Khara pongal recipe, hotel style ghee pongal

Khara pongal or ghee pongal made in restaurant/ hotel style with whole black pepper, cumin, green chilli, ginger and cashew nuts. Flavoured with asafoetida and curry leaves.
Mom makes pongal this way only from the day I know. I love both ven pongal and this version of pongal made with turmeric. Most of the hotels serve this type of pongal. That is they cook pepper, cumin and all together.

In hotels and in some households, they add half oil too, which makes the pongal retain the texture and gives a unique flavour that I like. But usually in our family, elders call it cheap to add vanaspati or oil and shout if the ladies adulterate the ghee pongal with oil or vanaspati. But somehow I love the flavour a lot when they use oil or vanaspati.

In pongal, the texture is so important which I always struggle to get it right. I keep wondering why my pongal turn out dry instead of the moist juicy pongal. Then realised if dal is added more, it turns out dry so we have to add loads of water as needed. The rice also plays a main role, new rice variety doesn’t require much water while aged rice will take up more water. So to troubleshoot, keep a cup of boiling water ready when you open the cooker and you can easily fix a dry pongal. Don’t forget to check for salt too.
Check out this easy pongal gotsu with brinjal

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Khara pongal

Khara pongal or ghee pongal made in restaurant/ hotel style with whole black pepper, cumin, green chilli, ginger and cashew nuts.

Course Breakfast

Cuisine Indian, South Indian

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Servings 4

Cup measurements

Ingredients

• Raw rice – 3/4 cup I used sona masuri
• Moong dal – 1/4 cup
• Water – 4 cups refer notes
• Turmeric – 1/4 tsp
• Salt – As needed
• Ghee – as needed

To temper

• Ghee/ oil – 2 tbsp
• Black pepper – 1 tsp
• Cumin seeds – 1 tsp heaped
• Ginger – 1 tbsp finely chopped
• Green chilli – 2
• Cashew nuts – 8
• Asafoetida – 1/8 tsp
• Curry leaves – 1 sprig

Instructions

• Heat a pressure cooker with ghee. Pop black pepper and in low flame, add cumin, cashew nuts, green chilli, ginger, curry leaves, asafoetida in order.
• Roast well. Add washed rice and dal and roast for a minute.
• Add water, salt and turmeric.
• Bring to boil. Close the lid and pressure cook for just 1 whistle in medium flame.
• Let the pressure release by itself and open the cooker immediately to mash it well.

Video

Notes

• Keep a cup of hot water ready while you open the cooker in case you need to loosen up.
• But first make sure to mash the pongal when its hot.
• You can add ghee and vanaspati or oil equally.
• Adding ginger, cashewnuts add a good flavour along with asafoetida

Khara pongal method:

1. Heat a pressure cooker with ghee. Pop black pepper and in low flame, add cumin, cashew nuts, green chilli, ginger, curry leaves, asafoetida in order.
2. Roast well. Add washed rice and dal and roast for a minute.
3. Add water, salt and turmeric.
4. Bring to boil. Close the lid and pressure cook for just 1 whistle in medium flame.
5. Let the pressure release by itself and open the cooker immediately to mash it well.

Top with more ghee topped over the pongal. Serve hot with chutney and sambar.