Khara Pongal

The South Indian equivalent of Khichdi, Khara Pongal is a humble, flavorful dish. It doesn’t look dashing like Vegetable Pulav. But, it is one of the most comforting foods you’ll eat. To say that it is the chicken noodle soup of the vegetarian world might not be far-fetched.

Packed with protein, Khara Pongal is a savory porridge made with moong beans and rice, and garnished with coconut, cashews and very mild spices. Traditionally, Khara Pongal is made with whole black peppercorns. But, who wants to be bothered picking out peppercorns or biting into one when least expected! Recipe Sack Khara Pongal incorporates the wonderful flavor and health benefits of black pepper in its powdered form—deviating just a smidgen from the traditional method yet retaining the wholesome flavor.

While Khara Pongal can be deeply satisfying by itself, this dish can also serve as the perfect base to build your meal upon. Fancy it up by topping the dish with a small salad of micro greens or roasted vegetables.

This kit yields 2 (by itself)/4 (as side dish) servings.

Included in this meal kit: Rice, Split Green Gram (Moong dal), Coconut Mix (Dry coconut powder, Cumin powder, Turmeric and Asafetida*), Cumin seeds, Black pepper and Cashews. Directions are inside the meal kit.

You will need (not included in this bag)…

  • 2½ to 4 cups water for cooking plus 2 cups for soaking rice and gram
  • 1 tbsp. butter/ghee
  • Salt, to taste

Prep: To prepare Khara Pongal, you will have to soak the rice and moong dal ahead of time for at least an hour.

Estimated cooking time: 30 – 45 mins