Makar Sankranti 2020: This South Indian Butter Pongal Recipe Will Surely Make You Drool

Pongal is very popular festival in southern India and this year it will begin on 15 January and will end on 18 January. Butter Pongal is a delicacy made of rice and dal with ghee. If you have been to southern India, you must have tried Pongal for sure. Earlier, this dish was made only during the harvest season. But now, if you go to any hotel for breakfast, Pongal is an important item in their menu. The spicy butter Pongal is an Indian risotto. You just would not want to miss them!

Butter Pongal is a powerhouse of nutrients. Butter is added to the mixture of rice, ghee and dal so that it tastes better and gets you going for the day. The best way to cook this traditional Indian dish is to make it spicy.

Pongal is usually made in the traditional pots. But don't worry that you could not get hold of one yet. Yummy Pongal can be made in cooker too.

Boldsky gives you an exclusive spicy butter Pongal recipe for you to try today. Are the vacation blues still lingering? Are you excited about the weekend? Whatever your mood is, spice it up with this butter Pongal recipe.

Serves: 2-3
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes

All you need

Rice- 1 cup
Split skinned moong dal- ½ cup
Black pepper powder- 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds- 1 tbsp
Ginger- ½ (finely chopped)
Black peppercorns- 1 cup
Cashewnuts- 10 nos. (halved)
Curry leaves
Ghee- 3 tbsp.
Butter- 3 tbsp.
Salt- to taste

Procedure

1. Add ghee in a pressure cooker and cook the rice and dal inside the cooker till it becomes soft. It would take 10-15 minutes to be cooked and become very soft.
2. In the meantime, take a frying pan and heat it. Once the frying pan is heated, add butter into it.
3. Add the cumin seeds, ginger, black peppercorns and curry leaves into the frying pan, and saute it well. You can smell the aroma of spices being released.
4. Add cashews into the frying pan and roast it till it turns golden brown.
5. After that, mash the dal and rice in the cooker.
6. Add pepper powder into the rice and dal mixture and stir it well.
7. Then, pour the mixture of spices from your frying pan into the cooker.
8. Stir the whole mixture with some more butter.
9. Now, place your cooked Pongal into a serving plate.
10. Garnish the spicy butter Pongal with cashew nuts and relish it with your family.

This spicy butter Pongal tastes best with coconut chutney.

Nutritional Value

Rice is good for preventing many heart ailments. Rice contains anti-oxidants that help in making the heart more resistant and strong.
Rice is a rich source of carbohydrates. It provides us with energy and makes our day-to-day activities much simpler.
Rice is a good source of vitamins and minerals. It helps in improving our immune system and metabolic activities in our body.
Dal is a good source of proteins that are vital for our body. Moong dal is considered one of the best pulses and comes with the highest amount of nutrients.

#Tips

If you want the rice and dal mixture to be very soft, cook it in milk.
If you use home-made butter, you will get the best results from your spicy butter Pongal.