QUINOA PONGAL

Quinoa Pongal is a nutritious and delicious, easy to make comfort food prepared using quinoa and moong dal or yellow lentil in less than 25 minutes. This recipe is vegan and gluten free.

Quinoa is a gluten free grain, and a good source of protein, fiber and iron. Moong dal or yellow lentil is high in protein & iron, and low in carb. It helps to reduce weight and control blood pressure. If you are weight watcher then this recipe is a must try.

I have used split yellow lentil with skin or chilkewali moong dal in the recipe below. Traditionally pongal is prepared using moong dal and rice. So you can also add in equal amount of rice in the recipe, either as a substitute for quinoa, or as an additional ingredient in which case you will have to increase the amount of water in the recipe. This dish can be served alone or with yogurt salad or chutney or sambar.

Preparation time : 25 minutes
Serves : 3

Ingredients for Quinoa Pongal

Split Moong Dal - ⅔ cup
Quinoa - ⅔ cup
Ginger finely chopped - 1 inch
Green chilies finely chopped - 2 to 3
Black peppercorns freshly powdered - 8
Asafoetida / Hing - ½ tsp
Cashew nuts - ½ tbsp
Peanuts - ½ tbsp
Curry leaves - 5
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Coconut oil - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Water - 2 ½ to 3 cups minimum

Steps to prepare Quinoa Pongal

Step I

• Add quinoa, moong dal, green chilies, ginger, asafoetida, water and salt in pressure cooker.
• Close the lid and pressure cook for about 8 minutes or 2 whistles. See that the water is at least half inch above the dal while cooking.
• Switch off the flame, and allow the pressure cooker to cool down completely (approx. 10 minutes).

Step II

• Meanwhile heat oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds. When they start to splutter add curry leaves, peanuts, cashew nuts and saute till the nuts become golden brown in color.
• Add the freshly powder peppercorns to the cooked quinoa dal mixture, adjust the salt and water for desired consistency if required and bring it to boil again.
• Add the tempering and mix well.
• Quinoa Pongal is now ready. Serve hot and enjoy.

Tip

• This dish thickens as it cools down. So add water and heat it even before you serve.
• Vary the amount of green chilies as per your taste. You can substitute it with serrano pepper or jalapeno. The taste may vary accordingly.
• Vary the amount of nuts and other spices as per your taste.
• You can also use butter or vegetable oil for tempering.
• This dish can also be prepared in a pan but it is time consuming.