Khara Pongal (Rice and Mung Bean Porridge)
Khara pongal is a savoury porridge-like dish that is traditionally prepared in South India for the Makar Sankranti festival that heralds the arrival of summer. The sweet pongal variety differs only in the spices added, and the two are often cooked together from the same batch of rice and dhal.
Ingredients
- ½ cup white rice
- ½ cup moong dhal
- 3 cups water
- ½ tablespoon turmeric powder
- ¼ cup chopped cashew nuts
- 10 curry leaves
- 1 tablespoon coarsely-ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
- 2 green chillies, split lengthwise
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 tablespoon ghee (or substitute butter)
- ½ tablespoon mustard seed
- Salt to taste
Ingredients for 7 servings (1.1 kg) · the original recipe
Method
- 1
Cook the rice and dhal together with turmeric powder in a pot or pressure cooker until mushy.
Pressure cooker - 2
Heat a little ghee in a large pan and brown the cashew nuts. Remove them from the pan.
- 3
Add the rest of the ghee and the oil and heat.
- 4
Throw in all of the spices, starting with the mustard seed and finishing with the cashew nuts.
- 5
Mix in the rice and dhal, warming through. If it is too thick, add a little water.
- 6
Add salt and extra ghee to taste. You can also add some grated coconut at the end.
Recipe from Wikibooks Cookbook, written by Wikibooks contributors. Used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence; the ingredient list and method on this page are taken from that page and edited (its notes, tips and variations are not reproduced), and are available under the same licence. The macros, equipment tags and scaling are Ma Kitchen’s own and are not the source’s figures. Ma Kitchen is not affiliated with or endorsed by Wikibooks Cookbook. Copied on 2026-11-12.
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