Soft, ghee-slicked and heavy with cracked pepper and cumin, with beans and carrot folded through. Comfort food that eats like a proper meal.
Ingredients
From the TrooFoodz pantry
Fresh
- Split yellow moong dal ⅓ cup
- Carrot, small dice 1
- French beans, finely chopped 8
- Black peppercorns, coarsely cracked 1½ tsp
- Cumin seeds 1 tsp
- Ginger, grated 1 tbsp
- Cashew halves 12
- Curry leaves 1 sprig
- Asafoetida ¼ tsp
- Ghee 3 tbsp
- Salt to taste
Method
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Roast the dal
Dry-roast the moong dal until it turns a shade darker and smells toasty. This is what gives pongal its savoury backbone.
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Pressure cook
Add the roasted dal, Sprouted Little Millet Rava, diced vegetables, 3½ cups water and salt to a cooker. Cook for three whistles.
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Crack the pepper
While it cooks, pound the peppercorns coarsely in a mortar. Cracked pepper releases far more aroma than pre-ground.
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Fry the tempering
Heat ghee, fry the cashews to pale gold, then add cumin, cracked pepper, ginger, curry leaves and asafoetida. Take it off the heat as soon as the pepper smells sharp.
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Fold together
Open the cooker and mash the mixture lightly against the side of the pan so it loosens into a soft, spoonable mass.
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Finish with ghee
Pour the tempering over, stir once, and add a splash of hot water if it has tightened. Serve immediately with coconut chutney.
Why this works
Little millet rava breaks down faster than rice, so a wetter ratio and a light mash give the creamy texture pongal needs without overcooking. Roasting the moong dal deepens flavour through the Maillard reaction and stops it dissolving completely. Ghee carries the fat-soluble aromatics in pepper and cumin, which is why the tempering goes in last and hot.
Make it your own
- Sprouted Little Millet Rava → Sprouted Foxtail Millet Rava Firmer grain, less creamy, holds more definition.
- Ghee → Coconut oil Keeps it plant-based; expect a lighter, sweeter finish.
- Cashews → Broken almonds Firmer bite and a touch more bitterness.
