butter/ ghee
- ¼ cup split moong dal - rinsed and soaked
- 1 teaspoon ginger, grated
- ⅛ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1.5 cups water - for cooking moong dal
To roast rava
- 1 teaspoon ghee
- ½ cup fine rava / sooji
To make pongal
- 1.5 tablespoon ghee /clarified butter
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon black pepper corns
- 8 -10 no’s cashews
- 1 sprig of curry leaves
- 1-2 small green chilli sliced
- ⅛ teaspoon of hing
- 1.5 cups water
Instructions
To pressure cook
- Rinse and soak moong dal for minimum 30 minutes.
- Heat 1.5 tablespoon of ghee in a pressure cooker , add soaked moongdal and saute for 3-5 minutes on medium low heat, add turmeric , ginger and mix well.
- Add 1 to 1.5 cups of water and pressure cook for 2-3 whistles.
- Let pressure settles down on its own before you open the lid.
To roast rava
- Whilst ,in a thick bottom pan , roast semolina in 1 teaspoon of ghee until fragrant.
- Transfer roasted rava into a bowl and set aside.
To make rava pongal
- In the same pan, heat 1.5 tablespoon of ghee , add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, blacke peppercorns and cashews .
- When cashews changes color , add curry leaves , green chilli and asafoetida.
- Add roasted rav and mix well everything.
- To this now add, cooked moong dal , hot water and salt to taste .
- Stir well everything , cover lid and cook for 5 minutes.
- You can make it either thick or thin , if you prefer thick consistency then reduce the amount of water.
- After 5 minutes, open lid ; give a quick stir and turn off the stove.
- Drizzle ghee on rava pongal and serve hot with coconut chutney.
Video
Notes
- Make sure to roast rava well before adding into the pongal , if not well roasted pongalt turns like a paste .
- You can add water as required , if you want it thick then reduce the amount of water , if thin add more water.
- Pongal tends to thicken once it cools down.
- Don't make pongal in oil , It doesn't taste good at all.
- Also dont compromise with the amount of ghee that gets in , its minimum 3 tablespoon og ghee required for the taken measurement.
FAQ's
Is it freezer friendly ?
No , I never recommend . In fact rava pongal tastes best when made fresh.
How can I store left overs ?
Store in air tight container and keep in refrigerator. Pongal tends to thicken when it cools down , add little water , loosen up and then reheat in oven or on stove top before serving.
What all preparations can be done to speed up the process?
Roasting rava / semolina can be done and stored in a airtight jar. You can just use it whenever required , it comes handy and saves up your time.
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