Vegetarian Pongal
A warm, one-pot Indian rice-and-lentil dish flavored with ginger, turmeric, and cashews. Ready in 25 minutes and naturally vegetarian.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Servings
- 4
- Calories
- 285
- Protein
- 8g
Ingredients
- 1 cup rice
- ½ cup yellow moong dal (split mung beans)
- 1 tablespoon, minced ginger, peeled
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 4 cups water
- ¼ cup cashews, broken into halves
Instructions
- 1
Place the rice in a fine-mesh strainer and rinse under cold water for 20 seconds, shaking gently, until the water runs mostly clear. This removes excess starch so the finished pongal is fluffy, not mushy.
- 2
Place the moong dal in the same strainer and rinse under cold water for 10 seconds, shaking gently. Set both the rice and dal aside in separate bowls.
- 3
Mince the ginger until the pieces are smaller than a grain of rice—about the size of pencil-tip dots.
- 4
Pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a large pot and set it over medium-high heat for 1 minute until the oil shimmers and slides quickly when you tilt the pot.
- 5
Add the cashews to the hot oil and stir constantly for 1 to 2 minutes until they turn golden brown and smell nutty. Remove them with a slotted spoon and set aside on a small plate.
- 6
Add the minced ginger to the same hot oil and stir for 30 seconds until it smells sharply fragrant.
- 7
Pour in the rinsed rice and rinsed moong dal, then stir constantly for 1 minute until the grains look slightly translucent and smell toasted. This step builds flavor before you add water.
- 8
Pour in 4 cups of water and sprinkle 0.5 teaspoon of turmeric powder over the top, then stir once to combine.
- 9
Bring the mixture to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, about 3 to 4 minutes, then immediately reduce the heat to low.
- 10
Cover the pot with a lid and simmer undisturbed for 12 to 15 minutes until all the water is absorbed and the rice and lentils look tender when you press a grain between your fingers.
- 11
Remove the pot from heat and let it sit covered for 2 minutes. This lets the steam finish cooking the grains.
- 12
Remove the lid carefully—steam will rush out—then fluff the pongal with a fork by lifting and turning the rice mixture gently 8 to 10 times.
- 13
Transfer the pongal to a serving bowl or divide among four plates, then scatter the reserved cashews over the top and drizzle lightly with salt and pepper to taste.
Tools you’ll need
- fine-mesh strainer
- large pot with lid (3-quart minimum)
- wooden spoon or rice paddle
- slotted spoon
- small bowl or plate
- fork
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