Ghee Pongal Recipe | Saravana Bhavan Ven Pongal Recipe with step by step pics and short Youtube video. If you like my video, please do subscribe to my channel ‘Asmallbite’. This dish can also be called Ven Pongal or Khara Pongal and it is specially prepared during the harvest festival of Makar Sankranti. It is a savoury rice dish that is rich, healthy, and simple to make with very few everyday ingredients, yet so delicious. It is the easiest breakfast recipe, making Pongal at home is a breeze, it has just 2 steps – pressure cook rice and dal and then do the seasoning. In hotels, they replace ghee with dalda / vanaspati as it is cheap, to say the truth vanaspati gives a tongue-smacking taste, but it has a lot of adverse ill effects on the health side, so never go for it. To bring the restaurant touch to the Pongal, add ghee generously which lends softness and aroma to the dish. It is also prepared in South Indian homes for special occasions like pooja, marriages, and in temples as naivedyam. It goes well with Coconut Chutney, Getti Chutney, and Tomato Kotsu. Furthermore, check my 100+ Makar Sankranthi Recipes, Rava Khara Pongal, Millet Khara Pongal, Sweet Pongal, and Ven Pongal recipes too.
Check my other Side dishes, for this Pongal
1. Hotel Saravana Bhavan Sambar
2. Ratna Cafe Sambar
3. Kalyana Gotsu
4. Instant Idli Sambar
5. Kumbakonam Kadappa
Saravana Bhavan Ghee Pongal
Ghee Pongal Recipe | Saravana Bhavan Ven Pongal Recipe
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker
- Kadai / Pan
- Stovetop
Ingredients
1 Cup = 250 ML, 1 tsp = 5 ML
- 1 Cup Raw Rice / பச்சைஅரிசி
- ¼ Cup Moong Dal / பாசிப்பருப்பு
- 4 Cups Water / தண்ணீர்
- ¼ tsp Turmeric Powder / மஞ்சள்தூள்
- Salt / உப்பு As Required
- ¼ Cup Ghee / நெய் Link for Homemade Ghee
To Temper
- 2 tbsp Ghee / நெய் Link for Homemade Ghee
- 1½ tsp Pepper Corns / மிளகு
- 2 tsp Jeera / சீரகம்
- 2 Green Chilli / பச்சைமிளகாய்
- 1 Small Piece Ginger / இஞ்சி
- 2 Generous Pinch Hing / பெருங்காயம்
- 1 Sprig Curry Leaves / கருவேப்பில்லை
- 10 - 12 Cashew / முந்திரி
Instructions
- Measure and keep the raw rice, moong dal by side. Then, rinse both the rice and dal well. Soak it in water for 30 minutes, this step is optional but it helps in easy cooking.
- Drain the water completely. Now, slit the green chilli and chop the ginger finely. Also, measure and keep all the other ingredients ready.
- Heat 1 tbsp of ghee in a pan, then add the jeera and peppercorns. Roast in low flame, till nice aroma wafts and ensure not to burn it.
- Once it cools down, transfer the roasted jeera and peppercorns to a mixer. Just pulse it once roughly and keep aside.
- To the same pan, add the green chilli, ginger, curry leaves, hing and cashews. Roast everything till golden colour and keep aside.
- Now, add 2 tsp of ghee and add the drained rice-dal. Roast it for few minutes to get a flavourful Pongal, do not skip this step. Then, pour 4 cups of water, add the turmeric powder and required salt.
- Mix well and pressure cook for 4 to 5 whistles. Once the pressure subsides by itself, open the lid and mash it slightly to a restaurant touch.
- Now, add the roasted jeera, peppercorns, green chilli, ginger, curry leaves and cashews. Finally, add the ghee generously (about 3 to 4 tbsp) and mix everything well.Serve this Ghee Pongal Recipe with Hotel Style Tiffin Sambar.
Video
Notes
Tips for Saravana Bhavan Ven Pongal Recipe
1. Use raw rice only, this Ghee Pongal Recipe won't taste good with other rice varieties. 2. Soaking the rice and moong dal for 30 minutes helps in easy and fast cooking. 3. Roasting the rice and moong dal is optional. But it lends a nice aroma to the Saravana Bhavan Ven Pongal recipe. 4. Quantity of moong dal can be altered as per your taste, maybe 2 tbsp,1/4 cup, or 1/2 cup for 1 cup of rice. 5. Use a heavy-bottomed pan to avoid the Pongal getting burnt at the bottom. 6. If the Pongal is watery after cooking, then pressure cook for another 2 whistles. 7. If the Pongal turns dry, then add 1 tbsp of ghee or 2 tbsp of milk. 8. Do the roasting in low flame, also, ensure not to burn the jeera and ginger. Otherwise, the whole Pongal taste bitter. 9. Adding the jeera, peppercorns and ginger, at last, helps to retain the aroma for a long time. But for a shortcut method, you can temper first and do the remaining steps. 10. Dalda can be used instead of ghee, which gives a perfect hotel taste to the Pongal. But due to its adverse health effects skip using it. 11. Use good quality ghee and add it generously which gives softness and flavour to the dish.
Saravana Bhavan Ven Pongal Recipe
Method for Ghee Pongal Recipe
1. Measure and keep the raw rice, moong dal by side. Then, rinse both the rice and dal well. Soak it in water for 30 minutes, this step is optional but it helps in easy cooking.
2. Drain the water completely. Now, slit the green chilli and chop the ginger finely. Also, measure and keep all the other ingredients ready.
3. Heat 1 tbsp of ghee in a pan, then add the jeera and peppercorns. Roast in low flame, till nice aroma wafts and ensure not to burn it.
4. Once it cools down, transfer the roasted jeera and peppercorns to a mixer. Just pulse it once roughly and keep aside.
5. To the same pan, add the green chilli, ginger, curry leaves, hing and cashews. Roast everything till golden colour and keep aside.
6. Now, add 2 tsp of ghee and add the drained rice-dal. Roast it for few minutes to get a flavourful Pongal, do not skip this step. Then, pour 4 cups of water, add the turmeric powder and required salt.
7. Mix well and pressure cook for 4 to 5 whistles. Once the pressure subsides by itself, open the lid and mash it slightly to a restaurant touch.
8. Now, add the roasted jeera, peppercorns, green chilli, ginger, curry leaves and cashews. Finally, add the ghee generously (about 3 to 4 tbsp) and mix everything well.
Serve this Ghee Pongal Recipe with Hotel Style Tiffin Sambar.
Ghee Pongal Recipe
Welcome to my blog www.asmallbite.com. Thanks for reading my blog! I hope you’re enjoying my recipes to make the taste forever. I am Priya Santhamohan, writer and photographer (with hubby’s help) of this blog. 
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