Khara Pongal Recipe Andhra Style makes me nostalgic of my childhood Sundays. As my mom makes this as a mandatory Sunday breakfast. The rice porridge with tempering in ghee is what makes the recipe so yummy and tasty.
In my current blog, I would like to share with you the special recipe of the Khara Pongal. There are some very important tips to follow while making to get the perfect Pongal. I will be sharing them at the end of the recipe in the tips section.
It is commonly made breakfast in South India especially for special occasions. Khara Pongal with lots of ghee and cashews makes it super yummy along with tempering of the spices. Though it is made on a regular day as breakfast. It is prepared during the harvest festival in South India.
How to make Khara Pongal Recipe Andhra Style
All you need is the Moong dhal and the rice with spices and ghee to make the Pongal super yummy. It is important to use the new rice which is harvested in the last three months to get the gooey consistency. It is a simple, easy and quick recipe yet a delicious one. Let us now getting started with the recipe.
Utensils and time required for Khara Pongal Recipe Andhra Style
You need very few utensils and less time to prepare the dish. However, it is important to keep the utensils ready and know the timings. The reason being, you will have a pleasant cooking experience.
| UTENSILS NEEDED
tadka pan Rice Cooker Big Bowl to rinse the rice and moong dhal |
| TOTAL PREPARATION TIME
15 Minutes |
| COOKING TIME FOR RICE AND MOONG DHAL
10 MINUTES |
| COOKING TIME FOR TEMPERING
5 MINUTES |
Ingredients for Khara Pongal Recipe Andhra Style
This is a simple dish with very few ingredients. However, it is always a good practice to have all the ingredients handy with the right quantity.
| QUANTITY OF INGREDIENTS for PONGAL
Rice – 1 cup Moong dhal – 1 cup Ghee – 2 tablespoons Salt to taste 5-6 Curry Leaves Cumin seeds – 1 teaspoon Ginger – 1 inch Pepper – 1 teaspoon Cashews – 2 tablespoon Green Chillies – 2 Asafoetida – 2 pinches |
Step by Step procedure for Khara Pongal Recipe Andhra Style
This simple and easy comfort food can be prepared every quick, You will be surprised at how effortlessly you can make this. I being a working mom prefer to make this only on Sundays as I can make it super fast. Let us now get started with this amazingly simple recipe. So that you can enjoy this meal as a family,
1. Add 1/2 cup of rice to a bowl
Take a bowl and add 1/2 cup of rice. We then add an equal quantity of moong dhal to the bowl for rinsing. You must use the new rice that was harvested in the last three months. The reason being. the new rice when cooked mashes softly together with mong dhal on cooking.
2. Add the moong dhal and rinse with water
Now add the 1/2 cup of moong dhal to the bowl. It is very important to have an equal quantity of rice and moong dhal for the Pongal recipe. Add enough water to the bowl. Rinse the rice and the moong dhal once or twice until it is clean.
3. Drain the rinsed water and add the rice and dhal to the cooker
After you rinse the equal quantity of rice and the moong dhal. Drain the water completely from the bowl. This is very important because any additional water in the bowl may disturb the measurement of water used for cooking rice and moong dhal. Add the rinsed rice and moong dhal to the pressure cooker
4. Add 4 Cups of water then Close the lid and cook until 3 whistles
You must now add 4 cups of water to the cooker. Now close the lid. Turn on the stove and keep the flame in the medium heat. Cook the rice and the moong dhal until you get three whistles in the pressure cooker.
5. Keep the cooker aside when the rice and moong dhal is cooked
When you cook the rice and the moong dhal, please do not open the lid immediately. Now leave the pressure cooker aside so that the cooking process continues for some more time.
6. Keep the tadka pan on the stove
Place the tadka pan on the stove and keep the flame in the medium so that you don’t burn the tempering.
7. Add 2 tablespoons of ghee
You must now add two tablespoons of ghee to the tadka pan. This is optional if you can also substitute ghee or clarified butter with vegetable oil also. Generally, ghee is often used for better taste.
8. Add cumin seeds, pepper, green chilies, ginger and saute well
You must now add pepper and let the pepper splutter. After that, you can add cumin seeds, green chilies and ginger to saute well. It is important to add the tempering ingredients in the ghee in the same order as the pepper splutter.
9. Add curry leaves and cashew nuts and saute until golden brown
You can now add the cashews to the ghee and fry until the golden brown. Finally, add the curry leaves to the ghee. You must make sure not to use dry and old curry leaves. You must use fresh green curry leaves to retain the flavor. Finally add 2 pinches of asafoetida to enhance the flavor.
10. Open the cooker with cooked rice and moong dhal and mix it well
You must now open the pressure cooker that was kept aside. As the rice and moong dhal is cooked well. Now mix them together well.
11. Add the tempering to cooked dhal and rice
Now you can add the tempering of the spices to the cooked rice and moong dhal. Mix it well so that the tempting is evenly mixed in the Pongal
12. Add salt and mix the tempering well with Pongal
You can add salt to paste and mix the tempering well with Pongal
13. Serve Khara Pongal with coconut chutney
Delicious Khara Pongal is ready and tastes delicious with coconut chutney. Sambar is the other best accompaniment for Pongal.
Key Tips for Khara Pongal Recipe Andhra Style
Even for the simple dishes, it is always important to follow the tips to ensure a pleasant cooking experience. I am sharing the tips please ensure to follow them to have a rocking cooking time.
1. Right quantity of water to the rice and moong dhal
You must ensure to add 4 cups of water to one cup of rice plus moong dhal. For the Pongal recipe, four times water is required so that porridge can be prepared with a gooey texture.
2. Quantity of rice and moong dhal
It is very important to have an equal quantity of rice and moong dhal. This will help the Pongal to taste delicious.
3. Leave the cooker undisturbed after the rice and moong dhal is cooked
When you cook the rice and the moong dhal, please do not open the lid immediately. Now leave the pressure cooker aside so that the cooking process continues for some more time.
4. Remove the skin of the ginger
Always ensure to remove the skin of the ginger. This will really help to avoid the bitterness in the ginger skin.
5. Order of spices in the tempering
Ensure to add the pepper in the ghee for the tempering first as it splutters. Then add the curry leaves at the end so that it doesn’t turn brown to retain the flavor
6. Use of fresh curry leaves
You must make sure not to use dry and old curry leaves. You must use fresh green curry leaves to retain the flavor.
7. Use of cashews
Another important ingredient for the Pongal is cashew nuts. It is commonly used for garnishing in sweets and savories in Indian Cuisine. It makes the Pongal more delicious by enhancing the taste.
Hope you found this recipe very easy and interesting. Please share your comments and feedback in the sections below. I will be happy to know them.