Millet pongal recipe – sharing another millet recipe that is filling, healthy and protein rich. I have used hulled foxtail millet, called as thinai in tamil, korralu in telugu & navane in kannada. You can use any other millet like kodo millet (varagu), little millet (sama) or barnyard millet to make this pongal much the same way I made this.
To make the millet pongal, i followed my venn pongal recipe. millet pongal makes an appealing and complete meal with a good chutney and a papad. While the pongal cooks, the chutney can be made. A vegetable chutney would be a nice choice.
This recipe can also be used to make millet pongal for kids. Use equal amount of white rice and millets. Adjust the seasoning ingredients like cumin,pepper corn, curry leaves.
Cooking millets with white rice is very common in our parts of karnataka. Reasons:
Eating large amount of millets may not be good for digestion and for over all health,
Some don’t like to eat millets as such, so they like to add up small amount of millets in the rice.
Some say foxtail millets are heat to the body so they mix to neutralize the effect.
Since millets are expensive when compared to rice, some like to mix them with rice.
If you are using millets regularly, using them together with rice could be a good idea.
For more millet recipes, check
Lemon millet recipe
Millet khichdi
Millet sweet pongal
Millet pulao
Millet pongal recipe below
Ingredients (1 cup = 240ml )
- 1/4 cup moong dal / pesara pappu
- 1/4 cup hulled millets (foxtail or any other millet)
- 2 tbsp rice brown or white, (optional, if using use half cup more water)
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 2 to 4 pepper corn
- 3 to 4 cashews
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- 1 green chili slit
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 3/4 tsp ginger grated
- 1 pinch hing
- 1 pinch turmeric
- 2 tsp ghee or oil
- salt as needed
How to make the recipe
- Wash millets, moong dal, rice if using in lot of water till they run clear.
- Soak them for about 2 hours
- Pressure cook with 1 1/2 cups water for one whistle or cook it in a pot till the millets and brown rice are cooked al dente. If using rice use 1/2 cup more water
- When the pressure goes off, add warm water to adjust the consistency. If desired mash it.
- Heat a small pan with ghee or oil, Fry cashews if using and set aside. Add ginger, green chili and fry till you get a nice aroma.
- Add cumin, pepper corn and curry leaves, fry till the curry leaves turn crisp, add hing.
- Pour the cooked pongal to the seasoning and mix. Garnish with cashews.
- Serve hot with any chutney
NUTRITION (estimation only)
Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.
If you are new to cooking, follow my detailed step by step photo instructions for best results.
How to make millet pongal
1. Wash and soak millets with dal for about 2 hours.If using rice, you can include too.
2. Add 1 1/2 cups water to the pressure cooker and cook for one whistle. You can cook in a pot too. If using rice use 1/2 cup more water. If cooking for a diabetic, just cook till the millets are done al dente and not mushy.
3. Add warm water and salt as needed, heat a pan with ghee and temper the cooked pongal.
Serve hot with any chutney or pongal.
SATHYAMOORTHY U says
You are just brilliant Swasthi.
I am so happy to find this Pongal recipe using millets.
You are not only a blogger, but a recipe creator as well. Hats off to your creativity
and your painstaking research on such a useful subject for all . It is amazing that
you are pursuing this great effort for over 2 decades!!!!!. May God bless you and
your family. Your parents deserve to be congratulated too for having blessed
all of us with such a helpful creative food blogger and recipe developer.
swasthi says
Hello Sir,
Thank you so much for the wishes. They mean a lot to us. You made my day! Thanks again. 🙂
Latha says
Really it’s very yummy…I like all your recipes.
swasthi says
Thanks Latha
Lakshmi says
Namaste swasthi,Thanks for very gud recipes sharing & all over ur aim to start this blog is amazing.how many times per week can i feed for my 6 & 8yr old kids.
swasthi says
Namste Lakshmi,
You are welcome. Twice a week should be good enough. Try to include all kinds of whole grains like brown rice, ragi, jowar, steel cut oats along with millets. You can make the same pongal with brown rice. Soak them well for at least 4 to 6 hours and cook it.
🙂
JOGARAO says
Very useful and informative and practical. Thanks.
Ganga says
Hi Swasthi. May I know what is hulled millet in Tamil and jowar In English. Would like to try these recipes. And is it recommended for 14 months toddler. Thank you in advance.
swasthi says
Hi Ganga,
hulled foxtail millet is called thinai arisi in tamil. Only thinai can mean unhulled millet.
unhulled millet have a hard outer covering. Without removing that we cannot use. Jowar is called sorghum.
Ganga says
Thank you Swasthi. Have a good day ahead. 😊
Lakshmi says
Hi swasthi how r u ? How many times this can feed to my 17 months old baby in a week and pls suggest me the quantity also. Can i give different types of kichidies in a week for lunch ?, like one day with rice, 2nd day with wheet rava, 3rd jowar rava, 4th bajra like dat , i want to habituate all these to her to reduce eating rice only plz suggest me
swasthi says
Hi Lakshmi, I am good. Thanks for asking.
You can serve all whole grains (counted together) upto 3 to 4 servings in a week.
Yes you can give khichdi or pongal or sweet pongal regularly for lunch.You can change and use – millets, rice, broken wheat, steel cut oats.
Jowar and bajra are good to give in the form of dosa. Ragi in the form of dosa or porridge.
Your baby still cannot eat bajra and jowar in khichdi i guess. But little millets, kodo millet are easy for toddlers as they turn soft after cooking. You can find all these in mustafa. Hope these help
Sarika says
Hi , thanks a lot for healthy recipe.i liked it. Please post Raagi recipes.
swasthi says
Hi Sarika
You can find Ragi recipes here
pavani says
Too good …
Sandhyajadav says
Hi swathi
Can I use this Pongal to my 11 month baby?
swasthi says
sandhya
You can give rice pongal
Gangidi Sravanthi says
hai swathi,
I like your blog,
swasthi says
Hello Sravanthi
Thank you