Amma's Ven Pongal

Ven Pongal is a traditional South Indian dish and is comfort in a bowl for me.

Ven Pongal is an rice, lentils, spices, and a whole lot of ghee. Think of it as an Indian version of a risotto. This recipe is my amma's (which is a south Indian way of calling your mom) and I get so excited every time she makes it. She adds tons of ghee and my favorite part is definitely the roasted cashews on top. Enjoy 💛

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Amma's Ven Pongal

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

1&1/2 cups basmati rice - washed & drained

3/4 cup yellow dal

5.5 cups water

2 tsp cumin seeds

2 tsp black peppercorn

2 tbsp grated ginger

2 bay leaves

Salt to taste

Couple tbsps of ghee

1/4 cup cashews

Directions

1. Add rice with dal in a pressure cooker with water. After 6 whistles and the pressure is released, open carefully. The consistency should be creamy and slightly runny. I actually used a masher for some left over rice that wasn’t completely in the dal.

2. While rice & dal are cooking, prep the add ins. Sauté cumin seeds, black peppercorns, grated ginger. Once it’s hot, add this to your pongal after it's done.

3. In the same pan, add ghee and sauté cashews until they’re golden brown. Add in to your pongal with salt, lots of ghee and mix till combined.