Ven Pongal Recipe Instant Pot

Ven pongal is a classic south Indian special dish prepared with rice, moong dal, a few essential spices and ghee (clarified butter). It is a simple and quick one-pot rice and lentil dish that gets ready in less than 30 minutes. Generally, it is served as a breakfast in South India but is ideal as a midweek meal or to serve at any time of the day.

Prep Time5

Cook Time20

Natural Pressure Release10

Total Time35

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings:

Calories: 330kcal

Author: Geetha

Equipment

Instant Pot
Wooden Spoon

Ingredients

1 Cup = 250ml ; 1 Tablespoon = 15ml ; 1 Teaspoon = 5ml

1.5 (1½) Tablespoons Oil
1.5 (1½) Tablespoons Ghee (Clarified Butter)
12 Cashew nuts each split in half
1 Tablespoon Cumin
¾ Tablespoon Black Peppercorn
1 inch (or) ½ Tablespoon Ginger washed, peeled and grated
handful Curry leaves
big pinch Asafoetida
Salt as required
2 Cups (or) 500 gms Rice
1 Cup (or) 250 gms Moong dal
9 Cups Water adjust to get your desired consistency

Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

Rinse and wash the rice and soak for 10 minutes.
2 Cups (or) 500 gms Rice
Meanwhile, plug in an instant pot and turn the sauté mode ON.
Dry roast the moong dal for 5-8 minutes until it is fragrant and starts to turn golden brown.
1 Cup (or) 250 gms Moong dal
Press the CANCEL button and transfer the lentils to a bowl. Wash the roasted lentils and keep them aside to use later.
Press the SAUTE button again and add the oil and ghee.
1.5 (1½) Tablespoons Oil, 1.5 (1½) Tablespoons Ghee (Clarified Butter)
Once the oil is hot, fry cashews just until they start turning light brown.
12 Cashew nuts
Now add the peppercorns, cumin and fry for half a minute, stirring regularly and letting the cumin splutter.
1 Tablespoon Cumin, ¾ Tablespoon Black Peppercorn
Add ginger followed by curry leaves and the asafoetida.
1 inch (or) ½ Tablespoon Ginger, handful Curry leaves, big pinch Asafoetida
Press CANCEL button.
Drain the water from the soaked rice and add it to the pot along with the washed lentils.
2 Cups (or) 500 gms Rice, 1 Cup (or) 250 gms Moong dal
Now add water and salt and stir well. Do the taste test and add more salt if needed.
Salt, 9 Cups Water
Close the pot with its lid, and turn the pressure valve to the SEALING position.
Press the PRESSURE COOK/MANUAL button and set the timer for 10 minutes at high pressure.
The instant pot displays ON initially and the timer countdown starts once the pressure has been built up.
Press the PRESSURE COOK/MANUAL button and set the timer for 10 minutes at high pressure.
The instant pot displays ON initially and the timer countdown starts once the pressure has been built up.
Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 10 mins.
After 10 minutes, turn the pressure valve to the VENT position, wait until the pressure is released completely and the small knob next to the pressure valve drops down.
Take the lid off the pot, and stir the pongal well as the spices and oil would have settled on the top layer.

Notes

The amount of water required to make this ven pongal recipe differs depending on the type of rice you use. In this recipe, I have used sona masoori rice.

The rice and lentil ratio is absolutely a personal choice. I use 2:1 - 2 cups of rice and 1 cup of moong dal (1 cup of rice and 1/2 cup of moong dal).

Pongal thickens as it cools. So do not worry if the pongal looks overly thin and runny once you open the pot. Eventually, you will get the right consistency as it cools.

Deglaze the pot to avoid the BURN message before closing the lid.

The cooking time varies depending on the volume you cook and the type of water you use. Extremely hard water takes a long time to cook.

If you feel the pongal is not cooked soft enough to your liking, add a little hot water, stir well, close the pot with a lid and pressure cook for another 3-4 minutes.

The time set on an instant pot is not the total time taken to cook ven pongal. The Instant pot takes its time to build the pressure depending on the quantity in the pot before the timer starts the countdown. So, the total time would be time to build pressure + timer countdown + natural pressure release time.

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