Rava Pongal recipe | Sooji Pongal

ABOUT

Rava Pongal is a famous South Indian breakfast made with rava/sooji and moong dal with good amount of ghee. It is super simple to make and tastes delicious when served with coconut chutney. They are more like you do rava khichadi but since we add cooked dal in it , the taste is entirely different and will make you drool over it. The ghee and cashews adds to the taste and this pongal remains so soft even after it is cooled.

Traditional Ven Pongal will have Rice and dal cooked together and Sakkarai Pongal or sweet pongal on other hand is cooked with same rice and dal in jaggery syrup and are loved by most of the South Indians. They are a must during Pongal festival. But Pongal is one of the staple breakfast, so we make it often at homes and is termed as sleeping pill, as it makes you feel so full.

Rava Pongal is a variation to regular pongal and will make you feel fuller than regular pongal. They are a great alternative, if you are bored with your regular meal.

MAJOR INGREDIENTS

Rava/Sooji

Use super fine rava and I have used Bombay rava. Most of the rava you get in stores are roasted, so no need to roast it because for Pongal we need it to be mushy.

Moong Dal

Moong dal is a major Ingredient in any kind of pongal. Similar to rava, roasting of moong dal is not mandatory. But if the dal is little old, you can slightly roast it and wash it twice before cooking.

Ghee

For any pongal, ghee is the key attraction and I couldn’t name any replacement for it. They enhance the overall flavor, taste and makes it richer.

TIPS AND NOTES

1. Moong dal must be cooked till it mashes. So, you can even increase the water and number of whistles to cook them super soft.
2. If you want your cashews to be very crunchy , you can take them out once roasted and add at the end. But I also prefer it to cook along.
3. If you don’t like whole peppers, then crush and add. Similarly for ginger, you can grate and add if you feel the chunks are disturbing the taste.
4. Rava should be added only after the water starts boiling. Otherwise it will form lumps.
5. It is also important to gradually add rava and mix continuously as you add so that it is mixed evenly and no lumps are formed.
6. If you want the pongal to be loose, add little more water than specified.
7. Add cooked moong dal only after the rava is cooked completely.

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS WITH PHOTOS

Take moong dal (1/2 cup) and wash it twice. The cloudy color should vanish.

Add this to a cooker, add water (2 cups) and turmeric powder. Mix well. No need to add salt at this stage. Salt will affect the cooking process of dal so you can add it later.

Now close and cook for 4-5 whistles.

Once the pressure drops, open and mash the dal completely.

To a pan, add ghee, cumin seeds, pepper (if you don’t like whole pepper, crush and add), ginger, hing, green chilli (slit) and curry leaves. Let it crackle.

Add the cashews and roast them till golden. If you want it very crispy, take some aside and add at the last. But I like to cook along.

Add water (3.25 cups) and let it boil. Water will absorb all the tempering flavors. Add salt at this point so that it mixes evenly.

Once the water starts to boil, add the rava (1 cup) slowly and stir continuously to avoid lumps. Water should remain above rava, so that when rava cooks, the consistency will be right.

Close and keep the flame at low. Cook for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, you can see the rava will be completely cooked and there will neither be excess water nor dry rava

Now add the mashed dal and mix thoroughly. Dal will also be slightly loose. So when we mix both the consistency becomes perfect.

Add some 2 tbsp ghee over it and mix all together. Ghee enhances the flavor and taste.

Serve hot with either chutney or sambar and enjoy!!

Happy Eating!!

STORAGE

Rava pongal can be stored for 2 days in fridge. You can reheat it by steaming in cooker, so that it doesn’t dry and will be soft.