Broken Wheat Pongal Is So Easy To Make - Check Out The Recipe Here! - 24 Mantra Organic

Pongal is one of the staple rice and moong dal preparations of Tamil Nadu in South India. The dish is known by a different name in the North of India. Khichdi is the North Indian equivalent to the humble Pongal.

Although made with the same base ingredients, the spices that go into each dish makes them unique and different. The Pongal is a very nutritious food preparation that not only tastes good but fills you up with essential vitamins and minerals.

In the South, Pongal comes in two varieties – sweet and savoury. The sweet pongal is made with jaggery and is usually prepared as an offering to god during any festivals or holy days.

Savoury Pongal known as ‘Ven Pongal’ is flavoured with salt, black pepper and cumin is a common breakfast dish. Due to its taste and nutritional benefits, this dish is prepared regularly in south Indian households.

Although Pongal on its own is very healthy, people with diabetes or those more conscious about their health prefer to intake less rice in their diet. In such cases, you can make pongal by substituting the rice with broken wheat.

Here is a quick and easy one-pot recipe for you to make broken wheat pongal.

Simple Broken Wheat Pongal Recipe

The broken wheat pongal recipe here is an easy and quick version. Once you have learnt how to make the basic recipe, you can make additions and alterations to the ingredients as per your choice.

Here are other bloggers who have published their broken wheat pongal recipe like – Jeyashri’s Kitchen, Smita Kalluraya, or Cookpad.

Try to opt for ingredients that have been produced organically. They are free from harmful pesticides – which ensures that the environment remains sustainable for future generations, and food also tastes better when cooked with organic products.

Ingredients

Broken wheat – 1 cup

Yellow moong dal – 1/4 cup

Chopped ginger – 2 teaspoons

Cumin seeds – 2 teaspoons

Cumin powder – 1/2 teaspoon

Black peppercorns – 7 – 8

Black pepper powder – 1/2 teaspoon

Green chillies – 1-2

Water – 5 cups

Asafoetida – 1/4 teaspoon

Ghee – 1 to 2 tablespoons

Cashews – 10 to 12 halved or quartered

Curry leaves – 1 sprig

Salt to taste

Method Of Preparation

1. In a kadhai, dry roast the broken wheat on a medium flame. Heat till the dahlia is hot to touch. Remove from heat and allow it to cool.

2. Next, dry roast the yellow moong dal on a medium flame. Keep moving the grains around till the heat spreads evenly. Roast till you can smell the nutty aroma of the moong dal. Ensure that none of the moong dal burns. Remove from heat and set aside.

3. Once the broken wheat and moong dal are cool to touch, rinse them till the water runs clear. Washing the two ingredients that there are no impurities and dust lingering in the grains.

4. In a pressure cooker, add the washed grains. To this pour in the 5 cups of water, black pepper powder, cumin powder, chopped ginger, and salt. Mix all the ingredients and allow the grains to cook for 5 to 6 whistles.

5. Switch off the flame and allow the pressure to settle before you open the cooker.

6. Grab a spoon and mix and mash the cooked broken wheat and moong.

7. In a kadhai prepare the tempering. Heat the ghee, and add the jeera seeds, black peppercorns, cashews, green chillies, asafoetida, and the curry leaves. Once the tempering is ready, add it to the cooked wheat and dal combination.

8. Mix well to avoid any lumps. Adjust the salt to taste as required.

9. Broken wheat pongal is ready to serve. It is delicious when it is served hot.

Tips To Make Broken Wheat Pongal

1. When adding the black pepper powder and cumin powder to the pressure cooker, add freshly ground spices. Dry roast a spoonful each of peppercorns and cumin seeds and grind them to powder form. Using fresh spices rather than readymade powders from the market makes the broken wheat pongal tastier.

2. Always use water in the ratio of 1:5 or higher. Using more water ensures that your broken wheat pongal is still a bit loose when thoroughly cooked, and you open the cooker. Keep a kettle or bowl full of hot water ready. Once the pressure settles and you open the cooker, add the hot water if you feel that the pongal has turned out too thick.

3. Roasting the grains in the first step gives a nutty flavour to you pongal. However, this step can be skipped. Ensure that the grains are wash thoroughly to remove impurities before cooking.

4. The measurements for the spices given here are standard. If you prefer your broken wheat pongal to be spicier, you can increase the quantity of ginger and green chillies.

5. Broken wheat pongal should be consumed when it is still hot. If pongal is left out to cool, it becomes a congealed mass which is unappealing to consume.

6. As broken wheat pongal has an overall bland taste, it is best when accompanied with spicy coconut chutney or a tangy, and sweet gotsu. Blend tomatoes, pepper, coriander seeds, tamarind, cumin seeds, chana dal, and sambhar powder. Cook the resulting mixture with turmeric powder, jaggery, salt and a little water till the raw taste of the tomato goes away. Temper with mustard seeds and urad dal. This is a simple gotsu recipe to serve with pongal.

7. The most basic version of the broken wheat pongal is a bland dish made with the wheat and moong dal and spiced with pepper and cumin. To elevate the health quotient of the pongal, while cooking the grains in the cooker, you can add some chopped vegetables of your choice – carrots, potatoes, beans, black-eyed peas, and even green peas.

Conclusion

So, what did you think of this simple broken wheat pongal? It’s easy to make, you have all the ingredients available in your pantry, and you only need one pot to make this dish.

Try 24 Mantra Organic’s Wheat Dalia and savour the taste of organic goodness.