Pongal Fried Rice | Vegetable Fried Rice With Traditional Flavours | Tiffin Box Ideas

Hi Supermoms,

I have shared with you all that I am cooking a lot of one pot dishes these days . Pongal is a favourite 'any time' meal for my better half and myself.  For all those readers who are not familiar with 'Pongal' - it is a traditional breakfast dish in South India and can be cooked in sweet and savoury versions. A wholesome dish that has the right amount of nutrition and taste.

The combination  of cumin, peppercorns and ginger in the savoury pongal known as 'Ven Pongal' is simply irresistable. It is even served as a 'Prashad/Prasadam/offering' in South Indian temples. A cup of steaming hot pongal cooked with generous amounts of ghee is soul food for many.

However, I have seen that my children do not enjoy Pongal the way we do. So , over the years, I have modified the traditional Pongal recipe in many ways to make it equally popular with the next generation 😇 and I have shared some of them in the blog already. 

Today, I am sharing a super hit Pongal recipe that has got my family approval and will be a block buster at your home too. I really have to thank my Sister-In - Law and  Mother - In - Law for the 'name' of this dish . 

Pongal Fried Rice :

Preparation time : 10 minutes

Cooking time : 25 minutes

Serves : 4

1 cup = 250 ml cup 

Note : I have not used onions and garlic . If you are using, you can thinly slice the onions and fry them in ghee along with finely chopped garlic  after   tempering with spices. 

Ingredients :

2 cups basmati rice 

1/2 cup moong dal/husked and split yellow mung beans

3 1/4 cups water ( adjust)

2 carrots ( finely chopped)

10 french beans ( finely chopped)

1/4 cup sweet corn 

1/4 cup green peas 

salt to taste

For the tempering :

1 tablespoon ghee/clarified butter

6-7 cashew nuts ( halved)

3 green chillies ( halved vertically)

1 and 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds/jeera ( coarsely crushed using mortar and pestle)

1 teaspoon peppercorn ( coarsely crushed using mortar and pestle)

1" ginger ( roughly chopped and crushed)

1 sprig curry leaves 

Method :

1. Wash rice and dal together two to three times.

2. Add 3 cups of water, salt  ( I added 1/4 cup extra ) and pressure cook for 2 whistles only and switch off.

Chef tips to cook the rice and dal right  : 

a.  Basmati rice is very delicate, you need to take extra care to cook it fluffy. 

b.The water quantity will depend on the variety of basmati you are using.  

c. If you are pressure cooking, the water quantity is usually the exact proportion of the rice you are using ( 1:1).

d. If you are cooking in open pot, you can add 1/2 cup extra .

e. Read the instruction/water measurement that is given in the label . 

f. If you are cooking in the open pot, soak the rice and dal along with the required amount of water for at least 30 minutes. 

g. Once the pressure releases, transfer the rice mixture into a wide vessel and using a fork, gently fluff the rice . 

3. Steam the cut vegetables till they are fork tender. 

Chef tip : It takes approximately 10 minutes for this step . 

4. Heat a kadai/wok over low flame.

5. Add ghee and temper with ingredients given under ' To temper'. 

6. Add the steamed vegetables , salt ( only for the vegetables) and fry over medium flame for 2-3 minutes.

7. Add the cooked rice-dal mixture , mix and switch off. 

Chef tip : You can heat ghee and temper with cashews just before serving .

Your delicious Pongal Fried Rice is now ready. 

When I shared this recipe on my instagram, so many of you loved it and have already book marked the recipe. Also, many of you sent me questions/doubts to cook the rice and dal right. I have shared tips for the same and hope you will enjoy making this Pongal fried rice just the way I thoroughly enjoyed sharing the recipe with all of you. 

Happy Cooking !

With love,

Masterchefmom