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Ven Pongal / Khara Pongal / Ghee Pongal Recipe

January 10, 2015 by Suguna Vinodh 74 Comments

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South-indian-ven-pongal-ghee-pongal-khara-pongal-recipe |kannammacooks.com #ghee #pongal #breakfast #south #indian #Tamilnadu #festival #kedgeree

Ven Pongal / Khara Pongal.

South Indian king of breakfasts Ven Pongal / Khara Pongal. Rice and dal/lentils cooked and tempered with cumin, pepper, ginger and ghee. With step by step pictures.

I was never a Ven Pongal fan until I became pregnant with my first born. I used to crave for a few things and Ven Pongal was high on that list. Not just any Ven Pongal. But Ven Pongal from a small little restaurant in San Jose called Komala Vilas. My husbands friend, whom we called Thambi used to come and stay with us over the weekends. Thambi is a foodie. He loved to eat out. So every Saturday, we would get up late, get ready and drive straight to Komala Vilas and have piping hot Pongal. Their Pongal was different. Pepper and Cumin was never whole in their Pongal. It was crushed, fried and then added. This little step took their dish to another different level. ‘What nicer thing can you do for somebody than make them breakfast?’ – Anthony Bourdain.
So lets make some awesome Pongal. Come with me.

Note: The rice dal ratio – Generally the ratio is 1 rice : 1/2 dal. You can go upto 1:1 to have a very rich pongal. If unsure go with the 1: 1/2 ratio.

Soak rice in water. Preferably raw rice. I used Sona Masuri rice. Once we have done that, lets roast some lentils. Take split moong dal and dry roast it on a very low flame until you can smell the roasted dal. It would take approximately 3 minutes. Don’t roast for long. Cook the dal and rice together in a pressure cooker with 4 cups of water for a good 15 minutes or 10-12 whistles. We need to cook it until well done. I dont add the rice and dal directly in the cooker. I place some water in the cooker and place a bowl inside and add the rice, dal and water to the bowl. This way the rice mixture does not scorch in the bottom.

South-indian-ven-pongal-ghee-pongal-khara-pongal-recipe-cook-rice |kannammacooks.com #ghee #pongal #breakfast #south #indian #Tamilnadu #festival #kedgeree

Coarsely grind pepper and cumin with the help of a mortar and pestle. Set aside. Mince a teaspoon of ginger very finely. You will need some green chillies and curry leaves too.

South-indian-ven-pongal-ghee-pongal-khara-pongal-recipe-pepper-cumin |kannammacooks.com #ghee #pongal #breakfast #south #indian #Tamilnadu #festival #kedgeree

Heat some ghee and oil in a pan. I used 2 tablespoons of ghee and a tablespoon of oil. Add in the broken cashew nut, ginger, curry leaves and green chillies. Roast on a low flame. Once the nuts are roasted add in the pepper-cumin mixture. Roast briefly for 20 seconds.
South-indian-ven-pongal-ghee-pongal-khara-pongal-recipe-tempering |kannammacooks.com #ghee #pongal #breakfast #south #indian #Tamilnadu #festival #kedgeree

Add in the cooked rice-dal mixture and salt. Mix everything to combine. Saute briefly for a minute or two. Remove off heat.

South-indian-ven-pongal-ghee-pongal-khara-pongal-recipe-finishing |kannammacooks.com #ghee #pongal #breakfast #south #indian #Tamilnadu #festival #kedgeree

Serve hot with chutney and sambar.

Here is the recipe for sambar

South-indian-ven-pongal-ghee-pongal-khara-pongal-recipe-1 |kannammacooks.com #ghee #pongal #breakfast #south #indian #Tamilnadu #festival #kedgeree

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South-indian-ven-pongal-ghee-pongal-khara-pongal-recipe-1 |kannammacooks.com #ghee #pongal #breakfast #south #indian #Tamilnadu #festival #kedgeree

Ven Pongal / Khara Pongal


★★★★★

4.6 from 23 reviews

  • Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
  • Total Time: 40 mins
  • Yield: 3
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Description

South Indian king of breakfasts Ven Pongal / Khara Pongal. Rice and dal/lentils cooked and tempered with cumin, pepper, ginger and ghee.


Ingredients

Scale

Main Ingredients

  • 1 cup Raw rice (sona masuri)
  • 1/2 cup to 1 cup split moong dal (see notes)
  • 4 cups water

Tempering Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoon Ghee
  • 1 tablespoon Oil
  • 2 Tablespoon broken cashewnut
  • 1 teaspoon minced ginger
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 2 green chillies, chopped
  • 1 sprig curry leaves
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

  1. Soak rice in water. Take split moong dal and dry roast it on a very low flame until you can smell the roasted dal. It would take approximately 3 minutes. Don’t roast for long. Cook the dal and rice together in a pressure cooker with 4 cups of water for a good 15 minutes or 10-12 whistles.
  2. Coarsely grind pepper and cumin with the help of a mortar and pestle. Set aside.
  3. Heat some ghee and oil in a pan. I used 2 tablespoons of ghee and a tablespoon of oil. Add in the broken cashew nut, ginger, curry leaves and green chillies. Roast on a low flame. Once the nuts are roasted add in the pepper-cumin mixture. Roast briefly for 20 seconds.
  4. Add in the cooked rice-dal mixture and salt. Mix everything to combine. Saute briefly for a minute or two.
  5. Remove off heat.

Notes

The rice dal ratio – Generally the ratio is 1 rice : 1/2 dal. You can go upto 1:1 to have a very rich pongal. If unsure go with the 1: 1/2 ratio.

  • Prep Time: 20 mins
  • Cook Time: 20 mins
  • Category: Breakfast
  • Cuisine: South Indian

Keywords: ven pongal

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Suguna Vinodh

I'm Suguna Vinodh aka Kannamma. I love south Indian food and I am passionate about baking. My Favorite things include my Wusthof knife, Coffee, Ilayaraja, Tamil and beaches. I love Jacques Pepin and Julia Child.

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Comments

  1. Madhu says

    April 5, 2020 at 11:03 pm

    Dear akka,
    I have been planning for a while to leave a comment.you inspired me to cook and thank you for that I have tried lot of recipes including veg,non veg,baking ,snacks and everything turned out wonderful. Thank you for doing this wonderful job and send my love to all your family members.

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      April 5, 2020 at 11:27 pm

      Thank you!

      Reply
  2. Anitha says

    September 26, 2019 at 12:16 am

    My husband cooks rarely and his dishes are usually decent. But lately he’s become an addict and his dishes are AWESOME!!! Just found out the reason behind his mouth watering dishes – KannamaCooks!!! 🙂
    I am glad he came across your website. After almost a decade of cooking with internet help, kannama is his new found friend that has helped get him some amazing reviews from family and friends. So much so that I am also planning to try some few dishes that was considered just ok 🙂 Thank You so much for turning my world around with your spectacular blogs!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      September 27, 2019 at 2:45 pm

      Thank you so much for saying that. It means a lot to me.

      Reply
  3. Virginia K. says

    May 6, 2019 at 5:24 am

    Your recipes are amazing! And I love the photos and instructions. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I had been wanting to cook all the foods I tried while in South India. It was the best food I’ve tasted in my life and your site is has helped me so much. For someone who is absolutely clueless, what type of chutney would you serve with this Pongal and the sambar?

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      May 6, 2019 at 1:57 pm

      Hi Virginia,
      It is usually served with coconut chutney.
      https://www.kannammacooks.com/south-indian-style-green-coconut-chutney/
      https://www.kannammacooks.com/annapoorna-hotel-sambar/
      Thank you. Glad you are liking the recipes.

      Reply
      • Virginia K. says

        May 7, 2019 at 6:18 am

        Thank you again!

        ★★★★★

        Reply
    • Ambika Devi says

      April 15, 2020 at 3:24 pm

      Hello Suguna mam,
      First of all thank you so much for all your awesome recipes. I am also from coimbatore and so I love all your coimbatore style recipes and have tried many and the outcome was pretty good. The best part about your recipes are the small nuances and guidelines that you never forget to mention and surely it adds so much taste to the food. Please keep on cooking and help us too with the recipes. Lots of love.

      Reply
      • Suguna Vinodh says

        April 15, 2020 at 9:17 pm

        Thank you!

        Reply
  4. Keerthika says

    April 11, 2019 at 7:51 pm

    I tried this recipe today and it came out very well. I added a bit of asafoetida too. The ground pepper and Cummin made a whole lot of difference in the flavour. Thank you

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      April 17, 2019 at 5:47 pm

      Thank you very much!

      Reply
  5. Dinesh kumar says

    December 28, 2018 at 4:23 am

    Hey kannammacooks

    Great points!

    When I started searching about Pongal recipes on the web, then I might be getting a little bit confused all the recipes providers are posting same content, but in between, I have seen your web, then I have noticed that your content is so impressive and has the so much uniqueness.

    I think you need to keep posting stuff like this.
    -Dinesh Kumar

    Reply
  6. Swathi K says

    June 19, 2018 at 12:44 am

    Thank you so much kannamma Garu..I tied your Pongal and my hubby finished it at a go…also I tried your idly batter which turned out awesome..

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      June 19, 2018 at 1:59 pm

      Thank you!

      Reply
  7. Chridty says

    June 4, 2018 at 1:20 am

    Yesterday i tried this pongal n it was a hit in party.esc that pepper n jerra powderinnghee was another level..thanks.god bless

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      June 4, 2018 at 3:55 pm

      Thank you. Glad you liked it!

      Reply
  8. VvR says

    July 1, 2017 at 2:56 am

    Nice description about pongal. Very useful to folks like me

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      July 3, 2017 at 2:27 pm

      Thank you!

      Reply
  9. S.Anis Fathima says

    June 1, 2017 at 11:00 pm

    Awesome man.. thanks for the recipe mam..

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      June 3, 2017 at 2:00 am

      Thank you so much. Really glad that you liked the recipe.

      Reply
  10. Sudhakar Naraparaju says

    May 30, 2017 at 3:55 am

    Hi Suguna,

    I made it today. It came out really good! Thanks for sharing the recipe. I will try a few more of your recipes soon.

    Thank you,
    Sudhakar Naraparaju

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      June 3, 2017 at 2:03 am

      Thank you so much. Really glad that you liked the recipe.

      Reply
  11. Vimala Joseph says

    May 23, 2017 at 3:20 am

    It’s an awesome My Boys 12yrs and 8yrs, and my hubby never used to eat Pongal, but now when i followed this recipe, they just love it and it’s on demand, atleast once a week. Thank you so much

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      May 24, 2017 at 9:43 pm

      Thank you Vimala.

      Reply
  12. Anis says

    February 20, 2017 at 4:29 pm

    Akka
    1/2 cup rice na 120ml dana?
    4 cup water na 960 ml dana?
    Akka pls reply ,,,,

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      February 20, 2017 at 6:34 pm

      1 cup is 240 ml. 1 tablespoon is 15 ml and 1 teaspoon is 5ml.
      You are right.

      Reply
  13. Swathi says

    February 1, 2017 at 11:57 pm

    Hi Suguna. I’m a beginner and preparing pongal for the first time. When should I add the salt?

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      February 2, 2017 at 12:29 pm

      When you do the final tempering in ghee. I have mentioned it in the post.

      Reply
  14. Anis says

    January 30, 2017 at 5:07 pm

    Thank you akka

    Reply
  15. Anis says

    January 29, 2017 at 3:03 pm

    Akka
    Enaku pongal knjm watery consistency la vanthuchu
    Picture la ulla madiri varanum na water level la kuraikalama
    Apadina
    Evlo water kammi pana?
    Reply akka pls

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      January 30, 2017 at 1:49 pm

      Hi Anis. Just rest the pongal for 15 minutes and it will harden.

      Reply
  16. Priya Srinivasa says

    January 16, 2017 at 11:44 pm

    One more recipe that came out finger licking good!!! I never get the flavor or the rice consistency correct, but this time I followed the recipe to the T, except that I added a little bit more cooked rice in the end. But the flavors..yummm…hubby wiped the kadai clean :-). Happy Pongal!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      January 17, 2017 at 12:25 pm

      Thank you Priya Srinivasa.

      Reply
  17. Donna Joshi says

    January 16, 2017 at 7:14 pm

    Hii…
    Thanks heaps for this cut to cut details of the recipe, this is very similar to the KHICHDI preparation of the north, only the tempering is different

    ★★★

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      January 16, 2017 at 7:18 pm

      You are welcome Donna Joshi!

      Reply
  18. Lekha says

    January 7, 2017 at 3:21 pm

    Usually for Venn pongal the rice and dhal ratio is 4:1 or 3:1 depending on the need. But first time I am seeing half and half. Won’t it be more mushy like paruppu sadham or this recipe demands this much dhal? But the recipe is awesome. I can feel the flavours by seeing the picture. Please clarify me since I am planning to make a big batch for my guests…

    ★★★★

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      January 7, 2017 at 3:27 pm

      Yes. you are right. I use 50:50 dal and rice. You can reduce the dal if you are used to your ratio.

      Reply
  19. Himali Mandekar says

    December 13, 2016 at 9:11 pm

    Thank you Kannamma for sharing yet another delicious recipe. It turned out very well. I have a question about dry roasting the dal, doesn’t this have to be washed first ? I know it’s a silly question I am a novice cook so apologies for my ignorance.
    I love reading your blog, most of your recipes are foolproof which is really helpful to people like me.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      December 13, 2016 at 9:41 pm

      Hi Himali, You can roast it first and then wash it if you want to.
      When making masala etc, we use the dal as is right. We do not wash.
      But, Its a nice thing to wash to be sure that the dal is clean.

      Reply
  20. Nandhini says

    December 2, 2016 at 10:46 pm

    It’s not moving it’s moong dhal the auto correct messes up everything I write

    Reply
  21. Nandhini says

    December 2, 2016 at 10:43 pm

    Is the dry roasting of moving dhal very necessary?

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      December 3, 2016 at 2:24 pm

      Hi Nandhini, dry roasting brings a beautiful aroma to the dal. Thats why I dry roast. If you are in a hurry, you can skip.

      Reply
  22. Narasimhan says

    October 8, 2016 at 7:41 pm

    The description itself is very appetizing.

    Please provide the recipe for various chutnies please.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  23. అసద్ఫ్ says

    October 7, 2016 at 12:53 am

    🙂

    Reply
  24. SOWMYA says

    August 27, 2016 at 12:15 pm

    I cooked it today it’s awesome… Thank you for the recipe….

    ★★★★

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      August 27, 2016 at 1:05 pm

      Thank You!

      Reply
  25. Girish says

    August 20, 2016 at 10:57 pm

    Hi,

    Very strange bio.

    Keep it up.

    -Girish

    ★★★★

    Reply
  26. R. Chandramouli says

    June 22, 2016 at 2:35 am

    Your recipes are good. I tried your sambar it was also nice and tasty, but that is not similar to Ratnacafe Sambar. I will give you the exact Rathna cafe sambar receipe by mail, if you wish.

    Reply
  27. R. Chandramouli says

    June 21, 2016 at 6:33 pm

    Hi Nice recipe. But why hing is not added. We generally add hing and half the ginger with dhal n rice and pressure cook. Once the cooker is opened we add halfcup of mil n mix it and then all your other procedures followed.

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      June 21, 2016 at 8:05 pm

      You can add hing if you want. Just adapt the recipe to your family’s liking.

      Reply
  28. Kavyashree M says

    June 9, 2016 at 12:52 pm

    Recipe i tried it was very tasty. My husband loved this dish.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      June 9, 2016 at 12:54 pm

      Thank you Kavyashree.

      Reply
  29. dokter rambut malang says

    June 5, 2016 at 4:11 pm

    My partner and I absolutely love your blog and find many of your post’s to be exactly what I’m looking for.
    Do you offer guest writers to write content for yourself?
    I wouldn’t mind writing a post or elaborating
    on a lot of the subjects you write with regards
    to here. Again, awesome site!

    Reply
  30. shilpa says

    May 22, 2016 at 12:37 pm

    Thank u so much for dis recepie.. It came out too good.. My son n husband loved it.. Jus tried dis morning.. Superb:)

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      May 22, 2016 at 12:53 pm

      Thats so nice Shilpa.

      Reply
  31. venkat says

    May 20, 2016 at 4:40 pm

    Going to try it out tonight. Trust it to be as tasty as it should be. Thanks in advance. I have seen some dry roast the cumin on the kadai or tawa before crushing for it to have the aroma in the dish

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      May 20, 2016 at 8:25 pm

      we will be roasting the cumin and pepper in ghee before adding. so the roasting part is taken care of. Dont worry.

      Reply
  32. S.Ram says

    April 17, 2016 at 9:21 pm

    Thank you for your well educative and appetizing recipes. You have really made a wonderful life to your site with Hong kong life and really it takes a real net shopping like window shopping. Thank you and wishing you more and more successful adventure recipes.

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      April 17, 2016 at 11:16 pm

      Thank you so much S.Ram. It means a lot to me.

      Reply
  33. rachel says

    April 13, 2016 at 5:54 am

    I’m making this now- what would you serve with it? (what is shown in the picture?)

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      April 13, 2016 at 8:48 am

      You will serve with sambar.

      Reply
  34. Rajani says

    March 12, 2016 at 2:09 pm

    Came out super tasty…thank uuuui

    ★★

    Reply
  35. Bala says

    January 20, 2016 at 10:33 pm

    Nice you like Tamil,it is really new thing that you grind pepper and cumin seeds.let me try tomorrow .

    ★★★★

    Reply
  36. Tharani says

    December 17, 2015 at 1:38 am

    Thank you for sharing this lovely recipe. I learned to eat Pongal at Chennai during my recent trip and wanted to try out. Found your recipe online. Will try it this weekend. Tq

    Reply
  37. Shilpa says

    October 14, 2015 at 1:53 pm

    thanks for this awesome pongal recipe. Made it for breakfast today. Just too good and simple to make.

    Reply
  38. Sneha says

    October 1, 2015 at 1:07 am

    Awesome recipe Kannamma, I prepared Ven Pongal this morning for the first time, my husband and in-laws loved it. 🙂
    Easy and clear step by step instruction.
    Looking forward to try many other recipes from your website.
    😀

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      October 1, 2015 at 1:05 pm

      Thanks Sneha. Welcome to the pongal club! 🙂

      Reply
  39. kartika says

    September 29, 2015 at 10:05 am

    super I am making pongal second time. It taste super..

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      September 29, 2015 at 12:45 pm

      Thank You!

      Reply
  40. remya says

    July 24, 2015 at 9:58 pm

    Hi Suguna,

    I knw Vinodh n u while in SD …felt like having pongal today …was excited to c dat it is ur recipe…
    I still rmmbr the taste of ur yummy mango cake u got for team potluck !!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      July 25, 2015 at 1:39 am

      Thank you so much Remya for remembering us. Hope you are good!

      Reply
  41. suguna vinodh says

    January 23, 2015 at 9:44 pm

    🙂

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  42. Onella says

    January 12, 2015 at 3:06 am

    Can I make this with maysoor dhal?

    Reply
    • vinodh suguna says

      January 12, 2015 at 11:30 am

      Hi Onella, I have always made pongal with Moong dal only. Never tried with masoor dal. So I really do not know if it works.

      Reply

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I’m Suguna, a former financial analyst, now a full-time food blogger. Welcome to my space. I share recipes gathered from my friends and family here. I am passionate about South Indian food. I crazy love knives. A sharp knife is a girls best friend. Hope you like the recipes here. Happy Cooking. Read more.....

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