It’s Weekend, a second weekend in the month of Jan 2016 and when I say January, it’s pongal time all around. The classic khara pongal and sweet pongal recipes are popping out in most of the social media sites triggering my blog-sense to cook something in context with the festival. Back in my mind I had rava pongal where I can substitute rava in the classic recipe that uses rice. Co-incidentally I could find myself reading food-court section of Indian newspaper today, that had a long list of pongal recipes with a fancy tweak. Oh my gosh. Happy me!! So look forward to few traditional Karnataka recipes with innovative twist in coming week.
The best part of rava pongal is you don’t need a season or festival to cook it, whenever you are in a puzzle as what to cook for breakfast the next day, just think of this awesomeness. Because it’s really, really easy and doesn’t need you spending valuable minutes in chopping vegetables. Because rava pongal needs NO vegetables but has protein in the form of lentils. So go for it.
Rava pongal is mild with damn good flavors of cumin and black pepper. If you are like me you would love black pepper flavor in most savory food that authentically have to be mild in spice. We all enjoyed this version of pongal without any side dishes, but you can pair it with coconut chutney too.
Rava Pongal | Ven Pongal using Rava
Ingredients
- Medium rava- 1/2 cup
- Split green gram lentils Moong dal- 1/8 cup
- Chopped ginger- 1 tsp
- Black pepper- 1 tsp
- Green chillies- 1 no.
- Turmeric powder- A pinch
- Cashews- Few
- Salt- 3/4 tsp
- Fresh grated coconut- 2 tsp
- Ghee- 2 tsp
- Water- 2 and 1/4 cups
Seasoning ingredients
- Cooking oil- 6 tsp
- Cumin seeds- 1 tsp
- Curry leaves- Few
Instructions
Preparation
- Heat a pan with split green gram lentils and roast them in medium heat till raw smell subsides and aroma wafts out. Pressure cook the lentils adding 1 cup of water till they turn soft. I have cooked for 3 whistles and in simmer for 2 minutes.
Method
- In the same pan add a tsp of ghee and roast the rava for about 4 minutes in medium flame. Transfer the rava in to a bowl and heat the same pan adding oil, cumin seeds and curry leaves.
- When the cumin seeds change in color throw in ginger, crushed black pepper, cashews and slit green chillies. Saute for a while. Then add 1 and quarter cup of water, turmeric and salt. Bring it to boil.
- Next include cooked moong dal and carefully pour roasted rava while stirring it continuously. Make sure rava doesn't form any lumps. Finally garnish with grated coconut.
- Drool-worthy rava pongal is ready to relish with coconut chutney.
Notes
- While roasting rava and moong dal, ensure the color doesn't change to brown.
- If you prefer, add ghee instead of oil and make the pongal only using ghee.
- If you reduce oil, the pongal loses it's texture and becomes like paste.
